I'm recruiting a post doc and a research assistant for a 30 month project “ZHOUPI genes, cell death and the evolution of plant endosperm” funded by a Research Project grant from the Leverhulme Trust @Leverhulme.ac.uk. Application details are on the Opportunities page at biology.ed.ac.uk/goodrich

Science
. 2024 Mar 22;383(6689):1318-1325.
doi: 10.1126/science.adl4685. Epub 2024 Mar 21.
Volatile communication in plants relies on a KAI2-mediated signaling pathway

Liked this and other papers from same group. Cool stuff!

Note how the smooth rhizoid continues growing while the pegged rhizoid has arrested tip growth prior to cell death execution.
@moodytomato.bsky.social @huguesrenault.bsky.social @moritznowack.bsky.social

Movie:
Confocal time-lapse imaging of a pegged and a smooth rhizoid expressing a double reporter (nuclear proMpUBE2:mTurquoise-N7 [cyan], plasma membrane-bound proMpUBE2:ScarletI-Lti6b [magenta]). Time indicated in minutes (min).

Very happy that my team with Yen-Ting Lu, Jeanne Loue Manifel and Philippe Gadient has been able to join this great collaboration with the teams of Mortiz Nowack @MoritzNowack.bsky.social at VIB Ghent and Gwyneth Ingram at ENS Lyon !

However, the transcriptional control differs: The bHLH transcription factor MpZOU1 whose ortholog ZOU promotes endosperm breakdown in Arabidopsis, is a key regulator of terminal differentiation in pegged rhizoids.

In analogy to water conducting cells in vascular plants' xylem, cell wall reinforcements and programmed cell death are used to facilitate water transport in Marchantia pegged rhizoids. An amazing paradigm of convergent evolution in land plants! More here:
authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...

Lectureship in Plant Scient at Edinburgh University, 5 Jan application deadline
elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...