Metabolite Damage and Metabolite Damage Control

When we look at a metabolic pathway, we usually assume that the metabolites behave as diagrammed; that substance A will remain substance A unless acted upon by enzymes X or Y. It is becoming clear that this assumption is false, and that metabolite damage occurs alongside normal metabolic processes. Metabolite damage is described by Hanson … Read more

Happy 15th Birthday, Wikipedia! (Relax…No need to cite it. Just write it.)

In 2015, ASPB established a partnership with Wiki Edu. This Foundation’s resources and dynamic staff help us offer the educators and students in our community an engaging, valid tool that supports critical thinking and writing about plant biology. The element of publishing ‘for real’ is a welcome motivator for all. Yet some folks have valid … Read more

Plant Biology 2016: Abstract deadline 25 January

Attending Plant Biology 2016? The conference starts in six months, but if you want your work to be considered for a minisymposium or lightning talk, you need to submit your abstract now (or by 25 Jan, EST). You can read more about the conference, including major symposia topics and speakers, and the countless networking opportunities … Read more

Identification of a distinct, cutin-related pathway for biosynthesis of triacylglycerol lipids in bayberry

This week’s Research in Focus is reprinted from an In Brief published by Science Editor Jennifer Mach in The Plant Cell, which summarizes an article newly published by Simpson and Ohlrogge. This study uses biochemical, morphological, and transcriptomic methods to examine an unusual surface wax produced by bayberry fruits, and reveals a cutin-related biosynthetic pathway … Read more