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In global drylands, soils tend to be more fertile beneath tree, shrub and grass islands. Soil fertility was greater beneath taller and wider plants but was unaffected by either grazing pressure or the type of herbivore.
The ‘non-canonical’ type-B BZR/BES transcription factor, MpBZR3, has been shown to be a regulator of the development of female and male reproductive organs in the model bryophyte Marchantia polymorpha.
The cryo-EM structure shows us how thousands of protein components self-assemble into Prochlorococcus α-carboxysome. The scaffolding protein CsoS2 crosslinks the icosahedral-like shell and internal RuBisCOs, and determines the size of α-carboxysome.
Wang et al. report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of rice K+ transporters HKT2;1 and HKT2;2/1. These structures reveal critical insights into their ion selectivity and transport mechanisms that will aid in the development of strategies to increase yields.
He et al. found that locally adapted maize varieties exert patterns of genetic control on their root and rhizosphere microbiomes that follow variation in their home environments, consistent with a role in tolerance to prevailing stress.
Photosystem I (PSI) is one of two large pigment–protein complexes responsible for converting solar energy into chemical energy. This study reveals the previously unknown major PSI assembly pathway in land plants.
The authors show that RALF22 has a dual role in cell wall assembly in root hairs: as a structural component organizing cell wall architecture and as a feedback signalling molecule that regulates this process depending on its interaction partners.
Timber harvest claims can be scrutinized based on a combination of wood chemical composition and species distribution. The location of timber harvest can be determined within 180 to 230 km of true location across Eastern Europe.
How do multicellular organisms integrate cell- and tissue-scale mechanical information to coordinate growth? Elliott et al. show that plant cells establish a self-regulating cell-wall-sensing module at their one-dimensional cell edges to control three-dimensional growth.
In response to abscisic acid, the m6A reader ECT8 undergoes phase separation to form cytoplasmic condensates and sequesters m6A-modified abscisic acid receptor PYL7 mRNA in stress granules, which suppresses PYL7 translation for feedback regulation of abscisic acid perception.
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.