Plants strategically respond to gravity and actively set defined growth angles. These gravitropic set-point angles (GSAs) shape the width and depth...

MYB305a promoter expression increases in pavement cells as they grow and acquire their complex shape.

Abstract. Cell shape acquisition is a fundamental biological process that allows cells to establish and maintain morphologies adapted to their specialised

Cell shape acquisition is a fundamental biological process that allows cells to establish and maintain morphologies adapted to their specialised functions while preserving tissue integrity. In plants,...

Umeå Plant Science Centre - A centre of excellence for experimental plant biology in Umeå Sweden. ©UPSC

Abstract. Flooding is a major abiotic stress that restricts terrestrial plant growth and survival. A plant tissue’s ability to avoid or sustain critical ox

Cell shape acquisition is a central feature of morphogenesis, governing tissue organization, organ development, and organismal architecture. In vascul…

The leaf pavement cells of many plant species develop fascinating jigsaw puzzle-like shapes in which neighboring cells interdigitate with each other, providing an ideal model for the study of cell shape acquisition. We analyzed pavement cell shape complexity in a natural population of European aspen ( Populus tremula ) genotypes and then used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach to identify a new candidate gene in cell shape regulation, Potra2n8c18226, encoding the transcription factor MYB305a. We subsequently validated a role for MYB305a in regulating aspen leaf pavement cell shape. We then demonstrated that drought conditions strongly induced MYB305a promoter expression in these cells and provided evidence implying that MYB305a plays a role in simplification of the cell shape in response to drought stress. Finally, we demonstrated negative correlations of pavement cell shape complexity with water-use efficiency, as well as with average precipitation, latitude and longitude of the genotypes' original sampling sites in the natural European aspen population. Taken together, our results suggest that climatic variables affect the shape complexity of pavement cells in aspen leaf and provide a first step towards unravelling the molecular mechanisms controlling pavement cell shape acquisition in this species in response to environmental conditions, by implicating the involvement of the transcription factor MY305a. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Swedish Research Council, https://ror.org/03zttf063, VR-2020-03420 Kempe Foundation, https://ror.org/05cszw148, JCK-1732, JCK-1912 Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, https://ror.org/004hzzk67 VINNOVA, https://ror.org/01kd5m353 European Research Council, https://ror.org/0472cxd90, ERC-2024-SyG STARMORPH 101166880 Trees and Crops for the Future (TC4F)

Researcher Spotlight - A researcher spotlight uncovering how outer membrane lipids regulate the folding, stability, and function of the essential bacterial chaperone BamA, revealing new antibiotic tar...

BamA is a highly conserved essential outer membrane chaperone of all Gram-negative bacteria. Our understanding of the BamA machinery remains incomplete, delaying knowledge-based antibacterial design. ...

Aluminum (Al) toxicity in acid soils inhibits primary root elongation. Kar et al. demonstrate that light plays an important role in modulating plant resistance against aluminum. Blue light via cryptochromes activates an HY5-STOP1 module to positively regulate ALMT1 and MATE expression to promote carboxylate exudation. This prevents Al entry into the root and promotes Al exclusion. In the dark, COP1 interacts with and degrades STOP1 and HY5 to inhibit root growth under Al. In conclusion, blue light promotes, whereas dark inhibits, Al resistance in Arabidopsis.

Umeå Plant Science Centre - A centre of excellence for experimental plant biology in Umeå Sweden. ©UPSC

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Plant ERAD machinery governs the turnover of auxin transporters involved in developmental and stress responses.

Plants encounter high temperatures concomitantly with intense sunlight during the daytime. Here, the authors reveal a concerted chloroplast and nucleus high-temperature signaling framework that gates ...