Articles in 2023

Integrating inventory data with machine learning models reveals the global composition of tree types—needle-leaved evergreen individuals dominate, followed by broadleaved evergreen and deciduous trees—and climate change risks.

CRISPR-derived base editors can induce guide RNA (gRNA)-independent DNA and RNA off-target edits in eukaryotic cells due to “spurious deamination” by enclosed deaminases. Splitting base editors at a site in a Cas9 nickase-embedded deaminase allows gRNA-mediated base editor reassembly and activation at the target site to suppress unguided off-target edits.

Microscopic visualization of the ARP2/3 complex showed that it colocalizes with peroxisomes in Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco cells in vivo. Colocalization with an autophagy marker and analysis of peroxisomes in autophagy-mutant or ARP2/3-mutant lines demonstrated that ARP2/3 facilitates peroxisome degradation by the autophagic pathway, that is, pexophagy.

Herbarium collections give snapshots into the history of plant life. But their future usefulness relies on their equity and accessibility.

We assessed climatic and productivity trends across the world’s five Mediterranean forest ecosystems and detected large-scale, abrupt forest browning in Chile. Extreme dry and warm conditions in Chile, unprecedented in the recent history of all Mediterranean-type ecosystems, are projected to arise in the second half of this century.

Large-scale and abrupt forest decline occurred in Central Chile in response to acute drought. The extreme conditions, unprecedented in the recent history of all Mediterranean-type ecosystems, are akin to those projected for the second half of the century.

Martinek et al. found that the ARP2/3 complex forms spot-like structures on peroxisomes where it colocalizes and interacts with autophagosomes. Other experiments suggest that ARP2/3 is involved in pexophagy in plant cells.

The deaminases of base editors alone can induce unpredictable off-target edits. This paper describes a simple and generalizable solution for base editors containing distinct deaminases to suppress off-target edits in plant, yeast and human cells.

In angiosperms, the proliferation and differentiation of egg and central cells need to be repressed before fertilization. Autonomous endosperm development has been observed and well-studied in Arabidopsis mutants of FERTILIZATION INDEPENDENT SEED (FIS)-class POLYCOMB REPRESSIVE COMPLEX 2 (PRC2), but how defects of PRC2 components affect embryo development remains unclear. Wu et al. now describe an essential clue for understanding parthenogenetic embryogenesis from the rice double mutant osfie1 osfie2.

By editing the mitochondrial genome and screening a large number of deletion mutants, this study shows that clean knockout mutants for a mitochondrial gene can be obtained and used to construct a synthetic cytoplasmic male sterility system.

Wu et al. show that mutations of the Polycomb repressive complex 2 gene, OsFIE2, result in asexual embryo formation in rice, suggesting a critical role of the epigenetic regulation in maintaining the quiescent state of the egg apparatus.

Pre-zygotic reproductive barriers are a vital defence against interspecific pollen transfers in plants. This study shows that SPRI2/SRS7, a transcription factor, regulates the formation of interspecific reproductive barriers in Arabidopsis.

This study reveals the role played by the RNR10-DNR1-auxin module in modulating rice root system architecture and nitrogen uptake, making it a promising target for enhancing nitrogen-use efficiency and grain yield for future sustainable agriculture.

By assembling a high-quality carrot reference genome and resequencing 630 accessions, a study by Coe et al. reveals the transformative journey of carrot from wild progenitor to modern cultivar and the concomitant accumulation of carotenoids in its taproot.

This study demonstrates that orange carrot was selected during the Renaissance period, probably in western Europe, through the selection of three recessive genes that increased the provitamin A carotenoid (α- and β-carotene) content.

Single-nucleus transcriptomic analysis of Medicago roots reveals dynamic cell-specific responses to the Nod factor — a bacterially secreted chito-lipopolysaccharide with a key role in the root nodule symbiosis between legumes and rhizobia — and identifies the receptor-like kinase FERONIA as a phosphorylation target of the Nod factor receptor LYK3, which together function to control nodule formation and bacterial infection.