Arabidopsis thaliana is the model system of choice for plant molecular geneticists. Forward genetic screens in Arabidopsis offer a powerful means for the functional characterization of various aspects ...

A common lab plant that’s been poked and put under microscopes for decades may seem unlikely to keep secrets. But in widely studied Arabidopsis thaliana, scientists have identified the “cantil” — a ...

Meiotic recombination assures genetic variation during breeding. During meiotic prophase I, chromosomes are organized in a loop-base array by a proteinaceous structure called meiotic chromosome axis ...

Jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivatives, collectively referred to as jasmonates, are oxylipin signaling molecules in plants that share a high degree of structural and functional similarity to ...

The machinery of life is dazzlingly complex. To try to make sense of it, researchers have spent decades focusing on so-called model organisms: creatures that are easy to study in the lab and share key ...

When a maize plant is attacked by the fungus Ustilago maydis, tumor-like tissue growths occur at the site of infection. How the pathogen causes this response in its host has long been unknown. But a ...

A common weed in the cabbage family has anticancer properties and could be the answer to developing new and better treatments for the disease. Alessandra Devoto, a professor at Royal Holloway, ...

Plants droop and shed their leaves when parched, but with a splash of water, their stems regain strength and their leaves unfurl. This dramatic transformation is a clear signal for us to reach for the ...

Scientists for the first time have grown seeds in the soil from the moon - samples retrieved during NASA missions in 1969 and 1972 - in an achievement that heralds the promise of using earthly plants ...