Plant biology: Plant formins roll out the welcome wagon for microbes

Genomics of plant‐associated microbes

Plant-associated microbes and plant–microbe interactions can be largely divided in two types: detrimental (pathogenic) and beneficial (symbiotic) interactions. Neutral interactions also occur; this is the case for microbes that live in the rhizosphere (on roots) or phyllosphere (on leaves) without triggering any apparent plant response. Both pathogenic and symbiotic interactions are of relevanc...

Engineering Microbes for Plant Polyketide Biosynthesis

Polyketides are an important group of secondary metabolites, many of which have important industrial applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Polyketides are synthesized from one of three classes of enzymes differentiated by their biochemical features and product structure: type I, type II or type III polyketide synthases (PKSs). Plant type III PKS enzymes, which will be the main...

Formins: Emerging Players in the Dynamic Plant Cell Cortex

Formins (FH2 proteins) are an evolutionarily conserved family of eukaryotic proteins, sharing the common FH2 domain. While they have been, until recently, understood mainly as actin nucleators, formins are also engaged in various additional aspects of cytoskeletal organization and signaling, including, but not limited to, the crosstalk between the actin and microtubule networks. A surprising di...

Plant-Associated Microbes: From Rhizobia To Plant Microbiomes

Engineering plant metabolism into microbes: from systems biology to synthetic biology.

Plant metabolism represents an enormous repository of compounds that are of pharmaceutical and biotechnological importance. Engineering plant metabolism into microbes will provide sustainable solutions to produce pharmaceutical and fuel molecules that could one day replace substantial portions of the current fossil-fuel based economy. Metabolic engineering entails targeted manipulation of biosy...