| LZF1 is a new component of light signaling (10-14-2008) |
Plants, unable to flee from their habitat, have developed distinct strategies to cope with an ever-changing environment and to achieve optimal growth and development. “Light” is one eminent environmental cue that influences almost every developmental stage in plants. Shu-Hsing Wu’s group has been focusing on identification and functional characterization of light responsive genes and their gene products. A survey of differential gene expression patterns during early photomorphogenesis in both wild-type and the hy5 mutant identified light-regulated zinc finger protein 1, LZF1 (CS Chang, YH Li, LT Chen, WC Chen, WP Hsieh, J Shin, WN Jane, SJ Chou, G Choi, JM Hu, S Somerville, SH Wu: LZF1, a HY5-regulated transcriptional factor, functions in Arabidopsis de-etiolation. Plant J. 54, 205-219, 2008). These results indicate that LZF1 functions as a positive regulator and works in concert with HY5 during de-etiolation in Arabidopsis. LZF1 is also involved in anthocyanin accumulation and early chloroplast development, possibly via regulation of PAP1/MYB75 and genes encoding chloroplast proteins as shown above. |
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Manganese deficiency alters root hair development (09-01-2008)
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| Manganese (Mn), an essential mineral nutrient for plants, is often limiting plant growth due to its restricted availability. By analyzing the response of the model plant Arabidopsis, Wolfgang Schmidt’s team reported (Yang et al., Journal of Experimental Botany 59: 3453-3464) that Mn deficiency causes a thorough change in the arrangement and characteristics of root epidermis cells. Based on transcriptional profiling data and mutant analysis a novel way of controlling the root epidermal cell fate was inferred that is induced when Mn is in short supply. |
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Aspirins and carbohydrates promote direct somatic embryogenesis in orchid leaf culture (08-19-2008) |
Small amounts of salicylic acid are known to be present in plants. Originally salicylic acid was extracted from the willow bark to make the well known pain relief medication Aspirin. Salicylic acid is thought to promote disease resistance, increase flower life, inhibit seed germination, and promote ethylene synthesis. Wei-chin Chang’s team found that small amount of exogenous salicylic acids highly enhances somatic embryo formation directly from cultured pieces of orchid Oncidium leaf (Hong PI, JT Chen, WC Chang, Effects of salicylic and acetylsalicylic acid on direct somatic embryogenesis of Oncidium, J. Plant Biochem Biotech, in press). The response is pretty sensitive - too much aspirin will kill the leaf pieces - putting a quarter of a tablet in about half a liter of water should work. Another report attempts to modify carbon sources of media for promoting embryogenesis in two cultivars of Oncidium, and has been accepted by Biologia Plantarum (Hong PI, JT Chen, WC Chang, Promotion of direct somatic embryogenesis of Oncidium by adjusting carbon sources). |
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