scholarly journals New at the Helm of The Plant Cell, a Journal for the Plant Science Community

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Blake C. Meyers
Keyword(s):  
Plant Cell ◽  
Plant Science ◽  
Science Community

scholarly journals A modular cloning toolkit for genome editing in plants

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Hahn ◽  
Andrey Korolev ◽  
Laura Sanjurjo Loures ◽  
Vladimir Nekrasov
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Plant Science ◽  
Golden Gate ◽  
Coding Sequences ◽  
Guide Rna ◽  
Guide Rnas ◽  
Science Community ◽  
Modular Cloning ◽  
Multiple Expression

AbstractBackgroundCRISPR/Cas has recently become a widely used genome editing tool in various organisms, including plants. Applying CRISPR/Cas often requires delivering multiple expression units into plant and hence there is a need for a quick and easy cloning procedure. The modular cloning (MoClo), based on the Golden Gate (GG) method, has enabled development of cloning systems with standardised genetic parts, e.g. promoters, coding sequences or terminators, that can be easily interchanged and assembled into expression units, which in their own turn can be further assembled into higher order multigene constructs.ResultsHere we present an expanded cloning toolkit that contains ninety-nine modules encoding a variety of CRISPR/Cas-based nucleases and their corresponding guide RNA backbones. Among other components, the toolkit includes a number of promoters that allow expression of CRISPR/Cas nucleases (or any other coding sequences) and their guide RNAs in monocots and dicots. As part of the toolkit, we present a set of modules that enable quick and facile assembly of tRNA-sgRNA polycistronic units without a PCR step involved. We also demonstrate that our tRNA-sgRNA system is functional in wheat protoplasts.ConclusionsWe believe the presented CRISPR/Cas toolkit is a great resource that will contribute towards wider adoption of the CRISPR/Cas genome editing technology and modular cloning by researchers across the plant science community.

Histochemical techniques in plant science: more than meets the eye

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaishali Yadav ◽  
Namira Arif ◽  
Vijay Pratap Singh ◽  
Gea Guerriero ◽  
Roberto Berni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Plant Cell ◽  
Histochemical Staining ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Plant Science ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Environmental Constraints ◽  
Cell Wall Components ◽  
Cell Structures ◽  
Wall Components

Abstract Histochemistry is an essential analytical tool interfacing extensively with plant science. The literature is indeed constellated with examples showing its use to decipher specific physiological and developmental processes, as well as to study plant cell structures. Plant cell structures are translucent unless they are stained. Histochemistry allows the identification and localization, at the cellular level, of biomolecules and organelles in different types of cells and tissues, based on the use of specific staining reactions and imaging. Histochemical techniques are also widely used for the in-vivo localization of promoters in specific tissues, as well as to identify specific cell wall components such as lignin and polysaccharides. Histochemistry also enables the study of plants’ reactions to environmental constraints, for example, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be traced by applying histochemical staining techniques. The possibility of detecting ROS and localizing them at the cellular level is vital in establishing the mechanisms involved in the sensitivity and tolerance to different stress conditions in plants. This review comprehensively highlights the additional value of histochemistry as a complementary technique to high-throughput approaches for the study of the plant response to environmental constraints. Moreover, here we have provided and extensive survey of the available plant histochemical staining methods used for the localization of metals, minerals, secondary metabolites, cell wall components, as well as the detection of ROS production in plant cells. The use of recent technological advances like CRISPR/Cas9 based genome-editing for histological application is also addressed. This review also surveys the availale literature data on histochemical techniques used to study the response of plants to abiotic stresses and to identify the effects at the tissue and cell-level.

scholarly journals Building a pathway for diversity in plant sciences in Argentina: highlighting the work of women scientists through virtual activities

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Alejandra Auge ◽  
María José de Leone ◽  
Rocío Deanna ◽  
Sonia Oliferuk ◽  
Pamela Anahí Ribone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Science ◽  
Extension Programs ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Diverse Workforce ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Scientific Poster ◽  
Science Community ◽  
Plant Sciences ◽  
Experimental Approaches

AbstractEncouraging the participation of a diverse workforce in academia increases plurality as it broadens the range of skills, ways of thinking and experiences. Institutions and professional societies have been putting efforts on building plans that help make workplaces, conferences, education and extension programs more relatable to a highly diverse population. Argentina has an overall gender-balanced workforce in the sciences (~53% women/total), with an even higher representation in disciplines related to plant sciences. However, media outlets and national conferences related to genetics, botany, plant physiology, ecology and molecular biology, fail to reflect those numbers as the proportion of women invited for interviews, plenary lectures, and symposia falls below ~30%. As a way to increase the visibility of the wealth of plant science topics and experimental approaches in which Argentinian women work, and to facilitate connections among them across the country and abroad, we created the Argentinian Women in Plant Science network (https://argplantwomen.weebly.com/). This group has grown to over 200 members, representing a wide range of career stages and research topics. Since April, and taking advantage of the confinement situation, our weekly webinar series highlighting women plant scientists has reached an average audience of 60-70 participants, with a record of 100. Recently, we have begun a series of open professional development webinars to reach a wider public. Our first webinar, focused on Scientific poster design, had ~250 participants, most of them undergrad and graduate students from all over the country covering a diverse range of disciplines, including the social sciences. Even though we have immersed ourselves in the plant science community with our weekly seminars, we have expanded our goals with activities aimed to reach out to a much wider audience with webinars and teacher training workshops, hopefully making plant science more attainable to all.

scholarly journals A short history of plant transformation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Somssich
Keyword(s):  
Transgenic Plant ◽  
Plant Cell ◽  
Plant Transformation ◽  
Plant Biotechnology ◽  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
Plant Science ◽  
Short History ◽  
Fourth Group ◽  
History Of ◽  
Cell Genome

The 1977 discovery that Agrobacterium tumefaciens inserts a specific piece of DNA into the plant cell genome triggered a race towards the first transgenic plant. Three groups were initially involved in the race, a fourth group entered later on. This race ended in 1983 with four labs publishing their own transgenic plant cell lines. This scientific breakthrough triggered the plant-biotechnology industry, and advanced the field of plant science like hardly any other. Who won the race? Here’s 'A Short History of Plant Transformation'.

scholarly journals Science Forum: Vision, challenges and opportunities for a Plant Cell Atlas

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Suryatapa Ghosh Jha ◽  
Alexander T Borowsky ◽  
Benjamin J Cole ◽  
Noah Fahlgren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Cell ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Environmental Stewardship ◽  
Plant Science ◽  
Energy Technology ◽  
Critical Component ◽  
Engineering Plant ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Environmental Responses

With growing populations and pressing environmental problems, future economies will be increasingly plant-based. Now is the time to reimagine plant science as a critical component of fundamental science, agriculture, environmental stewardship, energy, technology and healthcare. This effort requires a conceptual and technological framework to identify and map all cell types, and to comprehensively annotate the localization and organization of molecules at cellular and tissue levels. This framework, called the Plant Cell Atlas (PCA), will be critical for understanding and engineering plant development, physiology and environmental responses. A workshop was convened to discuss the purpose and utility of such an initiative, resulting in a roadmap that acknowledges the current knowledge gaps and technical challenges, but also underscores how the PCA initiative can help to overcome them.

New Phytologist- serving the plant science community

2003 ◽  
Vol 161 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Woodward ◽  
Jonathan Ingram
Keyword(s):  
Plant Science ◽  
Science Community

scholarly journals How to build an effective research network: lessons from two decades of the GARNet plant science community

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (22) ◽  
pp. 6881-6889
Author(s):  
Geraint Parry ◽  
Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso ◽  
Daniel J Gibbs ◽  
Murray Grant ◽  
Andrea Harper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Plant Science ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Science Community ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Significant Effort

Abstract Successful collaborative research is dependent on excellent ideas and innovative experimental approaches, as well as the provision of appropriate support networks. Collaboration requires venues, infrastructures, training facilities, and, perhaps most importantly, a sustained commitment to work together as a community. These activities do not occur without significant effort, yet can be facilitated and overseen by the leadership of a research network that has a clearly defined role to help build resources for their community. Over the past 20 years, this is a role that the UKRI-BBSRC-funded GARNet network has played in the support of the UK curiosity-driven, discovery-led plant science research community. This article reviews the lessons learnt by GARNet in the hope that they can inform the practical implementation of current and future research networks.

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