Towards Pathogen-Free Coconut Germplasm Exchange.

Coconut ( L.) is an important palm species that serves as the mainstay of several industries and contributes to the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. International exchange of coconut germplasm has been undertaken for several decades to facilitate the conservation of selected varieties within global genebanks and for the distribution to farmers and scientists.

Capsicum chinense Jacq.-derived glutaredoxin (CcGRXS12) alters redox status of the cells to confer resistance against pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV-I).

The CcGRXS12 gene protects plants from cellular oxidative damage that are caused by both biotic and abiotic stresses. The protein possesses GSH-disulphide oxidoreductase property but lacks Fe-S cluster assembly mechanism. Glutaredoxins (Grxs) are small, ubiquitous and multi-functional proteins.

Hygromycin B-induced cell death is partly mediated by reactive oxygen species in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

The aminoglycoside antibiotic hygromycin B (Hyg) inhibits prokaryotic, chloroplast and mitochondrial protein synthesis. Because of the toxic effect of Hyg on plant cells, the HPT gene, encoding hygromycin phosphotransferase, has become one of the most widely used selectable markers in plant transformation. Yet the mechanism behind Hyg-induced cell lethality in plants is not clearly understood.

A PHD in histone language: on the role of histone methylation in plant responses to phosphate deficiency.

Post-translational modifications of core histones are important for various DNA-templated processes such as transcription and repair. We recently reported that the ALFIN LIKE 6 (AL6) gene, identified in a forward genetic screen, is critical for phosphate deficiency-induced root hair formation and several other processes associated with the regulation of cellular phosphate homeostasis. AL6 contains a Plant Homeo Domain (PHD) finger that can bind to trimethylated lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4me3).

ALFIN-LIKE 6 is involved in root hair elongation during phosphate deficiency in Arabidopsis.

Phosphate (Pi) starvation in plants induces dense and elongated root hairs, which increase the absorptive surface area of the roots and play a critical role in Pi uptake. The molecular mechanism underlying these changes remains unclear. Forward and reverse genetic approaches were employed to identify novel genes involved in root hair formation on Pi starvation.

PFT1, a transcriptional Mediator complex subunit, controls root hair differentiation through reactive oxygen species (ROS) distribution in Arabidopsis.

Root hair morphogenesis is driven by an amalgam of interacting processes controlled by complex signaling events. Redox processes and transcriptional control are critical for root hair development. However, the molecular mechanisms that integrate redox state and transcription are largely unknown.