Pubudu P. Handakumbura

TL;DR: A protein–DNA network is presented between Arabidopsis thaliana transcription factors and secondary cell wall metabolic genes with gene expression regulated by a series of feed-forward loops to develop and validate new hypotheses about secondary wall gene regulation under abiotic stress.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors review critical knowledge gaps in rhizosphere science and how mechanistic understanding of rhizospheric interactions can be leveraged in rhizerosphere engineering efforts with the goal of maintaining sustainable plant ecosystem services for food and bioenergy production in an ever changing global climate.

TL;DR: This work identifies candidates for secondary wall CESAs in Brachypodium distachyon as having similar amino acid sequence and expression to those characterized in A. thaliana, namely CESA4/7/8 and suggests BdCESA4 and BDCESA7 play a key role in B.distachyon secondary cell wall biosynthesis.

TL;DR: Gene expression profiling in maize, rice, and other grasses implicates additional genes as regulators that will continue to elucidate the relationship between the transcription regulatory networks of eudicots and grasses.

TL;DR: In this article, a holistic approach of the integrated plant-microbe-soil system and suggest that significant improvements in soil carbon storage can be achieved by a three-pronged approach: (1) design plants with an increased root strength to further allocation of carbon belowground; (2) balance the increase in belowground carbon allocation with increased source strength for enhanced photosynthesis and biomass accumulation; and (3) design soil microbial consortia for increased rhizosphere sink strength and plant growth-promoting (PGP) properties.