The Zebrafish Sperm Proteome.

One of the key processes that forms the basis of fertilisation is the tight interaction between sperm and egg. Both sperm and egg proteomes are known to evolve and diverge rapidly even between closely related species. Understanding the sperm proteome therefore provides key insights into the proteins that underpin the mechanisms involved during fertilisation and the fusion between sperm and egg, and how they can differ across individuals of the same species.

Rebalancing the seed proteome following deletion of vicilin-related genes in pea (Pisum sativum L.).

Null mutations for genes encoding a major seed storage protein in pea, vicilin, were sought through screening a fast-neutron mutant population. Deletion mutations at four or five vicilin loci, where all vicilin genes within each locus were deleted, were combined to address the question of how removal or reduction of a major storage protein and potential allergen might impact the final concentration of protein per unit mature seed weight, seed yield and viability. While the concentration of seed protein was not reduced in mature seeds of mutant lines, indicative of a re-balancing of the proteome, notable differences were apparent in the metabolite, proteomic and amino acid profiles of the seeds, as well as in some functional properties.

A CPF-like phosphatase module links transcription termination to chromatin silencing.

The interconnections between co-transcriptional regulation, chromatin environment, and transcriptional output remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the mechanism underlying RNA 3' processing-mediated Polycomb silencing of Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). We show a requirement for ANTHESIS PROMOTING FACTOR 1 (APRF1), a homolog of yeast Swd2 and human WDR82, known to regulate RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) during transcription termination.

Correction: Plasmids manipulate bacterial behaviour through translational regulatory crosstalk.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.

O-glycosylation of the transcription factor SPATULA promotes style development in Arabidopsis.

O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) and O-fucose are two sugar-based post-translational modifications whose mechanistic role in plant signalling and transcriptional regulation is still largely unknown. Here we investigated how two O-glycosyltransferase enzymes of Arabidopsis thaliana, SPINDLY (SPY) and SECRET AGENT (SEC), promote the activity of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor SPATULA (SPT) during morphogenesis of the plant female reproductive organ apex, the style. SPY and SEC modify amino-terminal residues of SPT in vivo and in vitro by attaching O-fucose and O-GlcNAc, respectively.