Modulating the poly(A) tail length of mRNAs is a critical step that exerts influence on both mRNA stability and translation. AtCCR4a and AtCCR4b have been identified as putative deadenylases in Arabidopsis; however, their roles and physiological significance have yet to be elucidated. Suzuki et al. (on pp. 863–874) demonstrate the physiological significance of the AtCCR4 isoforms in sucrose and starch metabolism through the analyses of atccr4a/4b double mutants. Moreover, they show that AtCCR4 isoforms can influence poly(A) tail length of Granule-bound starch synthase 1 transcripts encoding an enzyme responsible for amylose synthesis.

The cover image shows Arabidopsis protoplasts expressing AtCCR4 (green) or processing body markers (magenta) or both (merged in white).