Acyl carrier protein OsMTACP2 confers rice cold tolerance at the booting stage.

Low temperatures occurring at the booting stage in rice (Oryza sativa L.) often result in yield loss by impeding male reproductive development. However, the underlying mechanisms by which rice responds to cold at this stage remain largely unknown.

sp. nov., a Pb-tolerant actinomycete.

A novel actinobacterium, designated KC 17012, was isolated from lead zinc tailings collected from Lanping, Yunnan, PR China. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that KC 17012 belonged to the genus and was most closely related to the type strains of (98.34%), (98.

Siccirubricoccus soli sp. nov., a novel bacterial species isolated from Jiaozi Mountain soil.

An isolate of Gram-stain-negative and strictly aerobic bacterium, designated KC 17139, was isolated from Jiaozi Mountain sample in Yunnan, China. Cells were non-motile cocci to oval, catalase-positive and oxidase-positive. Growth occurred at 0-7% NaCl (w/v; optimum, 0%), pH 6.

CLE peptides: critical regulators for stem cell maintenance in plants.

Plant CLE peptides, which regulate stem cell maintenance in shoot and root meristems and in vascular bundles through LRR family receptor kinases, are novel, complex, and to some extent conserved. Over the past two decades, peptide ligands of the CLAVATA3 (CLV3) /Embryo Surrounding Region (CLE) family have been recognized as critical short- and long-distance communication signals in plants, especially for stem cell homeostasis, cell fate determination and physiological responses. Stem cells located at the shoot apical meristem (SAM), the root apical meristem (RAM) and the procambium divide and differentiate into specialized cells that form a variety of tissues such as epidermis, ground tissues, xylem and phloem.

DEAD-BOX RNA HELICASE 27 regulates microRNA biogenesis, zygote division, and stem cell homeostasis.

After double fertilization, zygotic embryogenesis initiates a new life cycle, and stem cell homeostasis in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) and root apical meristem (RAM) allows plants to produce new tissues and organs continuously. Here, we report that mutations in DEAD-BOX RNA HELICASE 27 (RH27) affect zygote division and stem cell homeostasis in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The strong mutant allele rh27-1 caused a zygote-lethal phenotype, while the weak mutant allele rh27-2 led to minor defects in embryogenesis and severely compromised stem cell homeostasis in the SAM and RAM.

ZYGOTE-ARREST 3 that encodes the tRNA ligase is essential for zygote division in Arabidopsis.

In sexual organisms, division of the zygote initiates a new life cycle. Although several genes involved in zygote division are known in plants, how the zygote is activated to start embryogenesis has remained elusive. Here, we showed that a mutation in ZYGOTE-ARREST 3 (ZYG3) in Arabidopsis led to a tight zygote-lethal phenotype.