ARTICLE HISTORY Received 24 January 2017 Accepted 25 January 2017 ABSTRACT Across all species, individuals thrive in complex ecological systems, which they rarely have complete knowledge of. To cope with this uncertainty and still make good choices while avoiding costly errors, organisms have developed the ability to exploit key features associated with their environment. That through experienc...

Tetraspanins are small transmembrane proteins that laterally associate with each other and cluster with numerous partner proteins as well as lipids. These interactions result in the formation of a distinct class of membrane domains, the tetraspanin-enriched microdomains (TEMs), which influence numerous cellular processes such as cell adhesion and fusion, intracellular membrane trafficking, sign...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression and play critical roles in growth and development as well as stress responses in eukaryotes. miRNA biogenesis in plants requires a processing complex that consists of the core components DICER-LIKE 1 (DCL1), SERRATE (SE) and HYPONASTIC LEAVES (HYL1). Here we show that inactivation of functionally redundant members of the SnRK2 kinases, which are the c...

SU(VAR)3-9 proteins are key regulators of heterochromatin structure and function in plants, mammals, Drosophila, and yeast. In contrast to animals and fungi, plants contain numerous Su(var)3-9 homologues (SUVH), the members of which form a discrete subfamily. The SU(VAR)3-9 and SUVH proteins associate with heterochromatin and possess histone methyltransferase activity, indicating that they part...

Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) and Receptor-like proteins (RLPs) play crucial roles in plant immunity, growth, and development. Plants deploy a large number of RLKs and RLPs as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that detect microbe- and host-derived molecular patterns as the first layer of inducible defense. Recent advances have uncovered novel PRRs, their corresponding ligands, and mechanisms ...

Seedling establishment is a critical phase in the life of plants when they are the most vulnerable to environment. Growth arrest at post-germinative stage under stress is the major adaptive strategy to help germinating seedlings to survive a spectrum of stressful conditions. ABA signaling is the key pathway to control stress-induced developmental arrest. However, mechanisms controlling the phas...

As sessile organisms, plants have developed specific mechanisms that allow them to rapidly perceive and respond to stresses in the environment. Among the evolutionarily conserved pathways, the ABA (abscisic acid) signaling pathway has been identified as a central regulator of abiotic stress response in plants, triggering major changes in gene expression and adaptive physiological responses. ABA...

Protein phosphorylation has pivotal roles in ABA and osmotic stress signaling in higher plants. Two protein phosphatase genes, ABI1 and ABI2, are known to regulate these signaling pathways in Arabidopsis: The identity of ABA-activated protein kinases required for the ABA signaling, however, remains to be elucidated. Here we demonstrate that two protein kinases, p44 and p42, were activated by AB...

Strigolactones are signalling molecules playing a double role in the rhizosphere as host detection signals for arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and root parasitic plants. They are biosynthetically originating from carotenoids. The biosynthesis of these signalling compounds is tightly regulated by environmental conditions such as nutrient availability, mainly phosphate (Pi). However, although i...

There was no history of a foreign body in the nose at any time before. Anterior rhinoscopy showed a rough dark stony mass covered with greenish discharge. Probing gave a metallic sound. Postnasal examination showed a greenish discharge. A clinical diagnosis of a rhinolith was made. Radiology showed the rhinolith's position (Fig. 1) in the floor of the right nostril with mucosal thickening of th...