Article: Ground tissue circuitry regulates organ complexity in maize and Setaria Journal: Science Year: 2021 Guest: Carlos Ortiz-Ramírez Host: Arif Ashraf   Abstract Most plant roots have multiple cortex layers that make up the bulk of the organ and play key roles in physiology, such as flood tolerance and symbiosis. However, little is known about the formation of cortical layers outside of the highly reduced anatomy of Arabidopsis. Here, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to rapidly generate a cell-resolution map of the maize root, revealing an alternative configuration of the tissue formative transcription factor SHORT-ROOT (SHR) adjacent to an expanded cortex. We show that maize SHR protein is hypermobile, moving at least eight cell layers into the cortex. Higher-order SHR mutants in both maize and Setaria have reduced numbers of cortical layers, showing that the SHR pathway controls expansion of cortical tissue to elaborate anatomical complexity. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/no-time-to-read-podcast/message

Arif, plant biologist and host of the podcast, will talk to either first author or corresponding author of a recently published plant biology paper. The guest will simply explain the story of the publication, answer questions from the host, and share personal experience and details related to the article. As an audience, you will tune in to the episode with an expectation that you will know the story of the paper without reading it. Besides, you can keep listening the podcast during your experiment, walking outside, in your car and wherever possible.     --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/no-time-to-read-podcast/message