Distinct ankyrin repeat subdomains control VAPYRIN locations and intracellular accommodation functions during arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.

Over 70% of vascular flowering plants engage in endosymbiotic associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. VAPYRIN (VPY) is a plant protein that is required for intracellular accommodation of AM fungi but how it functions is still unclear. VPY has a large ankyrin repeat domain with potential for interactions with multiple proteins.

Next Generation Cereal Crop Yield Enhancement: From Knowledge of Inflorescence Development to Practical Engineering by Genome Editing.

Artificial domestication and improvement of the majority of crops began approximately 10,000 years ago, in different parts of the world, to achieve high productivity, good quality, and widespread adaptability. It was initiated from a phenotype-based selection by local farmers and developed to current biotechnology-based breeding to feed over 7 billion people. For most cereal crops, yield relates to grain production, which could be enhanced by increasing grain number and weight.

A Phosphate-Dependent Requirement for Transcription Factors IPD3 and IPD3L During Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis in .

During arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, activation of a symbiosis signaling pathway induces gene expression necessary for accommodation of AM fungi. Here, we focus on pathway components ( and (), which are potential orthologs of , a transcriptional regulator essential for AM symbiosis. In the double mutant , hyphal entry through the epidermis and overall colonization levels are reduced relative to the wild type but fully developed arbuscules are present in the cortex.

Genetic mapping shows intraspecific variation and transgressive segregation for caterpillar-induced aphid resistance in maize.

Plants in nature have inducible defences that sometimes lead to targeted resistance against particular herbivores, but susceptibility to others. The metabolic diversity and genetic resources available for maize (Zea mays) make this a suitable system for a mechanistic study of within-species variation in such plant-mediated interactions between herbivores. Beet armyworms (Spodoptera exigua) and corn leaf aphids (Rhopalosiphum maidis) are two naturally occurring maize herbivores with different feeding habits.