Plants acclimate to variations in light intensity by changing the antenna size of photosystems. This acclimation allows them to undergo efficient photosynthesis and creates a protective strategy to minimize photodamage. Chlorophyll b synthesis by chlorophyllide a oxygenase (CAO) is a key regulatory step in the control of antenna size. Recently, we found that higher plant CAOs consist of three d...

The phytochrome interacting factors (PIFs), a small group of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, repress photomorphogenesis both in the dark and light. Light signals perceived by the phytochrome family of photoreceptors induce rapid degradation of PIFs to promote photomorphogenesis. Here, we show that HECATE (HEC) proteins, another small group of HLH proteins, antagonistically regulat...

Chlorophyll degradation is the most obvious hallmark of leaf senescence. Phyllobilins, linear tetrapyrroles that are derived from opening of the chlorin macrocycle by the Rieske-type oxygenase PHEOPHORBIDE a OXYGENASE (PAO), are the end products of chlorophyll degradation. Phyllobilins carry defined modifications at several peripheral positions within the tetrapyrrole backbone. While most of th...

Leaf senescence, a type of programmed cell death (PCD) characterized by chlorophyll degradation, is important to plant growth and crop productivity. It emerges that autophagy is involved in chloroplast degradation during leaf senescence. However, the molecular mechanism(s) involved in the process is not well understood. In this study, the genetic and physiological characteristics of the rice rl...

Salt stress strongly affects on plant growth and development, especially maize plant, which is reported as a salt sensitive species. The salt tolerant identification in the large genetic resources and breeding population is a profitable research topic for solving the salinity problem. Two maize cultivars, viz., sweet (Zea mays L. cv. Saccharata) and waxy (Z. mays L. cv. Ceratina) seedlings were...

BACKGROUND Tomatoes provide a significant dietary source of the carotenoids, lycopene and β-carotene. During ripening, carotenoid accumulation determines the fruit colors while chlorophyll degradation. These traits have been, and continue to be, a significant focus for plant breeding efforts. Previous work has found strong evidence for a relationship between CYC-B gene expression and the orange...