New research in plants shows that a gene called MUTE is required for the formation of stomata -- the tiny pores that a critical for gas exchange, including releasing the oxygen gas that we breathe.

Stomata, the small pores on the surfaces of leaves and stalks, regulate the flow of gases in and out of leaves and thus plants as a whole. They adapt to local and global changes on all timescales ...

Stomata, the holes on the surface of a plant’s leaves, are essential for controlling the exchange of gases between the plant and the atmosphere. Stomata with the right characteristics can ...

A phytotoxin, COR is known to aid pathogen growth and lesion formation or expansion by reopening stomata, which makes the plant more vulnerable, but its exact role in Pcal infection was unknown.