Publications by authors named "Minxia Zou"

Seed germination is a vital developmental transition for the production of progeny by sexual reproduction in spermatophytes. The seed-to-seedling transition is predominately driven by hypocotyl cell elongation. However, the mechanism that underlies hypocotyl growth remains largely unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Plants are constantly exposed to various environmental stresses, among which, microbial pathogens are one of the major threats. Studies have shown that the host actin cytoskeleton undergoes active rearrangement during the plant-microbe interaction. This actin remodeling is required for plant resistance to bacterial infection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The phytohormone auxin is the major coordinative signal in plant development, mediating transcriptional reprogramming by a well-established canonical signalling pathway. TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE 1 (TIR1)/AUXIN-SIGNALING F-BOX (AFB) auxin receptors are F-box subunits of ubiquitin ligase complexes. In response to auxin, they associate with Aux/IAA transcriptional repressors and target them for degradation via ubiquitination.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The phytohormone auxin triggers transcriptional reprogramming through a well-characterized perception machinery in the nucleus. By contrast, mechanisms that underlie fast effects of auxin, such as the regulation of ion fluxes, rapid phosphorylation of proteins or auxin feedback on its transport, remain unclear. Whether auxin-binding protein 1 (ABP1) is an auxin receptor has been a source of debate for decades.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Upon perception of pathogens, plants can rapidly close their stomata to restrict pathogen entry into internal tissue, leading to stomatal immunity as one aspect of innate immune responses. The actin cytoskeleton is required for plant defense against microbial invaders. However, the precise functions of host actin during plant immunity remain largely unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) like the Arabidopsis ZAR1 are key immune receptors that form complexes called resistosomes to initiate immune responses in plants.
  • The study used single-molecule imaging to demonstrate that activated ZAR1 can form pentameric complexes in the plant plasma membrane, which function as calcium-permeable ion channels.
  • Activation of ZAR1 leads to calcium influx, disruption of cell structures, production of reactive oxygen species, and ultimately results in cell death, indicating its crucial role in plant immunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Auxin transport inhibitors are essential tools for understanding auxin-dependent plant development. One mode of inhibition affects actin dynamics; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we characterized the action of 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) on actin dynamics in greater mechanistic detail.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF