Choline transporter-like1 (CHER1) is crucial for plasmodesmata maturation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Plasmodesmata (PD) are microscopic pores connecting plant cells and enable cell-to-cell transport. Currently, little information is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating PD formation and development. To uncover components of PD development we made use of the 17 kDa movement protein (MP17) encoded by the Potato leafroll virus (PLRV).

Human Cytomegalovirus Nuclear Egress Proteins Ectopically Expressed in the Heterologous Environment of Plant Cells are Strictly Targeted to the Nuclear Envelope.

In all eukaryotic cells, the nucleus forms a prominent cellular compartment containing the cell's nuclear genome. Although structurally similar, animal and plant nuclei differ substantially in details of their architecture. One example is the nuclear lamina, a layer of tightly interconnected filament proteins (lamins) underlying the nuclear envelope of metazoans.

The Arabidopsis DCP2 gene is required for proper mRNA turnover and prevents transgene silencing in Arabidopsis.

Post-transcriptional gene silencing often limits the over-expression of transgenes in transgenic plants. It involves RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE 6 (RDR6), which recognizes aberrant transcripts, such as inaccurately processed or uncapped mRNA, and triggers silencing of target transcripts. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of an Arabidopsis mutant displaying increased transgene silencing (its1).

AtHsp70-15-deficient Arabidopsis plants are characterized by reduced growth, a constitutive cytosolic protein response and enhanced resistance to TuMV.

Arabidopsis thaliana contains 18 genes encoding Hsp70s. This heat shock protein superfamily is divided into two sub-families: DnaK and Hsp110/SSE. In order to functionally characterize members of the Hsp70 superfamily, loss-of-function mutants with reduced cytosolic Hsp70 expression were studied.

PD Trafficking of Potato Leaf Roll Virus Movement Protein in Arabidopsis Depends on Site-specific Protein Phosphorylation.

Many plant viruses encode for specialized movement proteins (MP) to facilitate passage of viral material to and through plasmodesmata (PD). To analyze intracellular trafficking of potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) movement protein (MP17) we performed GFP fusion experiments with distinct deletion variants of MP17. These studies revealed that the C-terminus of MP17 is essential but not sufficient for PD targeting.