Trichomes - branched hair-like cells on the surface of plants - have a highly organised actin filament cytoskeleton, and their development provides an interesting model for understanding how plants generate and use cytoskeletal arrays. The `distorted group' genes have been particularly valuable in this regard (so called because they distort trichome shape), and on p. 4345, Basu and co-workers characterise the Arabidopsis distorted gene PIROGI. They find that PIROGI has 30% homology with SRA1 - a subunit of the human WAVE complex - that, together with actin-related protein 2/3,controls actin filament nucleation. Remarkably, SRA1 cDNA is able to rescue the phenotype of PIROGI mutants, and both proteins interact with another component of the Arabidopsis WAVE complex, NAP125. Their findings indicate that PIROGI itself encodes a WAVE subunit, and underline the importance of the distorted group genes in our understanding of actin filament regulation, cell shape and growth.
The Company of Biologists Workshops
For the last 15 years, our publisher, The Company of Biologists, has provided an apt environment to inspire biology and support biologists through our Workshops series. Read about the evolution of the Workshop series and revisit JEB's experience with hosting the first Global South Workshop.
Call for papers – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues
Development invites you to submit your latest research to our upcoming special issue – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues. This issue will be coordinated by Guest Editors Meritxell Huch (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany) and Mansi Srivastava (Harvard University and Museum of Comparative Zoology, USA), working alongside our team of academic Editors. Submit your articles by 30 May 2025.
Meet our 2025 Pathway to Independence (PI) fellows
We are delighted to announce our third cohort of PI fellows - researchers whom we will be supporting as they transition from postdoc to Principal Investigator. Read about the eight talented fellows chosen, whom we're excited to be working with as they navigate the job market.
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