Modulating the activity of the APC/C regulator SISAMBA improves the sugar and antioxidant content of tomato fruits.

The Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that plays a crucial role in ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of key cell cycle regulators, which is completed by the 26S proteasome. Previously, SAMBA, a plant-specific regulator of the APC/C, was identified in Arabidopsis as a critical factor controlling organ size through the regulation of cell proliferation. Here, by assessing its role in the crop tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), we confirm that SAMBA is a conserved APC/C regulator in plants and shows additional roles, including the modulation of fruit shape and changes in sugar metabolism.

The CELL NUMBER REGULATOR FW2.2 protein regulates cell-to-cell communication in tomato by modulating callose deposition at plasmodesmata.

FW2.2 (standing for FRUIT WEIGHT 2.2), the founding member of the CELL NUMBER REGULATOR (CNR) gene family, was the first cloned gene underlying a quantitative trait locus (QTL) governing fruit size and weight in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

Convergent evolution of water-conducting cells in Marchantia recruited the ZHOUPI gene promoting cell wall reinforcement and programmed cell death.

A key adaptation of plants to life on land is the formation of water-conducting cells (WCCs) for efficient long-distance water transport. Based on morphological analyses it is thought that WCCs have evolved independently on multiple occasions. For example, WCCs have been lost in all but a few lineages of bryophytes but, strikingly, within the liverworts a derived group, the complex thalloids, has evolved a novel externalized water-conducting tissue composed of reinforced, hollow cells termed pegged rhizoids.

A developmentally controlled cellular decompartmentalization process executes programmed cell death in the Arabidopsis root cap.

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a fundamental cellular process crucial to development, homeostasis, and immunity in multicellular eukaryotes. In contrast to our knowledge on the regulation of diverse animal cell death subroutines, information on execution of PCD in plants remains fragmentary. Here, we make use of the accessibility of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root cap to visualize the execution process of developmentally controlled PCD.

Zinc Finger-Homeodomain and Mini Zinc Finger proteins are key players in plant growth and responses to environmental stresses.

The ZINC FINGER-HOMEODOMAIN (ZHD) protein family is a plant-specific family of transcription factors containing two conserved motifs: a non-canonical C5H3 zinc finger domain (ZF) and a DNA-binding homeodomain (HD). The MINI ZINC FINGER (MIF) proteins belong to this family, but were possibly derived from the ZHDs by losing the HD. Information regarding the function of ZHD and MIF proteins is scarce.

Protoplast Preparation and Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting for the Evaluation of Targeted Mutagenesis in Plant Cells.

Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) allows for the enrichment of specific plant cell populations after protoplasting. In this book chapter, we describe the transformation and protoplasting of an Arabidopsis thaliana cell suspension culture (PSB-D, derived from MM2d) that can be used for the evaluation of CRISPR vectors in a subpopulation of cells. We also describe the protoplasting of Arabidopsis thaliana cells from the roots and stomatal lineage for the evaluation of tissue-specific gene editing.

At-MINI ZINC FINGER2 and Sl-INHIBITOR OF MERISTEM ACTIVITY, a Conserved Missing Link in the Regulation of Floral Meristem Termination in Arabidopsis and Tomato.

In angiosperms, the gynoecium is the last structure to develop within the flower due to the determinate fate of floral meristem (FM) stem cells. The maintenance of stem cell activity before its arrest at the stage called FM termination affects the number of carpels that develop. The necessary inhibition at this stage of (), which is responsible for stem cell maintenance, involves a two-step mechanism.

ABI3 controls embryo degreening through Mendel's I locus.

Chlorophyll (chl) is essential for light capture and is the starting point that provides the energy for photosynthesis and thus plant growth. Obviously, for this reason, retention of the green chlorophyll pigment is considered a desirable crop trait. However, the presence of chlorophyll in mature seeds can be an undesirable trait that can affect seed maturation, seed oil quality, and meal quality.