Feature Papers in Plant Cell Biology
A topical collection in Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This collection belongs to the section "Plant Cell Biology".
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Editors
Prof. Dr. Elder Antônio Sousa Paiva
Prof. Dr. Elder Antônio Sousa Paiva
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Department of Botany, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Interests: plant anatomy; plant–animal interactions; secretory structures; plant cell biology; plant secretions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Olga A. Zabotina
Prof. Dr. Olga A. Zabotina
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Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Interests: cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis; protein–protein interactions and structures; cell wall-mediated stress responses
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Prof. Dr. Diego F. Gomez-Casati
Prof. Dr. Diego F. Gomez-Casati
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Centro de Estudios Fotosintéticos y Bioquímicos (CEFOBI-CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario 2000, Argentina
Interests: arabidopsis thaliana; T-DNA mutants; plant mitochondria; chloroplasts; iron metabolism; gene regulation; starch metabolism; plant biotechnology; enzyme structure and regulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Topical Collection Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce the launch of this Topical Collection, titled “Feature Papers in Plant Cell Biology”, which is dedicated to showcasing high-quality research articles, short communications, and reviews that advance our understanding of plant cell biology. We encourage our Section Editorial Board Members and the broader scientific community to contribute cutting-edge work or invite experts to share their latest breakthroughs.
This Topical Collection focuses on fundamental and applied research addressing key biological questions of broad interest, spanning the following topics:
- Plant cell structures and function;
- Molecular processes underpinning cell function;
- Cell-to-cell communication and intercellular signaling;
- Inter-organelle communication and intracellular signaling;
- Cell biophysics and biomechanics;
- Cell biochemistry;
- Engineering cellular organelles and structures;
- Environmental factors and signaling pathways affecting cellular functions;
- Evolution and adaptations of cellular structures and functions;
- Cellular processes in plant–microbe interactions;
- Engineering a plant cell and its processes;
- Synthetic biology approaches;
- Computational approaches to study cell function, development, and behavior in response to environmental cues.
We welcome both experimental and theoretical studies, provided they meet rigorous scientific standards. Submissions should align closely with the themes above; work outside this scope may not be considered.
Prof. Dr. Elder Antônio Sousa Paiva
Prof. Dr. Olga A. Zabotina
Prof. Dr. Diego F. Gomez-Casati
Collection Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript.
The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs).
Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's
English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- plant cell structure and function
- cell signaling and communication
- cell biophysics and engineering
- molecular cell biology
- cell development and plasticity
- computational cell modeling
Published Papers (4 papers)
Open AccessArticle
Does Transport Matter? Functional Integration of the Pollen on the Fig Wasp Body in Active and Passive Pollination of Fig Trees
by
Ana Julia Peracini, Rodrigo Augusto Santinelo Pereira and Simone Pádua Teixeira
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Abstract
The obligate mutualism between
Ficus and its pollinating wasps provides a suitable system to investigate these dynamics because it encompasses two contrasting pollination modes: active and passive. Here we compared pollen traits in an actively pollinated fig tree,
Ficus citrifolia, and a
[...] Read more.
The obligate mutualism between
Ficus and its pollinating wasps provides a suitable system to investigate these dynamics because it encompasses two contrasting pollination modes: active and passive. Here we compared pollen traits in an actively pollinated fig tree,
Ficus citrifolia, and a passively pollinated species,
F. obtusiuscula, examining pollen both at anther presentation and after deposition on the bodies of their pollinating wasps. Pollen morphology, hydration-related behavior, cytology, and reserve composition were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (conventional and modified), light and transmission electron microscopy, histochemical assays, and viability tests. Across species, pollen traits at anthesis showed broad overlap in morphology, viability and major reserve classes, indicating that these characteristics are not consistently predicted by pollination mode alone. In both species, pollen was bicellular, harmomegathic and highly viable at presentation, consistent with resilience during transport. The main divergence emerged after pollen transfer to the pollinator. In the actively pollinated species, pollen recovered from wasp thoracic pockets exhibited pronounced intracellular remodeling, including vacuolization, starch depletion, lipid redistribution and localized cytoplasmic degradation. By contrast, pollen of the passively pollinated species retained a comparatively stable cytological organization after transport despite changes in reserve distribution. These results suggest that the more pronounced cytoplasmic reorganization observed in the pollen of the actively pollinated species after deposition on the wasp body may represent a preparatory phase for rapid germination following pollination, reflecting the stronger dependence of larval development on successful flower fertilization in actively pollinated figs. More broadly, our study provides the first comparative account of pollen structural and cytophysiological dynamics on fig-wasp bodies, linking pollen cell biology to pollinator-mediated dispersal and highlighting how different pollination strategies may impose distinct selective pressures on male gametophytes.
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Open AccessArticle
Interaction with COPII Member SAR1 Is Critical for the Delivery of Arabidopsis Xyloglucan Xylosyltransferases XXT2 and XXT5 to the Golgi Apparatus
by
Ning Zhang, Jordan D. Julian and Olga A. Zabotina
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Abstract
Transport of Golgi-localized proteins from the ER is mediated by the coat protein complex II (COPII) and its members, COPII inner coat subunit Sec24 and Secretion-associated Ras-related GTPase 1 (Sar1). Sar1 and Sec24 recognize cytosolic N-termini of glycosyltransferases (GTs) that contain peptide signals
[...] Read more.
Transport of Golgi-localized proteins from the ER is mediated by the coat protein complex II (COPII) and its members, COPII inner coat subunit Sec24 and Secretion-associated Ras-related GTPase 1 (Sar1). Sar1 and Sec24 recognize cytosolic N-termini of glycosyltransferases (GTs) that contain peptide signals required for incorporation into COPII-coated vesicles. Xyloglucan Xylosyltransferases (XXTs) are required for xyloglucan (XyGs) biosynthesis and must be transported to the Golgi for proper function. In this study, we demonstrated that XXTs interact with AtSar1 in the COPII complex but not with AtSec24, which was previously reported to be the main recruiter of cargo proteins into COPII-coated vesicles. The mutation of the arginine to glutamine residues of di-arginine motifs in the N-termini of XXTs caused protein mislocalization and significantly reduced the strength of the interaction with AtSar1. These mutations caused 90% of XXTs to either remain in the ER or localize to small non-Golgi compartments. In turn, such mislocalization significantly suppressed the recovery of XyGs biosynthesis in
Arabidopsis thaliana (
Arabidopsis) mutants (
xxt1xxt2 and
xxt3xxt4xxt5), failing to restore their root phenotypes to normal. Our results demonstrate the interaction between cargo and AtSar1, highlighting the critical role of di-arginine motifs in this interaction. These results provide new insights into the mechanism of ER-to-Golgi delivery of plant GTs, which significantly advances our understanding of polysaccharide biosynthesis in the Golgi and the enzymes responsible for it.
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Open AccessOpinion
Dedifferentiation of Plant Cells: A Term Covering Multiple Pathways?
by
Attila Fehér
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Abstract
The remarkable plasticity of plants is best exemplified by the capacity of their somatic cells to regenerate entire organs or the organism itself. The molecular and cellular events underlying this ability are complex and multifaceted. The initial phase leading to cell cycle reactivation
[...] Read more.
The remarkable plasticity of plants is best exemplified by the capacity of their somatic cells to regenerate entire organs or the organism itself. The molecular and cellular events underlying this ability are complex and multifaceted. The initial phase leading to cell cycle reactivation is often called dedifferentiation. This process is triggered either by wounding or exogenous hormone application. In this opinion paper, I propose that the dedifferentiation of mature somatic cells is a two-step process. It involves a transition into a transient senescence-like state induced by stress and/or signals emanating from dying cells. This state entails the loss of genetic information required for cell differentiation, resulting in a critical cellular condition. In the absence of subsequent proliferative signals, dedifferentiating (senescing) cells become committed to programmed cell death. Exogenous and/or endogenous plant hormones, such as auxin and cytokinin, might override this pathway. This rescue step, in most cases, activates cell divisions to replace lost cells/tissues. If cell division is maintained, it may result in callus formation. A callus is not an undifferentiated, homogeneous mass of cells. It is an unorganised tissue with at least some cells having ground-tissue-like molecular identity and high developmental potential. A callus might also form from pre-existing competent cell populations, e.g., pericycle cells, with no senescence-like intermitting state. It is discussed whether this “one-step” callus-formation pathway can be considered dedifferentiation.
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Open AccessArticle
Cell Structure and Dynamics of Galactomannan Secretion in Caesalpinia pulcherrima (Leguminosae) Endosperm
by
Victor Bonifácio-Leite, Élder Antônio Sousa Paiva and Denise M. T. Oliveira
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Abstract
Galactomannans are a typical reserve polysaccharide in the endosperm of leguminous seeds; they turn the endosperm hard when dry and gelatinous and swollen when hydrated. Although galactomannans of several species have been biochemically characterized, little is known about their deposition within the endosperm.
[...] Read more.
Galactomannans are a typical reserve polysaccharide in the endosperm of leguminous seeds; they turn the endosperm hard when dry and gelatinous and swollen when hydrated. Although galactomannans of several species have been biochemically characterized, little is known about their deposition within the endosperm. This study aimed to clarify how polysaccharides, galactomanans according to the literature, are produced and stored in the endosperm of
Caesalpinia pulcherrima seeds by describing its structural and ultrastructural features throughout development. Samples of seeds at different developmental stages were collected and processed for study under light and electron microscopy. During development, the endosperm of
C. pulcherrima undergoes substantial anatomical modifications associated with cellular cycles of polysaccharide release that gradually accumulates in the intercellular spaces. Endosperm cells exhibit an active Golgi apparatus with intense polysaccharide production, confirming their secretory function. In the mature endosperm, polysaccharides are stored in periplasmic and intercellular spaces rather than in thickened cell walls, as previously reported for other Leguminosae. By showing that galactomannans accumulate in periplasmic and intercellular spaces rather than in cell walls, our findings expand current understanding of endosperm diversity in Leguminosae and provide a foundation for future comparative studies on galactomannan synthesis and deposition across the family.
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