A bench-top Dark-Root device built with LEGO bricks enables a non-invasive plant root development analysis in soil conditions mirroring nature.

Roots are the hidden parts of plants, anchoring their above-ground counterparts in the soil. They are responsible for water and nutrient uptake and for interacting with biotic and abiotic factors in the soil. The root system architecture (RSA) and its plasticity are crucial for resource acquisition and consequently correlate with plant performance while being highly dependent on the surrounding environment, such as soil properties and therefore environmental conditions.

Identification of apple cultivars hypoallergenic for birch pollen-allergic individuals by a multidisciplinary in vitro and in vivo approach.

Background: Birch pollen-related apple allergy is the most frequent IgE-mediated food allergy in Central-Northern Europe with Mal d 1 as major allergen. Its concentration in apples varies with the cultivar and storage time. Year-round appealing, hypoallergenic cultivars still are needed to satisfy the nutritional needs of affected individuals.

Tissue-Specific Proteome and Subcellular Microscopic Analyses Reveal the Effect of High Salt Concentration on Actin Cytoskeleton and Vacuolization in Aleurone Cells during Early Germination of Barley.

Cereal grain germination provides the basis for crop production and requires a tissue-specific interplay between the embryo and endosperm during heterotrophic germination involving signalling, protein secretion, and nutrient uptake until autotrophic growth is possible. High salt concentrations in soil are one of the most severe constraints limiting the germination of crop plants, affecting the metabolism and redox status within the tissues of germinating seed. However, little is known about the effect of salt on seed storage protein mobilization, the endomembrane system, and protein trafficking within and between these tissues.

Protein sorting into protein bodies during barley endosperm development is putatively regulated by cytoskeleton members, MVBs and the HvSNF7s.

Cereal endosperm is a short-lived tissue adapted for nutrient storage, containing specialized organelles, such as protein bodies (PBs) and protein storage vacuoles (PSVs), for the accumulation of storage proteins. During development, protein trafficking and storage require an extensive reorganization of the endomembrane system. Consequently, endomembrane-modifying proteins will influence the final grain quality and yield.