Genome editing technology is important for plant science and crop breeding. Genome-edited plants prepared using general CRISPR-Cas9 methods usually contain foreign DNA, which is problematic for production of genome-edited transgene-free plants for vegetative propagation or highly heterozygous hybrid cultivars. Here, we describe a method for highly efficient targeted mutagenesis in Nicotiana benthamiana

Ralstonia solanacearum injects type III effectors into host cells to cause bacterial wilt in Solanaceae plants. To identify R. solanacearum effectors that suppress effector-triggered immunity (ETI) in plants, we evaluated R. solanacearum RS1000 effectors for their ability to suppress a hypersensitive response (HR) induced by the avirulence (Avr) effector RipAA in Nicotiana benthamiana. Out of the 11

A novel late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) gene, MsLEA-D34, was cloned from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Its function and gene regulatory pathways were studied via overexpression and RNAi of the gene in Arabidopsis and hairy roots of alfalfa, as well as via analyzing key genes related to MsLEA-D34 during developmental phases of alfalfa. The results showed that MsLEA-D34 was a typical intrinsically

The plant U-box E3 ubiquitin ligases-mediated ubiquitin/26S proteasome degradation system plays a key role in plant growth and development. Previously screened from the grape PUB gene family, PUB38 was shown to participate in the berry ripening progress. Here, we demonstrate the E3 ligase VlPUB38 mediates abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis via 26S proteasome degradation and its involvement in regulating

Daniel Maynard, Vijay Kumar, Jens Sproß and Karl- Josef Dietz

CyanobacteriaSynechocystis sp. PCC 6803TAG biosynthesisTriacylglycerol

The process of cadmium (Cd) accumulation and detoxification under different sulfur levels remains largely unknown in woody plants. To investigate the physiological and transcriptomic regulation mechanisms of poplars in response to different sulfate (S) supply levels and Cd exposure, we exposed Populus deltoides saplings to one of the low, moderate and high S levels together with either 0 or 50 µM Cd

Gibberellins (GAs) play important roles in the regulation of plant growth and development. The green revolution gene SD1 encoding gibberellin 20-oxidase 2 (GA20ox2) has been widely used in modern rice breeding. However, the molecular mechanism of how SD1/OsGA20ox2 expression is regulated remains unclear. Here we report a Cys2/His2 zinc finger protein ZFP207 acting as a transcriptional repressor of

Abiotic stress is considered as a major factor limiting crop yield and quality. Development of effective strategies that mitigate abiotic stress is essential for sustainable agriculture and food security, especially with continuing global population growth. Recent studies have demonstrated that exogenous treatment of plants with chemical compounds can enhance abiotic stress tolerance by inducing molecular

Mitochondrial processes are implicated in plant response to biotic stress caused by viruses, actinomyces, bacteria, and pests, but its function in defense against fungal invasion remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role and regulation of mitochondrial alternative oxidase (AOX) in response to black spot disease caused by hemibiotrophic fungus Marssonina brunnea in poplar. M. brunnea inoculation

Choline, as a precursor of glycine betaine (GB) and phospholipids, is known to play roles in plant tolerance to salt stress, but the downstream metabolic pathways regulated by choline conferring salt tolerance are still unclear for non-GB accumulating species. The objectives were to examine how choline affect salt tolerance in a non-GB accumulating grass species and to determine major metabolic pathways

Co-expressed genes tend to have regulatory relationships and participate in similar biological processes. Construction of gene correlation networks from microarray or RNA-seq expression data have been widely applied to study transcriptional regulatory mechanisms and metabolic pathways under specific conditions. Furthermore, since transcription factors are critical regulators of gene expression, it

Isoflavonoids are commonly found in leguminous plants. Glycitein is one of the isoflavones produced by soybean. The genes encoding the enzymes in isoflavone biosynthetic pathway have mostly been identified and characterized. However, the gene(s) for isoflavone O-methyltransferase (IOMT), which catalyses the last step of glycitein biosynthesis, has not yet been identified. In this study, we conducted

Leaf senescence is an important process for plants to remobilize a variety of metabolites and nutrients to sink tissues, such as developing leaves, fruits, and seeds. It has been suggested that reactive oxygen species play an important role in the initiation of leaf senescence. Flag leaves of two different barley varieties, cv. Lomerit and cv. Carina, showed differences in the loss of photosystems

DELLA proteins are the negative regulators of the gibberellin (GA) signaling pathway. GAs have a pervasive effect on plant physiology, influencing processes that span the entire life cycle of the plant. All the information encoded by GAs, either environmental or developmental in origin, is canalized through DELLAs, which modulate the activity of many transcription factors or transcriptional regulators

Gibberellin (GA) is an integral phytohormone that plays prominent roles in controlling seed germination, stem elongation, leaf development and floral induction. It has been shown that GA regulates these diverse biological processes mainly through overcoming the suppressive effects of the DELLA proteins, a family of nuclear repressors of GA response. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which have been identified as

Recent rapid progress in deep neural network techniques have allowed various object recognitions and classifications, which often exceed the performance with human eyes. In plant biology and crop sciences, some deep neural network frameworks have been applied mainly to effective and rapid phenotyping. In this study, beyond simple optimizations of phenotyping, we propose an application of deep neural

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins involved in mitochondrial RNA cytidines (C) to uridines (U) editing mostly result in the stagnant embryo and endosperm development when losing function. However, less is known about PPR that involved in farinaceous endosperm formation and maize quality. Here, we cloned a maize DYW-type PPR Defective Kernel605 (Dek605). Mutation of Dek605 delayed seed and seedling

Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a key signal event for methyl jasmonate (MeJA)- and abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closure. We recently showed that reactive carbonyl species (RCS) stimulates stomatal closure as an intermediate downstream of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production in the ABA signaling pathway in guard cells of Nicotiana tabacum and Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study

Gibberellins (GAs) are labdane-related diterpenoid phytohormones that regulate various aspects of higher plant growth. A biosynthetic intermediate of GAs is ent-kaurene, a tetra-cyclic diterpene that is produced through successive cyclization of geranylgeranyl diphosphate catalyzed by the two distinct monofunctional diterpene synthases - ent-copalyl diphosphate synthase (ent-CPS) and ent-kaurene synthase

The mode of transmission of signals between plant cells is an important aspect of plant physiology. The main role in generation of long-distance signals is played by changes in the membrane potential and cytoplasm calcium concentration, but the relation between these responses evoked by the same stimuli in the same plant remains unknown. As one of the first plant which colonized lands, the moss Physcomitrella

Shikonin derivatives are red naphthoquinone pigments produced by several boraginaceous plants, such as Lithospermum erythrorhizon. These compounds are biosynthesized from p-hydroxybenzoic acid and geranyl diphosphate. The coupling reaction that yields m-geranyl-p-hydroxybenzoic acid has been actively characterized, but little is known about later biosynthetic reactions. Although 3"-hydroxy-geranylhydroquinone

Plant and Cell Physiology, Volume 61, Issue 8, 2020, Pages 1427–1437, https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcaa039

NodePHO1PhosphorousPhosphateTransporter

CropLife-course approachPlant–environment interaction

Drought represents a major threat to crop growth and yields. Strigolactones (SLs) contribute to regulating shoot branching by targeting the SUPPRESSOR OF MORE AXILLARY GROWTH2 (MAX2)-LIKE6 (SMXL6), SMXL7 and SMXL8 for degradation in a MAX2-dependent manner in Arabidopsis. Although SLs are implicated in plant drought response, the functions of the SMXL6, 7 and 8 in the SL-regulated plant response to

Multicarpellate fruits are larger and produce more seeds than mono- or bicarpellate fruits, enhancing the reproductive capacity of the plant. To identify the phenotypic and molecular differences among florets of different carpel types, we studied carpel formation and fusion in the grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cultivar ‘Xiangfei’, which produces a high proportion of multicarpellate fruit. We also determined

Gibberellins (GAs) are a class of tetracyclic diterpenoid phytohormones that regulate many aspects of plant development, including seed germination, stem elongation, leaf expansion, pollen maturation, and the development of flowers, fruits, and seeds. During the past years, the primary objective in crop breeding programs has been to increase productivity or yields. “Green revolution” genes that can

To understand plant growth and development, it is often necessary to investigate organisation of plant cells and plant cell walls. Plant cell walls are often fluorescently labelled for confocal imaging with the dye propidium iodide using a pseudo-Schiff reaction. This reaction binds free amine groups on dye molecules to aldehyde groups on cellulose that result from oxidation with periodic acid. We

The precise regulation of gibberellin (GA) metabolism and signaling is essential for plant development and environmental responses. Epigenetic regulatory mechanisms such as histone modification, non-coding RNA-mediated regulation, chromatin remodeling, and DNA methylation are emerging as important means of fine-tuning gene expression. Recent studies have significantly improved our understanding of

Lathyrus odoratus (sweet pea) is an ornamental plant with exceptional floral scent, previously used as an experimental organism in the early development of Mendelian genetics. However, its terpene synthases (TPS), which act as metabolic gatekeepers in the biosynthesis of volatile terpenoids, remain to be characterized. Auto-Headspace Solid-phase Microextraction/GC-MS analysis of floral volatile terpene

SNARE (soluble N-ethyl maleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) mediates membrane fusion of vesicle transport in eukaryotic cells. LjSYP132s is a member of Qa-SNAREs in Lotus japonicus, and two isoforms, LjSYP132a and LjSYP132b, are generated by alternative splicing. Immunoblot analysis showed LjSYP132s antibody was expressed strongly in infected root nodules and seeds by post-transcriptional

Auxin is a key regulator of plant growth and development. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a plant auxin, is mainly produced from tryptophan via indole-3-pyruvate (IPA) in both bryophytes and angiosperms. Angiosperms have multiple, well documented IAA inactivation pathways, involving conjugation to IAA-aspartate/glutamate by the GH3 auxin-amido synthetases, and oxidation to 2-oxoindole-3-acetic acid (oxIAA)

Alkaloid biosynthesisERF transcription factorsGene clustersNicotineTranscriptional regulation

Plant phenotypes caused by mineral deficiencies differ depending on growth conditions. We recently reported that the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana was severely inhibited on MGRL-based zinc (Zn)-deficient medium but not on MS-based Zn-deficient medium. Here, we explored the underlying reason for the phenotypic differences in Arabidopsis grown on different media. The root growth and chlorophyll contents

Forisomes are protein bodies known exclusively from sieve elements of legumes. Forisomes contribute to the regulation of phloem transport due to their unique Ca2+-controlled, reversible swelling. The assembly of forisomes from SEO (sieve element occlusion) protein monomers in developing sieve elements and the mechanism(s) of Ca2+-dependent forisome contractility are poorly understood because the amino

Gibberellins are produced by all vascular plants as well as several fungal and bacterial species that associate with plants as pathogens or symbionts. In the 60 years since the first experiments on the biosynthesis of gibberellic acid in the fungus Fusarium fujikuroi, research on gibberellin biosynthesis has advanced to provide detailed information on the pathways, biosynthetic enzymes and their genes

Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) are the major components of thylakoid membranes and well-conserved from cyanobacteria to chloroplasts. However, cyanobacteria and chloroplasts synthesize these galactolipids using different pathways and enzymes, but they are believed to share a common ancestor. This fact implies that there was a replacement of the cyanobacterial

Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporters (SWEETs) are important in plant biological processes. Expression levels of CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17 are induced by cold acclimation (CA) and cold stress in Camellia sinensis. Here, we found that CsSWEET17 was alternatively spliced, and its exclusion (Ex) transcript was associated with the CA process. Both plasma membrane-localized CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17

Methionine sulfoxide reductase B (MsrB) is involved in oxidative stress or defense responses in plants. However, little is known about its role in legume–rhizobium symbiosis. In this study, an MsrB gene was identified from Astragalus sinicus and its function in symbiosis was characterized. AsMsrB was induced under phosphorus starvation and displayed different expression patterns under symbiotic and

In a recent mini review on jasmonate signaling in Arabidopsis stamens published in this journal, Acosta and Przybyl (2019) devote an entire section to the role of auxin in stamen development highlighting what they define as ‘inconsistencies’ in the models proposed in the current literature.

Anther dehiscenceARF6ARF8AUX–IAAAuxinFilament elongation

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play important roles in the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. The role of HDACs in specialized transcriptional regulation and biological processes is poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated the global expression patterns of genes related to epigenetic modifications during callus initiation in rice. We found that the repression of HDAC activity by trichostatin

Plants have the ability to regenerate whole plant body parts, including shoots and roots, in vitro from callus derived from a variety of tissues. However, the underlying mechanisms for this de novo organogenesis, which is based on the totipotency of callus cells, are poorly understood. Here, we report that a microRNA (miRNA)-mediated posttranscriptional regulation plays an important role in de novo

Many polypetalous plants have a constriction at the base of the petal that leaves a small gap that can provide entry into the young flower bud before the reproductive organs are fully developed. In cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), this gap is occluded by tufts of short unicellular trichomes superficially resembling the fibers found on cotton seeds. We are just beginning to understand the developmental

Spermine (Spm) regulates water balance involved in water channel proteins, aquaporins (AQPs), in plants. An increase in endogenous Spm content via exogenous Spm application significantly improved cell membrane stability, photosynthesis, osmotic adjustment (OA) and water use efficiency (WUE) contributing to enhanced tolerance to water stress in white clover. Spm upregulated TrTIP2-1, TrTIP2-2 and TrPIP2-7

N-terminal acetylation (Nt-acetylation) is one of the most common protein modifications in eukaryotes. The function of Naa50, the catalytic subunit of the evolutionarily conserved N-terminal acetyltransferase (Nat) E complex, has not been reported in Arabidopsis. In this study, we found that a loss of Naa50 resulted in a pleiotropic phenotype that included dwarfism and sterility, premature leaf senescence

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins are RNA binding proteins that function in posttranscriptional regulation as gene-specific regulators of RNA metabolism in plant organelles. Plant PPR proteins are divided into four classes: P, PLS, E and DYW. The E- and DYW-class proteins are mainly implicated in RNA editing, whereas most of the P-class proteins predominantly participate in RNA cleavage, splicing

The present study reports profiling of the elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration responsive global transcriptome in chickpea, along with a combinatorial approach for exploring interlinks between physiological and transcriptional changes, important for the climate change scenario. Various physiological parameters were recorded in two chickpea cultivars (JG 11 and KAK 2) grown in open top chambers

Plants are continuously exposed to different abiotic and biotic stresses; therefore, to protect themselves, they depend on the fast reprogramming of large gene repertoires to prioritize the expression of a given stress-induced gene set over normal cellular household genes. The activity of the proteasome, a large proteolytic complex that degrades proteins, is vital to coordinate the expression of such

As an alternative electron sink, chlororespiration, comprised of the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase complex and plastid terminal plastoquinone oxidase, may play a significant role for sustaining the redox equilibrium between stroma and thylakoid membrane. This study identified a distinct role of chlororespiration in the marine angiosperm Zostera marina, whose oxygen evolving complex (OEC) is prone to photo-inactivation

About 60–85% of total phosphorus (P) in cereal crops is finally allocated to seeds, where it is required for seed development, germination and early growth. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying P allocation to seeds. Here, we found that two members (OsPHO1;1 and OsPHO1;2) of the PHO1 gene family are involved in the distribution of P to seeds in rice. Both OsPHO1;1 and

An understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie plant salt tolerance is important for both economic and scientific interests. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a promising approach to pinpoint genes that confer plant salt tolerance. With the advancement of supporting technology and methodology, GWAS has enabled the discovery of genes that play central roles in regulating plant salt

Temperature is an essential physical factor that affects the plant life cycle. Almost all plant species have evolved a robust signal transduction system that enables them to sense changes in the surrounding temperature, transduce, and accordingly adjust their metabolism and cellular functions to avoid heat stress-related damage. Wheat (Triticum aestivum), as a cool-season crop, is very sensitive to

In Arabidopsis thaliana, a mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, MEKK1–MKK1/MKK2–MPK4, is important for basal resistance and disruption of this pathway results in dwarf, autoimmune phenotypes. To elucidate the complex mechanisms activated by the disruption of this pathway, we have previously developed a mutant screening system based on a dwarf autoimmune line that overexpressed the N-terminal regulatory

Although cyanobacteria do not possess wax ester synthase/acyl-CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (WS/DGAT), the bacterial enzyme for triacylglycerol (TAG) production, there have been several studies reporting the accumulation of TAG-like compounds in cyanobacteria. In this study, we aimed to evaluate TAG productivity of the ΔrecJ::atfA strain of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 generated by inserting atfA

Maize inflorescence is a complex phenotype that involves the physical and developmental interplay of multiple traits. Given the evidence that genes could pleiotropically contribute to several of these traits, we used publicly available maize data to assess the ability of multivariate genome-wide association study (GWAS) approaches to identify pleiotropic quantitative trait loci (pQTL). Our analysis

Sucrose accumulation is one of the important factors that determine fruit enlargement and quality. Evaluation of the sugar profile of 105 pear cultivars revealed low-sucrose and high-sucrose (HS) types of pear fruits. To better understand the molecular mechanisms governing the sucrose content of pear fruits, this study performed transcriptome analysis during fruit development using low-sucrose ‘Korla’

Anthocyanin biosynthesis is mainly controlled by MYB-bHLH-WD40 (MBW) complexes that modulate the expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes. The MYB regulators involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis arose early during plant evolution, and thus might function divergently in different evolutionary lineages. Although the anthocyanin-promoting R2R3-MYB regulators in eudicots have been comprehensively explored

To ensure food security in the face of increasing global demand due to population growth and progressive urbanization, it will be crucial to integrate emerging technologies in multiple disciplines to accelerate overall throughput of gene discovery and crop breeding. Plant agronomic traits often appear during the plants’ later growth stages due to the cumulative effects of their lifetime interactions