Heat stress (HS) caused by above-optimal temperatures adversely affects plants’ growth and development and diminishes crop yields. In natural and agricultural environments, these stresses are often... Show moreHeat stress (HS) caused by above-optimal temperatures adversely affects plants’ growth and development and diminishes crop yields. In natural and agricultural environments, these stresses are often transient but recurrent and may progressively increase in severity over time. In addition to the inherent ability to cope with a single HS event, plants have evolved mechanisms that enhance their capacity to survive and reproduce under such conditions. This involves the establishment of a molecular ‘thermomemory’ after moderate HS that allows them to withstand a later — and possibly more extreme — HS event. Here, I summarize the current understanding of the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying thermomemory across multiple cellular levels and discuss aspects that require further attention. Show less
Drongelen, R. van; Vazquez-Faci, T.; Huijben, T.A.P.M.; Zee, M. van der; Idema, T. 2018
A key process in the life of any multicellular organism is its development from a single egg into a full grown adult. The first step in this process often consists of forming a tissue layer out of... Show moreA key process in the life of any multicellular organism is its development from a single egg into a full grown adult. The first step in this process often consists of forming a tissue layer out of randomly placed cells on the surface of the egg. We present a model for generating such a tissue, based on mechanical interactions between the cells, and find that the resulting cellular pattern corresponds to the Voronoi tessellation of the nuclei of the cells. Experimentally, we obtain the same result in both fruit flies and flour beetles, with a distribution of cell shapes that matches that of the model, without any adjustable parameters. Finally, we show that this pattern is broken when the cells grow at different rates. Show less
