NAC (NAM/ATAF/CUC) transcription factors comprise a large plant-specific gene family that contains more than 149 members in rice. Extensive studies have revealed that NAC transcription factors not only play important roles in plant growth and development, but also have functions in regulation of responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, biological functions for most of the members in t...

From an enhancer trap screen for genes expressed in Arabidopsis embryos, we identified a gene expressed from the octant stage onward in the boundary between the two presumptive cotyledons and in a variety of postembryonic organ and meristem boundaries. This gene, CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON3 (CUC3), encodes a putative NAC-domain transcription factor that is homologous with CUC1 and CUC2. Analysis of a...

Leaf senescence is an important physiological process involving the degradation of a number of metabolites and their remobilization to new reproductive and storage organs. NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC) transcription factors are reported as important regulators of the senescence process. Here, we describe the identification and functional characterization of the NAC transcription factor gene, OsY37 (...

Senescence is a coordinated process where a plant, or a part of it, engages in programmed cell death to salvage nutrients by remobilizing them to younger tissues or to developing seeds. As Fe and Zn deficiency are the two major nutritional disorders in humans, increased concentration of these nutrients through biofortification in cereal grains is a long-sought goal. Recent evidences point to a ...

A copper mesogenic side-chain polymer (P-C(15)CuC(18)) was cross-linked onto the capillary wall as a stationary film for gas chromatography (GC) separation of alkyl sulfides. These organic sulfides are of interest for their large health impact because of their wide range of volatiles and high reactivities toward metals. Different GC parameters for optimal separation efficiency are discussed for...

Most dioecious plant species are believed to derive from hermaphrodite ancestors. The regulatory pathways that have been modified during evolution of the hermaphrodite ancestors and led to the emergence of dioecious species still remain unknown. Silene latifolia is a dioecious plant species harboring XY sex chromosomes. To identify the molecular mechanisms involved in female organ suppression i...

Two interrelated problems in biology are understanding the regulatory logic and predictability of morphological evolution. Here, we studied these problems by comparing Arabidopsis thaliana, which has simple leaves, and its relative, Cardamine hirsuta, which has dissected leaves comprising leaflets. By transferring genes between the two species, we provide evidence for an inverse relationship be...

We present the first comprehensive analysis of RNA polymerase III (Pol III) transcribed genes in ten yeast genomes. This set includes all tRNA genes (tDNA) and genes coding for SNR6 (U6), SNR52, SCR1 and RPR1 RNA in the nine hemiascomycetes Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces castellii, Candida glabrata, Kluyveromyces waltii, Kluyveromyces lactis, Eremothecium gossypii, Debaryomyces hanseni...

We previously showed that the VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN6 (VND6) and VND7 genes, which encode NAM/ATAF/CUC domain protein transcription factors, act as key regulators of xylem vessel differentiation. Here, we report a glucocorticoid-mediated posttranslational induction system of VND6 and VND7. In this system, VND6 or VND7 is expressed as a fused protein with the activation domain of the herpes...

The function of HKT1 in roots is controversial. We tackled this controversy by studying Na+ uptake in barley (Hordeum vulgare) roots, cloning the HvHKT1 gene, and expressing the HvHKT1 cDNA in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells. High-affinity Na+ uptake was not detected in plants growing at high K+ but appeared soon after exposing the plants to a K(+)-free medium. It was a uniport, insensit...