The Plant Cell

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This week’s Signal Edition (3/5/26) is out!🌱

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Hypocotyls of Arabidopsis plants carrying a GAI-GFP construct were imaged by confocal microscopy to reveal DELLA overaccumulation upon exposure to C/N imbalance. A membrane-associated DELLA degradation pathway in response to this nutrient stress is described by Carrera-Castaño et al in this issue.

Have you seen the February 2026 issue of The Plant Cell from from ASPB @aspbofficial and Oxford University Press?! Find it here: academic.oup.com/plcell/issue... #PlantScience

“Two scoops, please!”: Twin cryo-EM structures of an Arabidopsis thaliana DNA methyltransferase If transcriptional enzymes such as RNA polymerases are vehicles on DNA roads, cytosine methylation is like placing cones on certain lanes: it slows or rero

IN BRIEF: “Two scoops, please!”: Twin cryo-EM structures of an Arabidopsis thaliana DNA methyltransferase (Jan Wilhelm Hübbers) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

Molecular determinants underlying NPH3 condensation and function in phototropism: an integrative approach A C-terminal bipartite self-interaction motif drives NPH3 trimerization, membrane association, and assembly of phase-separated cytosolic condensates that a

Molecular determinants underlying NPH3 condensation and function in phototropism: an integrative approach (Prabha Manishankar , Atiara Fernandez , Leander Rohr , et al) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

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BREAKTHROUGH REPORT: FeM-ID: A biotin labeling-based approach for the dissection of female meiotic chromosome behavior in Arabidopsis thaliana (Chao Feng , Baicui Wang , Maria Cuacos , Jana Lorenz , Franziska Hartmann , Stefan Heckmann) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

Structure-guided discovery of protein functions in plants Protein structure-based searches enable the functional annotation of many plant proteins for which sequence-based methods fall short.

BREAKTHROUGH REPORT: Structure-guided discovery of protein functions in plants (Jiarong Chen , Yanlei Feng , Yuchan Zhang , Jucan Gao , et al) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

Two to tango: DTT1 regulates barley tapetum transition as part of a paired key As with the formation of all organs, anther development requires the precise coordination of multiple components to ensure faithful cell differentiation an

IN BRIEF: Two to tango: DTT1 regulates barley tapetum transition as part of a paired key (Julie Robinson) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

Soybean RNA polymerases IV and V repress defense response genes and plant immunity Soybean RNA polymerases IV and V silence defense genes via RNA-directed DNA methylation, and their knockdown enhances resistance to the pathogen Phytophtho

Soybean RNA polymerases IV and V repress defense response genes and plant immunity (Xufeng Wang , Brandon H Le , Ye Xu , Penglin Sun , Min Qiu , Yao Zhao , et al) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

The Arabidopsis Transcription Factor TCP4 Controls Seed Size by Repressing the MINI3-SHB1-IKU Pathway TCP4 precisely orchestrates the timing of endosperm cellularization and the development of seed coat to regulate seed size by recruiting the PRC2 complex t

The Arabidopsis Transcription Factor TCP4 Controls Seed Size by Repressing the MINI3-SHB1-IKU Pathway (Zeliang Zhang , Yiyi Li , Hongjun Long , Yu Cao , Xinxue Wang , Genji Qin) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

A shield of phosphorylation: MPK3/6 protect STOP1 from PUB24-mediated degradation under hypoxia With the intensification of global climate change, flooding-induced hypoxia stress has become increasingly frequent, posing a serious threat to food securi

IN BRIEF: A shield of phosphorylation: MPK3/6 protect STOP1 from PUB24-mediated degradation under hypoxia (Jiajun Wang , Yueyao Wang) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

Epigenetic reprogramming drives the annual growth–dormancy cycle in Populus This paper shows that seasonal growth and dormancy in poplar are regulated by reversible changes in chromatin that coordinate gene activity with environmen

Epigenetic reprogramming drives the annual growth–dormancy cycle in Populus (Yue Li , Xintong Xu , Kejing Wang , Zhenzhu Hu , Li Deng , Zhimin Zheng , Xiaokang Dai , Jihua Ding) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

Muxing Liu (he/his) is the First Author of The multifunctional ascorbate peroxidase MoApx1 secreted by Magnaporthe oryzae mediates the suppression of rice immunity published 11 June 2025. Liu is an Assistant Professor at Nanjing Agricultural University. Education background includes: 2017 Ph.D Plant Pathology at Nanjing Agricultural University, 2012 BAgr Plant Protection Huazhong Agricultural University. Research interests include Plant Pathology, Plant Immunology. Personal interests include Play basketball.

“Through studying professional knowledge, receiving guidance from my mentor, and engaging with academic literature, I gradually developed a passion for plant science-related research.” academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...

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The Arabidopsis PRC2 subunit MSI1 interacts with HY5 to repress hypocotyl elongation through H3K27 tri-methylation (Yingchao Xu , Min Wang , Mei-Hui Yu , et al) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

Xiaohui Liu (she/her) is the First Author of The circular RNA circANK suppresses rice resistance to bacterial blight by inhibiting microRNA398b-mediated defense published 09 April 2025. She is a Ph.D. candidate at the College of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Education background includes: 2022-present, Ph.D. in Ecology, Shanghai Jiao Tong Universiy. 2019-2022 M.S. in Biology, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Research interests include Plant-microbe interactions. Personal interests include Reading and watching movies.

Liu’s research focuses on significantly reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in rice cells following Xoo infection. academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...

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Priyanka Kumari is the First Author of Reactivation of the tRNASer/tRNATyr gene cluster in Arabidopsis thaliana root tips published 06 June 2025. Kumari is a Scientific Assistant/PhD Student, FG Epigenetics, University of Hohenheim. Education background includes: 2020 MSc Crop Sciences (Plant nutrition & Protection), University of Hohenheim, Germany; 2010 MSc Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology, Banasthali University, India; 2008 BSc Chemstry/Microbiology/Biochemistry, Andhra University, India. Research interests include Plant Epigenetics, Plant Pathology, Plant-Microbe interactions. Personal interests include Travelling, Cooking.

Kumari’s interest in plant science began with a fascination for how plants adapt and thrive in diverse environments. academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...

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A species-specific tale of quantitative disease resistance (QDR) in tomato Due to the molecular complexity and inefficacy of the gene-for-gene immune response, it is a considerable challenge to engineer disease-resistant crops aga

IN BRIEF: A species-specific tale of Quantitative disease resistance (QDR) in tomato (Pei Qin Ng) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

G proteins regulate rice grain size by modulating the Hippo signaling pathway Rice G gamma proteins regulate grain size by interacting with a core kinase in the Hippo pathway, which subsequently modulates the phosphorylation and stab

G proteins regulate rice grain size by modulating the Hippo signaling pathway (Fangfang Zhou , Zhiai Guo , Yanxia Ling , Youfa Cheng) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

An apoplastic Lasiodiplodia theobromae effector triggers plant immunity through a lectin receptor-like kinase in peach Uncovering a fungal effector's dual roles in peach gummosis and its recognition by a peach lectin receptor establishes a molecular blueprint for targeted b

An apoplastic Lasiodiplodia theobromae effector triggers plant immunity through a lectin receptor-like kinase in peach (Jian Meng , Dongmei Zhang , Siwei An , et al) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

Buck grew up in a small town in Indiana, surrounded by agriculture as he helped her parents tend their kitchen garden. academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...

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RING1 and BMI1 catalytic activities play distinct roles in plant PcG-mediated gene regulation The catalytic activities of RING-finger domain proteins RING1 and BMI1 regulate the polycomb-mediated genes and reshape plant development distinctively

RING1 and BMI1 catalytic activities play distinct roles in plant PcG-mediated gene regulation (Minqi Yang (杨敏琪) , Yali Liu (刘亚丽) , Jiayue Shu (舒家悦) , et al doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

Chromatin remodeling at the C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR cluster controls growth retardation at low ambient temperature Plants adapt to low ambient temperatures using a temperature-sensitive control system that remodels chromatin to control growth.

Chromatin remodeling at the C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR cluster controls growth retardation at low ambient temperature (Junghyun Kim , Rachel E Jeong , Sibum Sung) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial