T. Sakai

A root-specific NLR network confers resistance to plant parasitic nematodes

The paper identifies a root-specific NLR gene cluster in tomato that confers resistance to nematodes and evolved from an ancient NRC network.

Can Colpoda travel across oceans? Salinity tolerance of resting cysts may enable global dispersal of the species.

The study investigates whether Colpoda cucullus resting cysts can tolerate saline conditions, suggesting a mechanism for oceanic dispersal of freshwater protists.

The NRC0 gene cluster of sensor and helper NLR immune receptors is functionally conserved across asterid plants

The paper investigates the functional conservation of the NRC0 gene cluster across asterid plants and shows its role in immune responses.

Molecular Weight-dependent Diffusion, Biodistribution, and Clearance Behavior of Tetra-armed Poly(ethylene glycol) Subcutaneously Injected into the Back of Mice

This study examines how molecular weight affects the diffusion, biodistribution, and clearance of four-armed PEGs injected subcutaneously into mice.

The N-terminal executioner domains of NLR immune receptors are functionally conserved across major plant lineages

Injectable hydrogels with phase-separated structures that can encapsulate live cells

This study develops injectable hydrogels with phase-separated structures using inorganic salts, enhancing mechanical strength and cell encapsulation capabilities.

An atypical NLR protein modulates the NRC immune receptor network

The paper identifies NRCX, an atypical NRC family member, and shows it modulates the NRC immune receptor network by affecting plant growth and hypersensitive responses.

In vivo hemostatic capability of a novel Tetra-PEG hydrogel

This study evaluates a novel Tetra-PEG hydrogel, TetraStat, showing superior hemostatic performance compared to existing agents in ex vivo and in vivo models.

The Phosphorylation Status of NPH3 Affects Photosensory Adaptation During the Phototropic Response

The study shows that phosphorylation of NPH3 affects its subcellular localization and the photosensory adaptation of phot1 signaling during phototropism.

Jurassic NLR: conserved and dynamic evolutionary features of the atypically ancient immune receptor ZAR1

This study reconstructs the evolutionary history of the ancient ZAR1 NLR immune receptor, revealing conserved features and novel domain acquisitions across plant lineages.

Antihypertensive effect of brain-targeted mechanical intervention with passive head motion

Passive head motion reduces blood pressure in hypertensive rats and humans by decreasing AT1R expression in RVLM astrocytes through interstitial fluid shear stress.

RefPlantNLR: a comprehensive collection of experimentally validated plant NLRs

The paper introduces RefPlantNLR, a dataset of 442 experimentally validated plant NLRs, and benchmarks NLR annotation tools, leading to the development of a new pipeline, NLRtracker.

Chromatin accessibility landscapes activated by cell surface and intracellular immune receptors

The paper uses RNA-seq and ATAC-seq to show that both SRMI and IRMI increase chromatin accessibility at defense genes, revealing overlapping transcriptional regulatory mechanisms.

A vector system for fast-forward in vivo studies of the ZAR1 resistosome in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana

The paper introduces a vector system of 52 plasmids for studying the ZAR1 resistosome in Nicotiana benthamiana, confirming NbZAR1 as the ortholog and demonstrating its functional properties.

Intragenic Complementation of Cellulose Synthase-Like D1 alleles in Root Hair Development

This study identifies and analyzes mutations in the CSLD1 gene in Lotus japonicus, showing their effects on root hair development and suggesting a potential role in root nodule symbiosis.

Arabidopsis ROOT PHOTOTROPISM2 is a Light-Dependent Dynamic Modulator of Phototropin1

This study identifies RPT2 as a light-dependent modulator of phot1 activity in Arabidopsis, showing it suppresses phot1's photosensitivity and kinase activity through LOV1 inhibition and ubiquitin-proteasome regulation.

High-resolution Expression Profiling of Selected Gene Sets during Plant Immune Activation

The paper develops a method to assess differential gene expression of selected genes during plant immune activation using sequence capture and RNA-seq.

An N-terminal motif in NLR immune receptors is functionally conserved across distantly related plant species

The paper identifies a conserved N-terminal motif in plant NLR immune receptors and shows its functional conservation across species.

A novel effect of the antigenic peptides position for presentation upon MHC class I

The paper identifies that N-terminal antigenic peptides are more efficiently presented by MHC-I than C-terminal peptides, linked to rapid degradation of newly synthesized proteins.