Articles

Plant specialized metabolite biosynthesis is strictly regulated in time and space. The authors describe a robust and redundant transcriptional network that steers cell-specific and jasmonate-inducible triterpene biosynthesis in Arabidopsis root tips.

The crystal structure of the Arabidopsis sucrose–proton symporter SUC1 is presented at 2.7 Å resolution. This allows the identification of a proton-driven symport process for SUC1 that may help in understanding how low-affinity transport can occur in enriched substrate environments.

Old trees have many ecological and socio-cultural values that affect their survival. Species with greater potential height, smaller leaf size and diverse human utilization attributes had the highest probability of long-term persistence.

Grass ligules comprise the boundary between the leaf base and the photosynthetic blade; their homology has been debated for over 200 years. Cell-specific gene expression analyses suggest that ligules are homologous to the margins of the leaf base.

Wheat functional genomics is limited by low transformation efficiency. This study uncovered the transcriptional regulatory network responsible for wheat regeneration and identified two DOF transcription factors that can enhance regeneration in wheat.

Plant-specific kinesin ARK is identified as a major microtubule plus-end-directed transporter in Physcomitrella (moss). ARK motility-dependent tip localization of actin regulators is required for proper cell polarization and growth.

This study reveals a cannabinoid biosynthetic pathway in Helichrysum umbraculigerum, a plant genetically distant from Cannabis, providing a potential source of new cannabinoids and metabolic engineering tools.

AtGBPL3 is a dynamin-related GTPase that functions in mitotic nuclear envelope formation. It interacts with lamina components to mediate nuclear morphogenesis and transcriptional repression during interphase.

A cryo-EM structure of a photosystem I supercomplex, PSI–LHCI–LHCII–Lhcb9, from the moss Physcomitrium patens, shows its Lhcb9-mediated assembly via an intermediate form containing large amounts of light-harvesting complexes I and II.

This study reveals that short-term acute heat stress causes vacuolation of the Golgi apparatus, whereafter autophagy-related protein 8 (ATG8) translocates to the cisternal membrane and recruits CLATHRIN LIGHT CHAIN 2 (CLC2) to facilitate Golgi reconstruction by promoting the budding of ATG8-positive vesicles.

NPF8.4 is responsible for sequestering the photorespiratory carbon intermediate glycerate into vacuoles. This study of NPF8.4 has identified the role of photorespiration in N fluxes in response to short-term N depletion.

Mutant combinations of four AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORs in tomato by CRISPR–Cas9 technology reveal their dual function in inhibiting fruit set before pollination while activating fruit growth after fertilization.

A CRISPR–Cas12a promoter editing system enabled efficient engineering of quantitative trait variations of grain starch and seed size in rice, and achieved an innovative Green Revolution trait through editing of the OsD18 promoter.

The authors identified a sub-clade of NPF transporters that orchestrates GA12 long-distance shoot-to-root translocation. Once in the phloem unloading zone, ABA and GA are loaded into pericycle vacuoles and then slowly released to induce endodermal suberin formation in the maturation zone.

Balance between growth and stress response is critical for plants to adapt to high salinity. This study shows that receptor-like kinase FERONIA takes advantage of phyB-mediated light signalling pathway to coordinate plant growth and salt tolerance.

Plant sigma factors are nuclear-encoded regulators of plastid transcription. A nuclear-encoded sigma factor integrates low-temperature and circadian signals, contributing to photosynthetic resilience to long-term cold.

Auxin is a key regulator in vascular cambium development. This study shows that gibberellins promote polar auxin transport along the root, which leads to broadening of high auxin signalling domain in cambium, and thus, to increased xylem formation.

The sugarcane relative, Erianthus rufipilus, is one of the rare diploid species within the Saccharum complex. Its gap-free genome reveals centromere diversification, epigenetics of a palaeo-duplicated chromosome and evolution of Saccharum.

The study describes the development and validation of Multi-Knock, a genome-scale clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat toolbox that overcomes functional redundancy in plants by simultaneously targeting multiple gene-family members, thus identifying genetically hidden components.

Dawe et al. report a protein tethering method for recruiting Centromeric Histone H3 to synthetic repeat arrays. Newly recruited Centromeric Histone H3 organized functional centromeres that supported independent chromosome segregation for several generations.