Stress-related transcriptomic changes associated with GFP transgene expression and active transgene silencing in plants.

Plants respond to biotic and abiotic stress by activating and interacting with multiple defense pathways, allowing for an efficient global defense response. RNA silencing is a conserved mechanism of regulation of gene expression directed by small RNAs important in acquired plant immunity and especially virus and transgene repression. Several RNA silencing pathways in plants are crucial to control developmental processes and provide protection against abiotic and biotic stresses as well as invasive nucleic acids such as viruses and transposable elements.

PSTVd infection in plants has a minor yet detectable effect on CG methylation.

Viroids are small circular RNAs infecting a wide range of plants. They do not code for any protein or peptide and therefore rely on their structure for their biological cycle. Observed phenotypes of viroid infected plants are thought to occur through changes at the transcriptional/translational level of the host.

Spotlight on Plant Bromodomain Proteins.

Bromodomain-containing proteins (BRD-proteins) are the "readers" of histone lysine acetylation, translating chromatin state into gene expression. They act alone or as components of larger complexes and exhibit diverse functions to regulate gene expression; they participate in chromatin remodeling complexes, mediate histone modifications, serve as scaffolds to recruit transcriptional regulators or act themselves as transcriptional co-activators or repressors. Human BRD-proteins have been extensively studied and have gained interest as potential drug targets for various diseases, whereas in plants, this group of proteins is still not well investigated.

Identification of Domains and Factors Involved in MINIYO Nuclear Import.

The transition of stem cells from self-renewal into differentiation is tightly regulated to assure proper development of the organism. () and its mammalian orthologue () are essential factors for initiating stem cell differentiation in plants and animals. Moreover, there is evidence suggesting that the translocation of IYO and RPAP1 from the cytosol into the nucleus functions as a molecular switch to initiate this cell fate transition.

Viral Detection: Past, Present, and Future.

Viruses are essentially composed of a nucleic acid (segmented or not, DNA, or RNA) and a protein coat. Despite their simplicity, these small pathogens are responsible for significant economic and humanitarian losses that have had dramatic consequences in the course of human history. Since their discovery, scientists have developed different strategies to efficiently detect viruses, using all possible viral features.