@article{brillada_zheng_krueger_rovira-diaz_askani_schumacher_rojas-pierce_2018, title={Phosphoinositides control the localization of HOPS subunit VPS41, which together with VPS33 mediates vacuole fusion in plants}, volume={115}, ISSN={["0027-8424"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1807763115}, DOI={10.1073/pnas.1807763115}, abstractNote={Significance
          Plant vacuoles are essential organelles and occupy up to 90% of the cell volume. Their roles include regulation of stomata movements, protein storage in seeds, gravity sensing, and ion homeostasis. Vacuole or lysosome fusion in eukaryotes is mediated by two multisubunit complexes, SNARE and homotypic fusion and vacuolar protein sorting (HOPS), but only the SNARE complex is well characterized in plants. Here, we show that, similar to other eukaryotes, HOPS mediates vacuole fusion in plants by interaction with SNAREs and that the HOPS subunit VPS33 and the SNARE protein SYP22 display the sites for interaction between these complexes. In contrast to other eukaryotes, however, plant HOPS recruitment to liposomes is inhibited by phosphoinositides, which appear to define strict rules for regulating fusion and fragmentation of dynamic vacuoles.}, number={35}, journal={PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA}, publisher={Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, author={Brillada, Carla and Zheng, Jiameng and Krueger, Falco and Rovira-Diaz, Eliezer and Askani, Jana Christin and Schumacher, Karin and Rojas-Pierce, Marcela}, year={2018}, month={Aug}, pages={EB305–EB314} }
 @article{alvarez_han_toyota_brillada_zheng_gilroy_rojas-pierce_2016, title={Wortmannin-induced vacuole fusion enhances amyloplast dynamics in Arabidopsis zigzag1 hypocotyls}, volume={67}, ISSN={["1460-2431"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erw418}, DOI={10.1093/jxb/erw418}, abstractNote={Highlight The highly restricted movement of amyloplasts in graviperceptive cells of zig-1 hypocotyls is overcome by wortmannin treatment, suggesting a physical association between amyloplasts and the vacuole.}, number={22}, journal={JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Alvarez, Ashley Ann and Han, Sang Won and Toyota, Masatsugu and Brillada, Carla and Zheng, Jiameng and Gilroy, Simon and Rojas-Pierce, Marcela}, year={2016}, month={Dec}, pages={6459–6472} }
 @article{zheng_han_rodriguez-welsh_rojas-pierce_2014, title={Homotypic Vacuole Fusion Requires VTI11 and Is Regulated by Phosphoinositides}, volume={7}, ISSN={["1752-9867"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84907579328&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1093/mp/ssu019}, abstractNote={Most plant cells contain a large central vacuole that is essential to maintain cellular turgor. We report a new mutant allele of VTI11 that implicates the SNARE protein VTI11 in homotypic fusion of protein storage and lytic vacuoles. Fusion of the multiple vacuoles present in vti11 mutants could be induced by treatment with Wortmannin and LY294002, which are inhibitors of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K). We provide evidence that Phosphatidylinositol 3-Phosphate (PtdIns(3)P) regulates vacuole fusion in vti11 mutants, and that fusion of these vacuoles requires intact microtubules and actin filaments. Finally, we show that Wortmannin also induced the fusion of guard cell vacuoles in fava beans, where vacuoles are naturally fragmented after ABA-induced stomata closure. These results suggest a ubiquitous role of phosphoinositides in vacuole fusion, both during the development of the large central vacuole and during the dynamic vacuole remodeling that occurs as part of stomata movements.}, number={6}, journal={MOLECULAR PLANT}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Zheng, Jiameng and Han, Sang Won and Rodriguez-Welsh, Maria Fernanda and Rojas-Pierce, Marcela}, year={2014}, month={Jun}, pages={1026–1040} }