A small peptide inhibits siRNA amplification in plants by mediating autophagic degradation of SGS3/RDR6 bodies.

Selective autophagy mediates specific degradation of unwanted cytoplasmic components to maintain cellular homeostasis. The suppressor of gene silencing 3 (SGS3) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 6 (RDR6)-formed bodies (SGS3/RDR6 bodies) are essential for siRNA amplification in planta. However, whether autophagy receptors regulate selective turnover of SGS3/RDR6 bodies is unknown.

A putative nuclear copper chaperone promotes plant immunity in Arabidopsis.

Copper is essential for many metabolic processes but must be sequestrated by copper chaperones. It is well known that plant copper chaperones regulate various physiological processes. However, the functions of copper chaperones in the plant nucleus remain largely unknown.

Genetic analysis of a Piezo-like protein suppressing systemic movement of plant viruses in Arabidopsis thaliana.

As obligate intracellular phytopathogens, plant viruses must take advantage of hosts plasmodesmata and phloem vasculature for their local and long-distance transports to establish systemic infection in plants. In contrast to well-studied virus local transports, molecular mechanisms and related host genes governing virus systemic trafficking are far from being understood. Here, we performed a forward genetic screening to identify Arabidopsis thaliana mutants with enhanced susceptibility to a 2b-deleted mutant of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV-2aT∆2b).