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Adventures in ABA (10-24-2007) |
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| Abscisic acid (ABA) accumulates in plants exposed to stresses that cause dehydration of plant tissue. ABA is then a key regulator of plant responses to abiotic stress. The metabolic mechanisms controlling the amount of ABA present in the plant as well as the identity of the receptors that can perceive the increased levels of ABA remain as major unresolved questions in plant biology. Paul Verslues has recently reviewed some new developments ABA research (Current Opinion in Plant Biology online). Recent results have highlighted the importance of ABA conjugation and deconjugation as well as ABA transport in regulating ABA levels and downstream stress responses. Also, the identity and function of ABA receptors will continue to be an active, and controversial, research area. |
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| Modeling cell fate decisions (12-15-2007) |
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| The root epidermis represents an ideal model to study the amalgamation of environmental signals with developmental programs. Mathematical modeling can be used as a tool to integrate experimental data and test whether postulated mechanism produce the desired outcome. Together with Natasha Savage from the Computational Systems Biology group, Wolfgang Schmidtˇ¦s group has developed an activator-inhibitor model which is congruent with experimental observations and that refined current hypotheses in silico that can be tested in vivo (Bioessays 30, in press). A comprehensive picture of the events leading to adaptive re-programming of the cell fate is given in a review published by the group (Plant Science online). |
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