Pyruvate serves as a metabolic precursor for many plastid-localized biosynthetic pathways,
such as those for fatty acids, terpenoids and branched-chain amino acids. In spite of the …

Photorespiration is an energy-intensive process that recycles 2-phosphoglycolate, a toxic
product of the Rubisco oxygenation reaction. The photorespiratory pathway is highly …

Eukaryotic cells are most fascinating because of their high degree of compartmentation. This
is particularly true for plant cells, due to the presence of chloroplasts, photosynthetic …

Boron deficiency hampers the productivity of 132 crops in more than 80 countries. Boron is
essential in higher plants primarily for maintaining the integrity of cell walls,, and is also …

Communication between plastids and the surrounding cytosol occurs via the plastidic
envelope membrane. Recent findings show that the outer membrane is not as freely …

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is an essential component of all life forms. Land plants acquire Pi
from the soil through roots and associated symbioses, and it is then transported throughout …

Photosynthesis-related pathways are regarded as a promising avenue for crop
improvement. Whilst empirical studies have shown that photosynthetic efficiency is higher in …

Salinity is detrimental to plant growth, crop production and food security worldwide. Excess
salt triggers increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, which activate Ca2+-binding proteins …

Phosphorus is an important nutrient for crop productivity. More than 60% of the total
phosphorus in cereal crops is finally allocated into the grains and is therefore removed at …

Arabidopsis possesses a superfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. Among
these, the multidrug resistance-associated protein AtMRP5/AtABCC5 regulates stomatal …