Dr Min-Yao Jhu selected as Assistant Features Editor for The Plant Cell

Dr Min-Yao Jhu, from the Sustainable Nutrition Group, has been selected as an Assistant Features Editor for The Plant Cell journal for 2024–2025. As Assistant Features Editor, Min-Yao writes In Brief articles, which distill cutting-edge research into accessible summaries for a broader audience. The Plant Cell is renowned for its high-impact cellular and molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry research.

Over the past six months, Min-Yao has authored four In Brief articles highlighting research focusing on crop species development. Her most recent article, co-authored with Dr. Jian Feng, is titled “The Secret of Self-Fertilizing Plants: NIN-NAD1’s Role in Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation.” This article discusses a study by Yu et al. investigating how nitrogen-fixing clade (NFC) plants regulate symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF). The research focuses on the two key regulators — NODULE INCEPTION (NIN)–Nodules with Activated Defense1 (NAD1), revealing that NAD1 is unique to NFC plants, expressed specifically in nodules, and regulated by cis-regulatory elements associated with modulation. This study provides evidence that the NIN–NAD1 regulatory module is a critical evolutionary innovation that enabled these plants to form nodules, a key trait for their ability to fix nitrogen symbiotically.

Min-Yao also co-authored “Seeing Hormones in Action: High-Resolution Gibberellin Dynamics in Nodules” with Dr. Thomas B. Irving. This article highlights the development of the second-generation gibberellin (GA) biosensor, GPS2, by Griffiths et al. The GPS2 biosensor improves upon previous versions by offering better interaction with endogenous GA signaling and enhanced reversibility. This research opens new possibilities for visualizing hormone dynamics in real time, offering deeper insights into plant growth regulation. For example, as highlighted in their In Brief article, Drapek et al. used GPS2 to map dynamic GA distribution during nodule formation in Medicago truncatula, showing high GA levels in cortical cells, which are critical for early nodule development. Understanding how hormones like GA function helps researchers develop strategies to improve crop growth.

Below is a list of her In Brief articles:

Jhu MY, Feng J. The secret of self-fertilizing plants: NIN-NAD1’s role in symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Plant Cell. 2024 Aug 21:koae237. doi: 10.1093/plcell/koae237. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39167830.

Jhu MY, Irving TB. Seeing hormones in action: High-resolution gibberellin dynamics in nodules. Plant Cell. 2024 Jul 23:koae216. doi: 10.1093/plcell/koae216. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39041853.

Jhu MY, Nakayama H. Dancing in the sun: maize azimuthal canopy re-orientation for efficient light capture. Plant Cell. 2024 May 1;36(5):1568-1569. doi: 10.1093/plcell/koae026. PMID: 38270473; PMCID: PMC11062423.

Jhu MY, Kundu A. WOX11-LBD16 double partner dancing: a feedback circuitry for crown root development in rice. Plant Cell. 2024 May 1;36(5):1580-1581. doi: 10.1093/plcell/koae018. PMID: 38243575; PMCID: PMC11062445.

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