Letters

Vicine and convicine are the main anti-nutritional factors restricting the consumption of faba bean. Transcript profiling combined with metabolite profiling was applied to identify a key enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of vicine and convicine in faba bean.

This study showed efficient base editing of mitochondria and chloroplast genomes in both lettuce and rapeseed by DddA-derived cytosine base editors (DdCBEs), and DNA-free editing in chloroplasts by delivering DdCBE mRNA to protoplasts, which avoids off-target effects.

This study used bacterial cytidine deaminase fused to the DNA binding domains of transcription activator-like effector nucleases to enable targeted base editing in the Arabidopsis thaliana plastid genome, generating T₁ plants with inheritable homoplasmic mutations.

Plant diversity for agriculture has been found to increase biomass, but what about resource allocation? This study of two- to four-crop species mixtures finds increased productivity compared with monocultures but reduced harvest indices, since all of the crops studied have been optimized for monocultures.

CBF transcription factors are central to cold stress responses. The authors show that only monomeric reduced forms can induce target genes. The redox status of CBFs is controlled by thioredoxin, isotype-h2, Trx-h2.

This study generated a transcriptional atlas of developing Arabidopsis seeds with single-nucleus RNA-sequencing, reporting transcriptionally uncharacterized nuclei types in the chalazal endosperm and spatially and temporally heterogenous imprinting in the seeds.

The IQ67 DOMAIN (IQD) family are plant-specific calmodulin-binding proteins. Several members are associated with the microtubule cytoskeleton, and now IQD6, IQD7 and IQD8 are characterized as functioning in the set-up of the cell division plane in the root meristem of Arabidopsis.

PI(4,5)P₂ is importantly involved in a broad array of cellular processes, including polar auxin transport, vesicle trafficking and anisotropic cell growth. An inducible system is developed in Arabidopsis to conduct tunable depletion of PI(4,5)P₂ and reveal new roles of this membrane lipid.

Coffea stenophylla is a recently rediscovered, narrow-leaved wild coffee from Upper West Africa. Rigorous sensory evaluation (tasting) rates its flavour profile as analogous to high-quality Arabica coffee, but it can grow at much higher temperatures.

The light-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (LPOR) is involved in chlorophyll synthesis and insertion into the thylakoid membrane. Here, a high-resolution structure of membrane-bound LPOR advances the mechanistic understanding of chlorophyll synthesis and thylakoid biogenesis.

Engineering over 60 promoter alleles in two tomato fruit size genes showed the complex interactions among cis-regulatory variants in shaping quantitative trait variation. Dissection of this complexity can guide predictable engineering of crop traits.

ABCG56, a cytokinin transporter, plays a role in the establishment of nodulation and nitrogen-fixing symbiosis in the model legume Medicago truncatula.

The perception of immune elicitors induces fast and massive transcriptional reprogramming. A comprehensive analysis of the response to seven molecules uncovers a core danger response and highlights the role of a family of calcium-permeable channels in immunity.

Systemic nitrogen signalling controls root nitrogen acquisition. The regulatory pathways involve the CEP–CEPD network and the high-affinity nitrate transporter NRT2.1. In this study, the authors identified CEPH, a type 2C protein phosphatase, acting downstream of the CEPD/CEPDLs to regulate the activity of NRT2.1 and nitrate uptake in Arabidopsis.

Codon usage bias of transposons (TEs) causes ribosome stalling, inducing truncated RNAs that are guided to siRNA bodies for epigenetically activated small interfering RNA (easiRNA) biogenesis. This process selectively targets TEs to the easiRNA biogenesis pathway for silencing and involves SGS3 phase separation.

Genome-wide chromatin profiling revealed a role of the histone demethylase FLD and its associating factor LD in regulating overlapping bidirectional transcription by modulating H3K4me1 levels and DNA topology. The effect of FLD depends on DNA topoisomerase I.

Two gene editing strategies for engineering quantitative variation of yield-related traits in maize are demonstrated: creating promoter-edited weak alleles of CLE genes or null alleles of redundant compensating CLE genes using CRISPR–Cas9.

The expression of a light-gated anion channelrhodopsin from a unicellular algae and a retinal-producing enzyme from a marine bacterium enable green light optogenetic manipulation of plant cells, as demonstrated in pollen tubes.

Zinc (Zn) is one of the essential micronutrients for plant growth and development, but the Zn-sensing mechanisms are poorly understood in plants. Two Arabidopsis bZIP transcription factors were previously shown to modulate plant responses to Zn deficiency. In this study, the authors find that they are indeed the sensors of Zn in Arabidopsis.

In rice, it is known that miR168 regulates AGO1. Using a target mimic approach to suppress the microRNA enhances resistance against rice blast disease, increases grain yield and shortens growth period, including in field trials.