Author: mcfarlane

New Papers

New paper on cellulose synthesis regulation published in Current Opinion in Plant Biology

Plant cells must carefully regulate cell wall synthesis to maintain growth and to respond to developmental, biotic, and abiotic signals. Cellulose, the main load-bearing component of the plant cell wall is made at the cell membrane, so plants can regulate cell wall synthesis by regulating whether cellulose synthase enzymes are active and localized in the cell membrane, or whether they are held inactive within the cell. Yu’s paper in Current Opinion in Plant Biology reviews the mechanisms by which cellulose synthesis is regulated by cellulose synthase enzyme trafficking to the plasma membrane (via exocytosis) or removal from the plasma membrane (via endocytosis).

Free access to the full-text is generously provided by Current Opinion in Plant Biology until October 5.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102273

Lab Updates

New Funding from the Province of Ontario

Heather has been granted an Early Researcher Award from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities. The Early Researcher Awards program provides funding to new researchers working at publicly funded Ontario research institutions to build a research team and will fund a graduate student position and several undergrad positions in the coming years. Undergrads should check CLNX for open work-study positions in the McFarLab.

Lab Updates

Welcome summer students!

The McFarLab welcomes nine (9!) summer undergraduate students to the lab this week:

Terrence Amponsah joins the group as a BCB430 student to add new functions to one of our image analysis macros for ImageJ.

Rowan Brookman will continue his summer NSERC-USRA and CSB498 project work as a UTEA winner.

Lella Erceg has transitioned from being a volunteer to a CSB498 project student.

Eskandar Mohammad joins the group as our new summer work-study student.

Li Quan Soh has joined the group as a BCB330 student to conduct network analysis of cell wall glycoproteins.

Leonardo Tullo joins the group as a new volunteer student working with Eduardo.

Rylan Vincent will be working virtually while he also conducts a CSB397 research abroad project.

Carlos Wang will continue volunteering virtually and working on his meta-analysis project.

Vicky Zhu has transitioned from being our fall-winter work study student to having a project of her own as a CSB URA winner.

Welcome to the McFarLab, everyone!

If you’re wondering how these students came to join the group, check out the info on joining the McFarLab team. (hint: Rowan, Eskandar, and Rylan have all participated in the CSB Plant Genomics and Biotechnology Focus Program!)

New Papers

New paper in eLife

The plant trans-Golgi network acts as a hub for both secretory and endocytic trafficking ad delicate mechanisms are in place to balance trafficking in and out of this organelle, including pH and ion gradients. This collaboration, led by Stefanie Wege’s group at the University of Adelaide, provided compelling evidence that the single isoform of cation chloride cotransporter (CCC1) encoded in Arabidopsis thaliana provides a cation and anion efflux mechanism to regulate pH in the trans-Golgi network/early endosome and has now been published in eLife.

https://elifesciences.org/articles/70701