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This study explores the evolution of two traits, branching density and spine presence, in the globally distributed plant family Combretaceae. These traits were found to have appeared in a two-step process in response to mammalian herbivory pressure, revealing the importance of large mammals in the evolution of plant architecture diversity.
This study by Scacchi et al. shows that a mobile small-RNA-based Turing system dynamically organizes plant organ polarity. The afforded developmental flexibility accounts for diversity in organ shapes, from radialized or cup-shaped to the robust planar shape of a typical leaf.
Effectors secreted by plant pathogens subvert host immunity. Here the authors use a structural approach to design a small molecule that can disrupt the interaction between a fungal effector and its target in rice, and could be used as a novel fungicide.
This study reveals that the thylakoid ultrastructural and supramolecular rearrangements that occur during the dark-to-light transition in plants control the connectivity between the two photosystems that drive oxygenic photosynthesis.
Trait prioritization studies have informed crop breeding programmes for decades. This scoping review identifies broad crop coverage, systematic sex disaggregation and reduced regional bias as priorities for more inclusive, demand-driven initiatives.
Chromosomal patterning of meiotic crossovers is mediated by pro-crossover HEI10 E3 ligase dynamics. This study reveals that a network of HSP40–HSP70 chaperones facilitates HEI10 proteolysis, thereby limiting formation of closely spaced crossovers.
Castellani, Zhang and colleagues found that centromeres and (epi)genetic features influence local crossover positions during meiotic recombination in a plant with diffused centromeres, whereas chromosome synapsis dynamics seems key to broad-scale crossover patterning.
Histone acetylation is a predominant active chromatin mark. A feedback mechanism by which histone acetyltransferase responds to varying levels of acetyl coenzyme A in plants under adverse conditions maintains histone acetylation homeostasis.
Preferential fertilization of the egg or central cell during double fertilization has long been controversial. The authors demonstrate preferential sperm–egg fusion in Arabidopsis and show that EGG CELL 1, which is secreted by the egg cell, plays a decisive role in this process.
The ArabidopsisO-glycosyltransferases SEC and SPY modify the transcription factor SPT and synergistically promote style elongation. Specific SPT residues modified by O-GlcNAc and O-fucose are essential for style radialization.
Newly sequenced seagrass genomes unveil a hexaploid ancestry for seagrasses. The transition to marine environments involved fine-tuning of many processes that all had to happen in parallel, probably explaining why adaptation to a marine lifestyle has been rare.
PIN-FORMED auxin transporters are activated by D6PK, the localization of which depends on cysteine S-acylation. Phosphorylation by PDKs regulates D6PK transport and residence time, and prevents lateral diffusion, revealing novel mechanisms for membrane interaction and polarity.
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 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.
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.
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.