@article{SongLiNowaketal.2019,
  author    = {Song, Yu and Li, Gang and Nowak, Jacqueline and Zhang, Xiaoqing and Xu, Dongbei and Yang, Xiujuan and Huang, Guoqiang and Liang, Wanqi and Yang, Litao and Wang, Canhua and Bulone, Vincent and Nikoloski, Zoran and Hu, Jianping and Persson, Staffan and Zhang, Dabing},
  title     = {The Rice Actin-Binding Protein RMD Regulates Light-Dependent Shoot Gravitropism},
  series = {Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants},
  volume    = {181},
  journal   = {Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants},
  number    = {2},
  publisher = {American Society of Plant Physiologists},
  address   = {Rockville},
  issn      = {0032-0889},
  doi       = {10.1104/pp.19.00497},
  pages     = {630 -- 644},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Light and gravity are two key determinants in orientating plant stems for proper growth and development. The organization and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton are essential for cell biology and critically regulated by actin-binding proteins. However, the role of actin cytoskeleton in shoot negative gravitropism remains controversial. In this work, we report that the actin-binding protein Rice Morphology Determinant (RMD) promotes reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in rice (Oryza sativa) shoots. The changes in actin organization are associated with the ability of the rice shoots to respond to negative gravitropism. Here, light-grown rmd mutant shoots exhibited agravitropic phenotypes. By contrast, etiolated rmd shoots displayed normal negative shoot gravitropism. Furthermore, we show that RMD maintains an actin configuration that promotes statolith mobility in gravisensing endodermal cells, and for proper auxin distribution in light-grown, but not dark-grown, shoots. RMD gene expression is diurnally controlled and directly repressed by the phytochrome-interacting factor-like protein OsPIL16. Consequently, overexpression of OsPIL16 led to gravisensing and actin patterning defects that phenocopied the rmd mutant. Our findings outline a mechanism that links light signaling and gravity perception for straight shoot growth in rice.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{CuiLvChenetal.2015,
  author    = {Cui, Xiao and Lv, Yang and Chen, Miaolin and Nikoloski, Zoran and Twell, David and Zhang, Dabing},
  title     = {Young Genes out of the Male: An Insight from Evolutionary Age Analysis of the Pollen Transcriptome},
  series = {Molecular plant},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Molecular plant},
  number    = {6},
  publisher = {Cell Press},
  address   = {Cambridge},
  issn      = {1674-2052},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.molp.2014.12.008},
  pages     = {935 -- 945},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {The birth of new genes in genomes is an important evolutionary event. Several studies reveal that new genes in animals tend to be preferentially expressed in male reproductive tissues such as testis (Betran et al., 2002; Begun et al., 2007; Dubruille et al., 2012), and thus an "out of testis' hypothesis for the emergence of new genes has been proposed (Vinckenbosch et al., 2006; Kaessmann, 2010). However, such phenomena have not been examined in plant species. Here, by employing a phylostratigraphic method, we dated the origin of protein-coding genes in rice and Arabidopsis thaliana and observed a number of young genes in both species. These young genes tend to encode short extracellular proteins, which may be involved in rapid evolving processes, such as reproductive barriers, species specification, and antimicrobial processes. Further analysis of transcriptome age indexes across different tissues revealed that male reproductive cells express a phylogenetically younger transcriptome than other plant tissues. Compared with sporophytic tissues, the young transcriptomes of the male gametophyte displayed greater complexity and diversity, which included a higher ratio of anti-sense and inter-genic transcripts, reflecting a pervasive transcription state that facilitated the emergence of new genes. Here, we propose that pollen may act as an "innovation incubator' for the birth of de novo genes. With cases of male-biased expression of young genes reported in animals, the "new genes out of the male' model revealed a common evolutionary force that drives reproductive barriers, species specification, and the upgrading of defensive mechanisms against pathogens.},
  language  = {en}
}