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Genome synthesis is moving into the multicellular era. This study redesigned and replaced a 155 kb chromosomal region with synthetic sequence in the model moss Physcomitrium patens. The simplified sequence obtains the correct epigenetic landscape.
The near telomere-to-telomere genome of Physcomitrium patens reveals 26 chromosomes and new genome structures, while also identifying new telomeres, an improved chromosomal karyotype model and intriguing differences in 3D genome models between the protonema and gametophore stages, which offer promising prospects for future research.
The mechanisms shaping plant succession after glacier retreat are dynamic. Compositional dissimilarity between communities decreases over time, accompanied by a shift in the relative contribution of taxa addition versus replacement. Taxa addition prevailed in early communities, whereas replacement became more important after 50 years of succession.
The mechanisms shaping plant succession are dynamic. Compositional dissimilarity between communities decreases over time, underlined by a predominance of taxa addition in early communities, with replacement becoming more important after 50 yr.
The effect of DNA methylation on gene expression has been known for decades. However, the mechanism by which DNA methylation functions to repress transcription has remained a major question in the field. Wang et al. now narrow this gap through their examination of the methylation binding protein MBD2 and expose how DNA methylation is read upstream of transcriptional repression.
Splicing is important for regulation of gene expression programmes, including those involved in plant development or plant environmental responses. In our study, we report that GRP20 regulates Arabidopsis gene expression by ensuring the proper splicing of thousands of floral and leaf RNAs, including the retention of micro exons in conserved floral homeotic genes. GRP20 binds to RNAs and interacts with the spliceosome, and both events are required for normal splicing and flower development.
Transposable element proliferation poses considerable threats to genomes. A previously unknown methyl reader, MBD2, represses transposable elements during male gametogenesis. MBD2 acts with a high degree of redundancy with other silencing pathways, together preserving genome stability.
Splicing of transcripts containing micro and small exons requires specific factors. This study shows that GRP20 regulates micro- and small-exon retention of transcripts including floral homeotic genes, whose splicing is crucial for flower development.
Visualizing cellular Pi distribution is crucial for the understanding of Pi signalling and homeostasis in plants. Here Guo et al. developed a rapid colorimetric Pi imaging method to reveal the intracellular Pi distribution and related regulators.
In this study, De Niu et al. report a two-step molecular mechanism, embryonic resetting of cold-induced TaVRN1 activation and subsequent TaVRN2 reactivation by light during seed germination, to re-establish vernalization requirements in wheat.
Using an mRNA live-imaging system, Luo and colleagues show that Arabidopsis rotamase cyclophilins specifically bind mobile mRNAs and hitchhike on organelle trafficking to transport intercellularly towards plasmodesmata.
Loading of specialized metabolites from maternal tissue into embryo requires coupled export and import processes. Using glucosinolate seed loading as a model, this study identified four critical barriers along the transport route from source to sink.
Leaf ecophysiological traits of crops are primarily inherited from their wild progenitors, challenging the conventional assumption that the origins of fast physiology lie only in early domestication and modern breeding.
The microtubule-associated protein MIDD1 fine-tunes the secondary cell wall patterns in xylem vessels by forming co-condensates with KINESIN-13A, which induces the massive catastrophe of microtubules, in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Cuticular wax is crucial for plant development and environmental interaction. This study reveals the negative impact of nitrogen on cuticular wax via MdBT2–MdMYB106–MdCER2L1, thus uncovering a novel pathway for N-mediated wax biosynthesis in apple.
In this study, Gómez-Fernández and colleagues show that crops were selected from wild progenitors with productive ecophysiological traits, conflicting with the hypothesis that these resource-acquisitive traits are a result of human domestication.