Harnessing landrace diversity empowers wheat breeding.

Harnessing genetic diversity in major staple crops through the development of new breeding capabilities is essential to ensure food security. Here we examined the genetic and phenotypic diversity of the A. E.

AtIAR1 is a Zn transporter that regulates auxin metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Root growth in Arabidopsis is inhibited by exogenous auxin-amino acid conjugates, and mutants resistant to one such conjugate [indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-Ala] map to a gene (AtIAR1) that is a member of a metal transporter family. Here, we test the hypothesis that AtIAR1 controls the hydrolysis of stored conjugated auxin to free auxin through zinc transport. AtIAR1 complements a yeast mutant sensitive to zinc, but not manganese- or iron-sensitive mutants, and the transporter is predicted to be localized to the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi in plants.

Mother trees, altruistic fungi, and the perils of plant personification.

There are growing doubts about the true role of the common mycorrhizal networks (CMN or wood wide web) connecting the roots of trees in forests. We question the claims of a substantial carbon transfer from 'mother trees' to their offspring and nearby seedlings through the CMN. Recent reviews show that evidence for the 'mother tree concept' is inconclusive or absent.

BRUTUS-LIKE (BTSL) E3 ligase-mediated fine-tuning of Fe regulation negatively affects Zn tolerance of Arabidopsis.

The mineral micronutrients zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) are essential for plant growth and human nutrition, but interactions between the homeostatic networks of these two elements are not fully understood. Here we show that loss of function of BTSL1 and BTSL2, which encode partially redundant E3 ubiquitin ligases that negatively regulate Fe uptake, confers tolerance to Zn excess in Arabidopsis thaliana. Double btsl1 btsl2 mutant seedlings grown on high Zn medium accumulated similar amounts of Zn in roots and shoots to the wild type, but suppressed the accumulation of excess Fe in roots.

Diffusion and bulk flow of amino acids mediate calcium waves in plants.

In plants, a variety of stimuli trigger long-range calcium signals that travel rapidly along the vasculature to distal tissues via poorly understood mechanisms. Here, we use quantitative imaging and analysis to demonstrate that traveling calcium waves are mediated by diffusion and bulk flow of amino acid chemical messengers. We propose that wounding triggers release of amino acids that diffuse locally through the apoplast, activating the calcium-permeable channel GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKE 3.

Countering elevated CO induced Fe and Zn reduction in Arabidopsis seeds.

Growth at increased concentrations of CO induces a reduction in seed zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe). Using Arabidopsis thaliana, we investigated whether this could be mitigated by reducing the elevated CO -induced decrease in transpiration. We used an infrared imaging-based screen to isolate mutants in At1g08080 that encodes ALPHA CARBONIC ANHYDRASE 7 (ACA7).

Zinc in plants: Integrating homeostasis and biofortification.

Zinc plays many essential roles in life. As a strong Lewis acid that lacks redox activity under environmental and cellular conditions, the Zn cation is central in determining protein structure and catalytic function of nearly 10% of most eukaryotic proteomes. While specific functions of zinc have been elucidated at a molecular level in a number of plant proteins, wider issues abound with respect to the acquisition and distribution of zinc by plants.

The salinity challenge.

This article is a Commentary on https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.

Cytokinin-dependent regulatory module underlies the maintenance of zinc nutrition in rice.

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a critical problem in human nutrition. Rice is the main source of calories for nearly half the world's population but has the shortcoming, from a nutritional perspective, of being low in Zn and other essential nutrients. Here we performed analyses with cytokinin-related mutants and transgenic lines to provide unequivocal evidence that cytokinins have a key role in controlling Zn status in plants.

A Model for Developing Clinical Analytics Capacity: Closing the Loops on Outcomes to Optimize Quality.

Closed Loop Analytics© is receiving growing interest in healthcare as a term referring to information technology, local data and clinical analytics working together to generate evidence for improvement. The Closed Loop Analytics model consists of three loops corresponding to the decision-making levels of an organization and the associated data within each loop - Patients, Protocols, and Populations. The authors propose that each of these levels should utilize the same ecosystem of electronic health record (EHR) and enterprise data warehouse (EDW) enabled data, in a closed-loop fashion, with that data being repackaged and delivered to suit the analytic and decision support needs of each level, in support of better outcomes.

Real-time In Vivo Recording of Arabidopsis Calcium Signals During Insect Feeding Using a Fluorescent Biosensor.

Calcium ions are predicted to be key signaling entities during biotic interactions, with calcium signaling forming an established part of the plant defense response to microbial elicitors and to wounding caused by chewing insects, eliciting systemic calcium signals in plants. However, the role of calcium in vivo during biotic stress is still unclear. This protocol describes the use of a genetically-encoded calcium sensor to detect calcium signals in plants during feeding by a hemipteran pest.

Interplay of Plasma Membrane and Vacuolar Ion Channels, Together with BAK1, Elicits Rapid Cytosolic Calcium Elevations in Arabidopsis during Aphid Feeding.

A transient rise in cytosolic calcium ion concentration is one of the main signals used by plants in perception of their environment. The role of calcium in the detection of abiotic stress is well documented; however, its role during biotic interactions remains unclear. Here, we use a fluorescent calcium biosensor (GCaMP3) in combination with the green peach aphid () as a tool to study calcium dynamics in vivo and in real time during a live biotic interaction.

Improving zinc accumulation in cereal endosperm using HvMTP1, a transition metal transporter.

Zinc (Zn) is essential for all life forms, including humans. It is estimated that around two billion people are deficient in their Zn intake. Human dietary Zn intake relies heavily on plants, which in many developing countries consists mainly of cereals.

Nuclear-localized cyclic nucleotide-gated channels mediate symbiotic calcium oscillations.

Nuclear-associated Ca(2+) oscillations mediate plant responses to beneficial microbial partners--namely, nitrogen-fixing rhizobial bacteria that colonize roots of legumes and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that colonize roots of the majority of plant species. A potassium-permeable channel is known to be required for symbiotic Ca(2+) oscillations, but the calcium channels themselves have been unknown until now. We show that three cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in Medicago truncatula are required for nuclear Ca(2+) oscillations and subsequent symbiotic responses.

Standards for plant synthetic biology: a common syntax for exchange of DNA parts.

Inventors in the field of mechanical and electronic engineering can access multitudes of components and, thanks to standardization, parts from different manufacturers can be used in combination with each other. The introduction of BioBrick standards for the assembly of characterized DNA sequences was a landmark in microbial engineering, shaping the field of synthetic biology. Here, we describe a standard for Type IIS restriction endonuclease-mediated assembly, defining a common syntax of 12 fusion sites to enable the facile assembly of eukaryotic transcriptional units.

Biofortification of wheat grain with iron and zinc: integrating novel genomic resources and knowledge from model crops.

Wheat, like many other staple cereals, contains low levels of the essential micronutrients iron and zinc. Up to two billion people worldwide suffer from iron and zinc deficiencies, particularly in regions with predominantly cereal-based diets. Although wheat flour is commonly fortified during processing, an attractive and more sustainable solution is biofortification, which requires developing new varieties of wheat with inherently higher iron and zinc content in their grains.

Using membrane transporters to improve crops for sustainable food production.

With the global population predicted to grow by at least 25 per cent by 2050, the need for sustainable production of nutritious foods is critical for human and environmental health. Recent advances show that specialized plant membrane transporters can be used to enhance yields of staple crops, increase nutrient content and increase resistance to key stresses, including salinity, pathogens and aluminium toxicity, which in turn could expand available arable land.

Metal selectivity determinants in a family of transition metal transporters.

Metal tolerance proteins (MTPs) are plant members of the cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) transporter family involved in cellular metal homeostasis. Members of the CDF family are ubiquitously found in all living entities and show principal selectivity for Zn(2+), Mn(2+), and Fe(2+). Little is known regarding metal selectivity determinants of CDFs.

The language of calcium signaling.

Ca(2+) signals are a core regulator of plant cell physiology and cellular responses to the environment. The channels, pumps, and carriers that underlie Ca(2+) homeostasis provide the mechanistic basis for generation of Ca(2+) signals by regulating movement of Ca(2+) ions between subcellular compartments and between the cell and its extracellular environment. The information encoded within the Ca(2+) transients is decoded and transmitted by a toolkit of Ca(2+)-binding proteins that regulate transcription via Ca(2+)-responsive promoter elements and that regulate protein phosphorylation.

Zinc biofortification of cereals: problems and solutions.

The goal of biofortification is to develop plants that have an increased content of bioavailable nutrients in their edible parts. Cereals serve as the main staple food for a large proportion of the world population but have the shortcoming, from a nutrition perspective, of being low in zinc and other essential nutrients. Major bottlenecks in plant biofortification appear to be the root-shoot barrier and--in cereals--the process of grain filling.

Identification of novel proteins and phosphorylation sites in a tonoplast enriched membrane fraction of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Plant vacuoles play essential roles in many physiological processes, particularly in mineral nutrition, turgor provision and cellular signalling. The vacuolar membrane, the tonoplast, contains many membrane transporters that are critical in the execution of these processes. However, although increasing knowledge is available about the identity of proteins involved in these processes very little is known about the regulation of tonoplast transporters.