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A rice diterpenoid gene cluster is reported that controls the biosynthesis of 5,10-diketo-casbene, a phytoalexin that confers resistance to rice bacterial blight and blast fungus. It recently evolved in the japonica subspecies under artificial selection.
A study reveals that HOS1 activates the components of DNA repair systems to enhance the repair of heat-induced DNA damages and thermotolerance, establishing a direct link between DNA repair and thermotolerance.
Marchantia polymorpha lacks the enzyme that converts ACC into ethylene in higher plants. Genetic characterization of ethylene mutants and treatments with exogenous molecules suggest that, in this species, ACC and ethylene have independent functions.
The authors characterize a cross-talk between ABA and energy pathways. Essential ABA signalling components SnRK2s sequester SnRK1 in a protein complex, decreasing its interaction with the TOR kinase central for energy signalling.
Photosynthesis in tropical forests shows an apparent sensitivity to temperature. This Letter teases apart the effects of temperature and correlated atmospheric water demand on ecosystem productivity.
A transgenic Venus flytrap expressing a fluorescent calcium sensor allows real-time live quantification of calcium waves triggered by sensory hair movement. The study suggests that calcium levels represent the molecular basis for the memory effect that requires two stimulations within 30 s.
The study shows that the cold-induced Polycomb-repressed chromatin state at FLOWERING LOCUS C is meiotically stable in female but not male gametogenesis. This epigenetic cold memory is maternally inherited to the zytote and early embryos.
The genome-wide dynamics of two histone modifications in Arabidopsis halleri show that H3K27me3 exhibits seasonal plasticity and diel stability, whereas H3K4me3 changes seasonally and diurnally. H3K27me3 oscillates seasonally with a delayed phase relative to H3K4me3.
Plants with loss of function mutations in the MEKK1–MKK1/2–MPK4 MAP kinase pathway show strong autoimmunity phenotypes and dwarfism. Through a suppressor genetic screen, the malectin-like receptor kinase LET1 is identified as a new regulator of immune signalling.
This study reports that DNA strand breaks trigger the reprogramming of differentiated leaf cells into stem cells without cell death in Physcomitrella, which requires the DNA damage sensor ATR kinase and the STEM-CELL INDUCING FACTORs (STEMINs).
LONG HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5) is a central transcription factor that acts downstream of CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1) during light signalling. Here, the authors show that three B-box containing proteins (BBX) are cofactors of HY5 and modulate transcriptional responses for a subset of HY5-dependent processes.
Short interfering RNA (siRNA) can silence genes in neighbouring and distant plant cells. The authors show that transgenes, endogenous genes and viruses are silenced through the movement of free primary siRNA duplexes, which are progressively diluted and simultaneously selectively depleted during this process.
A DNA-free in planta approach for gene editing based on RNA virus infection is developed, allowing delivery of the entire CRISPR–Cas9 cassettes into tobacco host to achieve highly efficient single, multiplex mutagenesis and chromosome deletions.
Chromatin-bound RNA profiling in Arabidopsis using a Nanopore-based method reveals slower intron splicing than reported in yeast. Many introns are post-transcriptionally spliced before transcripts enter the cytoplasm, which contributes to intron retention.
Symbiotic rhizobium bacteria are hosted in root nodules in legumes. In Medicago, NPF7.6 is a high-affinity nitrate transporter that is expressed in nodule transfer cells. It is vital for correct uptake of nitrate by nodules and for their development.
Populus has young sex chromosomes despite ancient dioecy. This study shows that the ARR17 gene functions as a sex switch, triggering female development when on and male development when off. This single-gene system enables dynamic evolution of poplar sex chromosomes.
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) technology was used to induce heritable reciprocal chromosomal translocations in the Mb range in Arabidopsis, providing new possibilities to modify chromosomes and break linkage drag in plant breeding.
The parasitic plant Striga hermonthica germinates when it senses strigolactones (SLs). By expressing Striga SL receptors in Arabidopsis, the authors show that the SL pathway can regulate germination independently of gibberellin signalling.
Mutations in the ZmDMP gene induce maternal haploids and facilitate breeding in maize. Now, a study extends this system of maize to dicots, showing that loss-of-function mutations in the ArabidopsisZmDMP-like genes also induce maternal haploids.
The minimal regulatory logic and the evolutionary history of the auxin signalling pathway are explored by studying the much simpler auxin network in Marchantia with a combination of genetic, domain shuffling and biochemical strategies.