In a new publication in The Plant Cell — “Chloroplast Outer Membrane β-Barrel Proteins Use Components of the General Import Apparatus” — authors Philip Day, Steven Theg, and Kentaro Inoue, all at University of California, Davis, determined how β-barrel proteins are sorted to the correct location in plant chloroplast envelopes, which have two membranes.

In a study appearing in Nature Communications, researchers identified the function of a key protein that regulates plant immunity. The fundamental research could eventually lead to agricultural practices capable of endowing crops with broad-spectrum resistance against pathogens.

During his career, Savithramma Dinesh-Kumar has published more than 100 research papers and reviews and has received many accolades. For his excellence in molecular plant pathology research, Dinesh-Kumar recently received the Noel T. Keen Award from The American Phytopathological Society.

Scientists have successfully sequenced the coast redwood and giant sequoia genomes, completing the first major milestone of a five-year project to develop the tools necessary to study these forests’ genomic diversity.

UC Grad Slam is an annual contest in which master’s and Ph.D. students across UC campuses compete to sum up their research for a general audience. Learn more about Grad Slam Finalist Katherine Murphy, a plant biology graduate student.