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Arabidopsis N6-methyladenosine reader CPSF30-L recognizes FUE signal to control polyadenylation site choice in liquid-like nuclear body Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2021-01-27 Peizhe Song; Junbo Yang; Chunling Wang; Qiang Lu; Linqing Shi; Subiding Tayier; Guifang Jia
The biological functions of epitranscriptomic modification N6-methyladenosine (m6A) in plants have not been fully understood. CPSF30-L is a predominant isoform of polyadenylation factor CPSF30 and consists of CPSF30-S and m6A-binding YTH domain. Little is known about the biological roles of CPSF30-L and the molecular mechanism underlying its m6A binding function in alternative polyadenylation (APA)
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CPSF30-L-mediated recognition of mRNA m6A modification controls alternative polyadenylation of nitrate signaling-related gene transcripts in Arabidopsis Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2021-01-27 Yifeng Hou; Jing Sun; Baixing Wu; Yangyang Gao; Hongbo Nie; Zhentian Nie; Shuxuan Quan; Yong Wang; Xiaofeng Cao; Sisi Li
N6-methyladenosine (m6A), a ubiquitous internal modification of eukaryotic mRNAs, plays a vital role in almost every aspect of mRNA metabolism. However, evidence regarding the role of m6A in regulating alternative polyadenylation (APA) is limited. APA is controlled by a large protein-RNA complex with many components, including CLEAVAGE AND POLYADENYLATION SPECIFICITY FACTOR30 (CPSF30). Arabidopsis
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Loss of two families of SPX domain-containing proteins required for vacuolar polyphosphate accumulation coincides with the transition to phosphate storage in green plants Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2021-01-27 Long Wang; Xianqing Jia; Yuxin Zhang; Lei Xu; Benoit Menand; Hongyu Zhao; Houqing Zeng; Liam Dolan; Yiyong Zhu; Keke Yi
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plants. It is stored as inorganic phosphate (Pi) in vacuoles of land plants but as inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) in chlorophyte algae. Although it has been known that the SPX-MFS and VPE proteins are respectively responsible for Pi influx and efflux across the tonoplast in land plants, the mechanisms underlying polyP homeostasis and the transition of phosphorus
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Regulation of the Stability and ABA Import Activity of NRT1.2/NPF4.6 by CEPR2-mediated Phosphorylation in Arabidopsis Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2021-01-13 Lei Zhang; Zipeng Yu; Yang Xu; Miao Yu; Yue Ren; Shizhong Zhang; Guodong Yang; Jinguang Huang; Kang Yan; Chengchao Zheng; Changai Wu
Abscisic acid (ABA) transport plays an important role in systemic plant responses to environmental factors. In this study, we showed that C-terminally encoded peptide receptor 2 (CEPR2) directly interacts with the ABA transporter NRT1.2/NPF4.6. Using transgenic seedlings, we demonstrated that NRT1.2/NPF4.6 positively regulated the ABA response, and that NRT1.2/NPF4.6 was epistatically and negatively
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Pathogen-inducible OsMPKK10.2-OsMPK6 cascade phosphorylates the Raf-like kinase OsEDR1 and inhibits its scaffold function to promote rice disease resistance Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2021-01-13 Haigang Ma; Juan Li; Ling Ma; Peilun Wang; Yuan Xue; Ping Yin; Jinghua Xiao; Shiping Wang
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades regulate a myriad of plant biological processes, including disease resistance. Plant genomes encode large numbers of MAPK kinase kinases (MAPKKKs) that can be divided into two subfamilies, namely MEKK-like kinases and Raf-like kinases. Thus far, the functions of MEKK-like MAPKKKs have been relatively well characterised, but the roles of Raf-like MAPKKKs
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Genome-wide Identification of Agronomically Important Genes in Outcrossing Crops using OutcrossSeq Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2021-01-08 Mengjiao Chen; Weijuan Fan; Feiyang Ji; Hua Hua; Jie Liu; Mengxiao Yan; Qingguo Ma; Jiongjiong Fan; Qin Wang; Shufeng Zhang; Guiling Liu; Zhe Sun; Changgeng Tian; Fengling Zhao; Jianli Zheng; Qi Zhang; Jiaxin Chen; Jie Qiu; Xuehui Huang
Many important crops (e.g., tuber, root and tree crops) have the cross-pollination nature. In these crops, no inbred lines are available for genetic study and breeding due to self-incompatibility, clonal propagation way or long generation time, which makes the identifications of agronomically important genes difficult, particularly in crops with complex autopolyploid genome. Here we developed a method
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Single-nucleus RNA and ATAC sequencing reveals the impact of chromatin accessibility on gene expression in Arabidopsis roots at the single-cell level Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2021-01-07 Andrew Farmer; Sandra Thibivilliers; Kook Hui Ryu; John Schiefelbein; Marc Libault
Similar to other complex organisms, plants consist of diverse and specialized cell types. The gain of unique biological functions of these different cell types is the consequence of the establishment of cell-type-specific transcriptional programs. As a necessary step in gaining a deeper understanding of the regulatory mechanisms controlling plant gene expression, we report the use of single nucleus
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N-Terminal Truncated RHT-1 Proteins Generated by Translational Reinitiation Cause Semi-Dwarfing of Wheat Green Revolution Alleles Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2021-01-07 Karel Van De Velde; Stephen G. Thomas; Floor Heyse; Rim Kaspar; Dominique Van Der Straeten; Antje Rohde
The unprecedented wheat yield increases during the Green Revolution were achieved through the introduction of the Reduced height (Rht)-B1b and Rht-D1b semi-dwarfing alleles. These Rht-1 alleles encode growth repressing DELLA genes containing a stop codon within their open reading frame, that confers gibberellin (GA)-insensitive semi-dwarfism. In this study, we successfully took the hurdle of detecting
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Harnessing Knowledge from Maize and Rice Domestication for New Crop Breeding Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-11 Qiuyue Chen; Weiya Li; Lubin Tan; Feng Tian
Crop domestication has fundamentally altered the course of human history, causing a shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies and stimulating the rise of modern civilization. A greater understanding of crop domestication would provide a theoretical basis for how we could improve current crops and develop new crops to deal with environmental challenges in a sustainable manner. Here, we provide
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Orphan Crops and their Wild Relatives in the Genomic Era Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-17 Chu-Yu Ye; Longjiang Fan
More than half of the calories consumed by humans are provided by three major cereal crops (rice, maize, and wheat). Orphan crops are usually well adapted to low-input agricultural conditions, and they not only play vital roles in local areas but can also contribute to food and nutritional needs worldwide. Interestingly, many wild relatives of orphan crops are important weeds of major crops. Although
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Regulation of Plant Vitamin Metabolism: Backbone of Biofortification for the Alleviation of Hidden Hunger Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-30 Ling Jiang; Simon Strobbe; Dominique Van Der Straeten; Chunyi Zhang
Micronutrient deficiencies include shortages of vitamins and minerals. They affect billions of people and are associated with long-range effects on health, learning ability, and huge economic losses. Biofortification of multiple micronutrients can play an important role in combating malnutrition. The challenge, however, is to balance plant growth with nutrient requirements for humans. Here, we summarize
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Control of Plant Growth and Defense by Photoreceptors: From Mechanisms to Opportunities in Agriculture Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Ronald Pierik; Carlos L. Ballaré
Plants detect and respond to the proximity of competitors using light signals perceived by photoreceptor proteins. A low ratio of red to far-red radiation (R:FR ratio) is a key signal of competition that is sensed by the photoreceptor phytochrome B (phyB). Low R:FR ratios increase the synthesis of growth-related hormones, including auxin and gibberellins, promoting stem elongation and other shade-avoidance
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Using Interactome Big Data to Crack Genetic Mysteries and Enhance Future Crop Breeding Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-16 Leiming Wu; Linqian Han; Qing Li; Guoying Wang; Hongwei Zhang; Lin Li
The functional genes underlying phenotypic variation and their interactions represent “genetic mysteries”. Understanding and utilizing these genetic mysteries are key solutions for mitigating the current threats to agriculture posed by population growth and individual food preferences. Due to advances in high-throughput multi-omics technologies, we are stepping into an Interactome Big Data era that
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Protein Quality Control in Plant Organelles: Current Progress and Future Perspectives Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-01 Jing-Liang Sun; Jin-Yu Li; Mei-Jing Wang; Ze-Ting Song; Jian-Xiang Liu
The endoplasmic reticulum, chloroplasts, and mitochondria are major plant organelles for protein synthesis, photosynthesis, metabolism, and energy production. Protein homeostasis in these organelles, maintained by a balance between protein synthesis and degradation, is essential for cell functions during plant growth, development, and stress resistance. Nucleus-encoded chloroplast- and mitochondrion-targeted
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Single-Cell Transcriptome Analysis in Plants: Advances and Challenges Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-02 Rahul Shaw; Xin Tian; Jian Xu
The rapid and enthusiastic adoption of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has demonstrated that this technology is far more than just another way to perform transcriptome analysis. It is not an exaggeration to say that the advent of scRNA-seq is revolutionizing the details of whole-transcriptome snapshots from a tissue to a cell. With this disruptive technology, it is now possible to mine heterogeneity
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CRISPR-Mediated Engineering across the Central Dogma in Plant Biology for Basic Research and Crop Improvement Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-03 Dibyajyoti Pramanik; Rahul Mahadev Shelake; Mi Jung Kim; Jae-Yean Kim
The central dogma (CD) of molecular biology is the transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein. Major CD processes governing genetic flow include the cell cycle, DNA replication, chromosome packaging, epigenetic changes, transcription, posttranscriptional alterations, translation, and posttranslational modifications. The CD processes are tightly regulated in plants to maintain genetic
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Pho-view of Auxin: Reversible Protein Phosphorylation in Auxin Biosynthesis, Transport and Signaling Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-10 Shutang Tan; Christian Luschnig; Jiří Friml
The phytohormone auxin plays a central role in shaping plant growth and development. With decades of genetic and biochemical studies, numerous core molecular components and their networks, underlying auxin biosynthesis, transport, and signaling, have been identified. Notably, protein phosphorylation, catalyzed by kinases and oppositely hydrolyzed by phosphatases, has been emerging to be a crucial type
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Receptor-like Kinases in Root Development: Current Progress and Future Directions Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-11 Yang Ou; Hong Kui; Jia Li
Cell-to-cell and cell-to-environment communications are critical to the growth and development of plants. Cell surface-localized receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are mainly involved in sensing various extracellular signals to initiate their corresponding cellular responses. As important vegetative organs for higher plants to adapt to a terrestrial living situation, roots play a critical role for the survival
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Glycosylation of N-Hydroxy-Pipecolic Acid Equilibrates between Systemic Acquired Resistance Response and Plant Growth Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-30 Jianghua Cai; Adam Jozwiak; Lara Holoidovsky; Michael M. Meijler; Sagit Meir; Ilana Rogachev; Asaph Aharoni
N-hydroxy-pipecolic acid (NHP) activates plant systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Enhanced defense responses are typically accompanied by deficiency in plant development and reproduction. Albeit extensive studies of SAR induction, the effect of NHP metabolism on plant growth is presently unexplored. Here, we discovered that NHP glycosylation is a critical factor that fine-tunes the tradeoff between
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HASTY modulates miRNA biogenesis by linking pri-miRNA transcription and processing Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-30 Damian A. Cambiagno; Axel J. Giudicatti; Agustin L. Arce; Delfina Gagliardi; Lei Li; Wei Yuan; Derek S. Lundberg; Detlef Weigel; Pablo A. Manavella
Post-transcriptional gene silencing mediated by microRNAs (miRNAs) modulates numerous developmental and stress response pathways. For the last two decades, HASTY (HST), the ortholog of human Exportin-5, has been considered as a candidate protein that exports plant miRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Here, we report HST functions in the miRNA pathway independent of its cargo-exporting activity
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Asymmetric epigenome maps of subgenomes reveal imbalanced transcription and distinct evolutionary trends in Brassica napus Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-30 Qing Zhang; Pengpeng Guan; Lun Zhao; Meng Ma; Liang Xie; Yue li; Ruiqin Zheng; Weizhi Ouyang; Shunyao Wang; Hongmeijuan Li; Ying Zhang; Yong Peng; Zhilin Cao; Wei Zhang; Qin Xiao; Yuanling Xiao; Tingdong Fu; Guoliang Li; Jinxiong Shen
The complexity of epigenome landscape and transcriptional regulation is significantly increased during plant polyploidy, which drives genome evolution and contributes to the increased adaptability to diverse environments. However, the comprehensive epigenomic mapping of Brassica napus remains unexplored. In this study, we performed integrative analysis of five histone modifications, RNA polymerase
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Genome editing mediated by SpCas9 variants with broad non-canonical protospacer-adjacent motif compatibility in plants Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-28 Juan Li; Rongfang Xu; Ruiying Qin; Xiaoshuang Liu; Fanna Kong; Pengcheng Wei
Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) is the most widely used genome editing system in plants. The editing induced by SpCas9 strictly require a canonical NGG protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM), thus limiting the scope of application. Recently, five SpCas9 variants, including SpCas9-NRRH, SpCas9-NRCH, SpCas9-NRTH, SpG and SpRY, were developed to recognize non-canonical PAMs in human cells. Here, these
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GSK3-Mediated Stress Signaling Inhibits Legume–Rhizobium Symbiosis by Phosphorylating GmNSP1 in Soybean Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-21 Chunmei He; Hui Gao; Haijiao Wang; Yun Guo; Miao He; Yaqi Peng; Xuelu Wang
Legumes establish symbiotic associations with rhizobia for biological nitrogen fixation. This process is highly regulated by various abiotic stresses, but the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we established that the glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3)-like kinase, GmSK2-8, plays an important role in inhibiting symbiotic signaling and nodule formation in soybean (Glycine
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Transcriptional Landscape of Rice Roots at the Single Cell Resolution Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-19 Qing Liu; Zhe Liang; Dan Feng; Sanjie Jiang; Yifan Wang; Zhuoying Du; Ruoxi Li; Guihua Hu; Pingxian Zhang; Yanfei Ma; Jan U. Lohmann; Xiaofeng Gu
There are two main types of root systems in flowering plants, namely taproot systems of dicots and fibrous root systems found in monocots. Despite this fundamental split, our current knowledge of cellular and molecular mechanism driving root development is mainly based on studies of the dicot model Arabidopsis. However, the world major crops are monocots and little is known about the transcriptional
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Modulation of Nitrate-Induced Phosphate Response by RLI1/HINGE1 in Nucleus Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-11 Zhihua Zhang; Zhao Li; Wei Wang; Zhimin Jiang; Liping Guo; Xiaohan Wang; Yangwen Qian; Xiahe Huang; Yongqiang Liu; Xiujie Liu; Yahong Qiu; Aifu Li; Yu Yan; Junpeng Xie; Shouyun Cao; Stanislav Kopriva; Legong Li; Fanjiang Kong; Chengcai Chu
The coordinated utilization of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) is vital to maintain nutrient balance and achieve an optimal growth for plants. Previously, we revealed a mechanism by which nitrate induces genes for phosphate utilization depending on NRT1.1B-facilitated degradation of cytoplasmic SPX4, thus promoting cytoplasmic-nuclear shuttling of PHR2, the central transcription factor of phosphate
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Genome- and transcriptome-wide association studies provide insights into the genetic basis of natural variation of seed oil content in Brassica napus Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-10 Shan Tang; Hu Zhao; Shaoping Lu; Liangqian Yu; Guofang Zhang; Yuting Zhang; Qing-Yong Yang; Yongming Zhou; Xuemin Wang; Wei Ma; Weibo Xie; Liang Guo
Seed oil content (SOC) is a highly important and complex trait in oil crops. Here we report deciphering of the genetic basis of natural variation of SOC in Brassica napus by genome- and transcriptome-wide association studies using 505 inbred lines. We mapped reliable quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling SOC in eight environments, evaluated the effect of each QTL on SOC, and analyzed the selection
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Mycorrhizal Symbiosis Modulates the Rhizosphere Microbiota to Promote Rhizobia-Legume Symbiosis Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-09 Xiaolin Wang; Huan Feng; Yayu Wang; Mingxing Wang; Xingguang Xie; Huizhong Chang; Like Wang; Jicheng Qu; Kai Sun; Wei He; Chunyan Wang; Chuanchao Dai; Zhaohui Chu; Changfu Tian; Nan Yu; Xuebin Zhang; Huan Liu; Ertao Wang
Plants establish symbioses with mutualistic fungi, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, and bacteria, such as rhizobia, to exchange key nutrients and thrive. The plants and symbionts have coevolved and represent vital components of terrestrial ecosystems. Plants employ an ancestral AM signaling pathway to establish intracellular symbioses, including the legume-rhizobia symbiosis, in their roots
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Genetic Architecture and Key Genes Controlling the Diversity of Oil Composition in Rice Grain Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-08 Hao Zhou; Duo Xia; Pingbo Li; Yiting Ao; Xiaodong Xu; Shanshan Wan; Yanhua Li; Bian Wu; Huan Shi; Kaiyue Wang; Guanjun Gao; Qinglu Zhang; Gongwei Wang; Jinghua Xiao; Xianghua Li; Sibin Yu; Xingming Lian; Yuqing He
Rice grain oil is a valuable nutrient source. However, the genetic basis of oil biosynthesis in rice grains remains unclear. In this study, we performed a genome-wide association study on oil composition and oil concentration in a diverse panel of 533 cultivated rice accessions. High variation for eleven oil-related traits was observed and oil composition was found to differentiate in rice grains among
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Unraveling the 3D Genome Architecture in Plants: Present and Future Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-10-13 Weizhi Ouyang; Dan Xiong; Guoliang Li; Xingwang Li
The eukaryotic genome has a hierarchical three-dimensional (3D) organization with functional implications for DNA replication, DNA repair, and transcriptional regulation. Over the past decade, scientists have endeavored to elucidate the spatial characteristics and functions of plant genome architecture using high-throughput chromatin conformation capturing technologies such as Hi-C, ChIA-PET, and HiChIP
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Reshaping of the Arabidopsis thaliana Proteome Landscape and Co-regulation of Proteins in Development and Immunity Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-29 Mona Bassal; Mohammad Abukhalaf; Petra Majovsky; Domenika Thieme; Tobias Herr; Mohamed Ayash; Naheed Tabassum; MHD Rami Al Shweiki; Carsten Proksch; Ali Hmedat; Jörg Ziegler; Justin Lee; Steffen Neumann; Wolfgang Hoehenwarter
Proteome remodeling is a fundamental adaptive response, and proteins in complexes and functionally related proteins are often co-expressed. Using a deep sampling strategy we define core proteomes of Arabidopsis thaliana tissues with around 10 000 proteins per tissue, and absolutely quantify (copy numbers per cell) nearly 16 000 proteins throughout the plant lifecycle. A proteome-wide survey of global
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A Pd1–Ps–P1 Feedback Loop Controls Pubescence Density in Soybean Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-10-13 Shulin Liu; Lei Fan; Zhi Liu; Xia Yang; Zhifang Zhang; Zongbiao Duan; Qianjin Liang; Muhammad Imran; Min Zhang; Zhixi Tian
Trichomes are universally present in plants and their development is delicately regulated. Trichomes are responsible for pubescence, whose density is associated with some agronomic traits such as insect resistance, evapotranspiration, and yield. Almost a century ago, three dominant alleles related to pubescence density in soybean, namely Pd1 (dense pubescence), Ps (sparse pubescence), and P1 (glabrous)
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ζ-Carotene Isomerase Suppresses Tillering in Rice through the Coordinated Biosynthesis of Strigolactone and Abscisic Acid Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-10-07 Xue Liu; Qingliang Hu; Jijun Yan; Kai Sun; Yan Liang; Meiru Jia; Xiangbing Meng; Shuang Fang; Yiqin Wang; Yanhui Jing; Guifu Liu; Dianxing Wu; Chengcai Chu; Steven M. Smith; Jinfang Chu; Yonghong Wang; Jiayang Li; Bing Wang
Rice tillering is an important agronomic trait affecting grain yield. Here, we identified a high-tillering mutant tillering20 (t20), which could be restored to the wild type by treatment with the strigolactone (SL) analog rac-GR24. T20 encodes a chloroplast ζ-carotene isomerase (Z-ISO), which is involved in the biosynthesis of carotenoids and their metabolites, SL and abscisic acid (ABA). The t20 mutant
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A Synthetic Photorespiratory Shortcut Enhances Photosynthesis to Boost Biomass and Grain Yield in Rice Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Li-Min Wang; Bo-Ran Shen; Bo-Di Li; Chuan-Ling Zhang; Min Lin; Pan-Pan Tong; Li-Li Cui; Zhi-Sheng Zhang; Xin-Xiang Peng
Several photorespiratory bypasses have been introduced into plants and shown to improve photosynthesis by increasing chloroplastic CO2 concentrations or optimizing energy balance. We recently reported that an engineered GOC bypass could increase photosynthesis and productivity in rice. However, the grain yield of GOC plants was unstable, fluctuating in different cultivation seasons because of varying
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Transcriptional Activation and Phosphorylation of OsCNGC9 Confer Enhanced Chilling Tolerance in Rice Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-02 Jiachang Wang; Yulong Ren; Xi Liu; Sheng Luo; Xiao Zhang; Xin Liu; Qibing Lin; Shanshan Zhu; Hua Wan; Yang Yang; Yu Zhang; Bin Lei; Chunlei Zhou; Tian Pan; Yongfei Wang; Mingming Wu; Ruonan jing; Yang Xu; Jianmin Wan
Low temperature is a major environmental factor limiting plant growth and productivity. Although transient elevation of cytoplasmic calcium has long been recognized as a critical signal for plant cold tolerance, the calcium channels responsible for this process have remained largely elusive. Here, we reported that OsCNGC9, a cyclic nucleotide-gated channel, positively regulates chilling tolerance by
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Cell Wall β-1,4-galactan Regulated by BPC1/BPC2-GALS1 Module Aggravates Salt Sensitivity in Arabidopsis thaliana Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Jingwei Yan; Ya Liu; Lan Yang; Huan He; Yun Huang; Lin Fang; Henrik Vibe Scheller; Mingyi Jiang; Aying Zhang
Salinity severely reduces plant growth and limits agricultural productivity. Dynamic changes and rearrangement of the plant cell wall is an important response to salt stress, but relatively little is known about the biological importance of specific cell wall components in the response. Here, we demonstrate a specific function of β-1,4-galactan in salt hypersensitivity. Salt stress induced the accumulation
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A positive feedback circuit for ROP-mediated polar growth Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-30 En Li; Yu-Ling Zhang; Xuelian Shi; Han Li; Xuefeng Yuan; Sha Li; Yan Zhang
Tip growth is a special polarization in which a single and unique polarization site is established and maintained. Rho of Plants (ROPs) represent the only class of Rho GTPases in plants, regulating tip growth. Dynamic and asymmetric distribution of ROPs, critical for the establishment and maintenance of tip growth, requires at least one positive feedback loop, which is still elusive. We report a positive
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GmCRY1s Modulate Gibberellin Metabolism to Regulate Soybean Shade Avoidance in Response to Reduced Blue Light Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-27 Xiangguang Lyu; Qican Cheng; Chao Qin; Yinghui Li; Xinying Xu; Ronghuan Ji; Ruolan Mu; Hongyu Li; Tao Zhao; Jun Liu; Yonggang Zhou; Haiyan Li; Guodong Yang; Qingshan Chen; Bin Liu
Soybean as an important legume crop displays classic shade avoidance syndrome (SAS) including exaggerated stem elongation that leads to lodging and yield reduction under density farming conditions. Here we compared the effects of two shade signals, low red light to far-red light ratio (R:FR) and low blue light (LBL), on soybean status and revealed that LBL predominantly induces excessive stem elongation
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DHD4, A CONSTANS-like Family Transcription Factor, Delays Heading Date through Affecting the Formation of FAC Complex in Rice Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-24 Maohong Cai; Shanshan Zhu; Mingming Wu; Xiaoming Zheng; Jiachang Wang; Liang Zhou; Tianhui Zheng; Song Cui; Shirong Zhou; Chaonan Li; Huan Zhang; Juntao Chai; Xinyue Zhang; Xin Jin; Zhijun Cheng; Xin Zhang; Cailin Lei; Yulong Ren; Jianmin Wan
Heading date (or flowering time) is one of the most important agronomic traits in rice, which influences the regional adaptability and crop yield. Many major-effect genes have been identified on rice heading date, which influence heading date to a large extent, and they are hard to utilize in rice molecular breeding. While minor-effect genes on heading date which are more desirable for fine-tuning
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MPK14-mediated auxin signaling controls lateral root development via ERF13 regulated very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) biosynthesis Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-19 Bingsheng Lv; Kaijing Wei; Kongqin Hu; Te Tian; Feng Zhang; Zipeng Yu; Dajian Zhang; Yinghua Su; Yalin Sang; Xiansheng Zhang; Zhaojun Ding
Auxin plays a critical role in lateral root (LR) formation. The signaling module composed of auxin responsive factors (ARFs)-lateral organ boundaries-domain transcription factors (LBDs) mediates auxin signaling to control almost every stage of LR development. Here, we show that auxin-induced degradation of the APETALA2/Ethylene Responsive Factor (AP2/ERF) transcription factor ERF13, dependent on MITOGEN-ACTIVATED
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Arabidopsis Immune-Associated Nucleotide-binding genes inhibit heat tolerance at reproductive stages via inhibiting unfolded protein response and promoting cell death Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-19 Shan Lu; Tianquan Zhu; Zhixue Wang; Lilin Luo; Shuai Wang; Minghui Lu; Yongmei Cui; Baohong Zou; Jian Hua
Plants are vulnerable to heat stress especially during reproductive development. HSR (Heat shock response) in cytosol and nucleus as well as UPR (Unfolded protein response) in ER (Endoplasmic reticulum) are two mechanisms that enable plants to survive heat stress. Excessive heat or ER stresses lead to cell death when UPR cannot repair stress damages, but how the outcome of being survival being death
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Targeted Mutagenesis of POLYAMINE OXIDASE 5 that Negatively Regulates Mesocotyl Elongation Enables the Generation of Direct-seeding Rice with Improved Grain Yield Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-18 Yusong Lv; Gaoneng Shao; Guiai Jiao; Zhonghua Sheng; Lihong Xie; Shikai Hu; Shaoqing Tang; Xiangjin Wei; Peisong Hu
Under conditions of labor or resource scarcity, direct seeding, rather than transplantation, is a preferred mode of rice (Oryza sativa. L) cultivation. This approach requires varieties that exhibit uniform seedling emergence. Mesocotyl elongation (ME), the main driver of rice seedling rapid emergence from soil, is enhanced by darkness and inhibited by light. Plant polyamine oxidases (PAOs) oxidate
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Hybrid speciation via inheritance of alternate alleles of parental isolating genes Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-18 Zefu Wang; Yuanzhong Jiang; Hao Bi; Zhiqiang Lu; Yazhen Ma; Xiaoyue Yang; Ningning Chen; Bin Tian; Bingbing Liu; Xingxing Mao; Tao Ma; Stephen P. DiFazio; Quanjun Hu; Richard J. Abbott; Jianquan Liu
It is increasingly realized that homoploid hybrid speciation (HHS), involving no change in chromosome number, is an important mechanism of speciation likely to increase in frequency as ecological and geographical barriers between species continue to be disrupted by human activities into the future. HHS requires the establishment of reproductive isolation between a hybrid and its parents. However, the
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Two VOZ Transcription Factors Link An E3 Ligase and An NLR Immune Receptor to Modulate Immunity in Rice Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-10 Jiyang Wang; Ruyi Wang; Hong Fang; Chongyang Zhang; Fan Zhang; Zeyun Hao; Xiaoman You; Xuetao Shi; Chan Ho Park; Kangyu Hua; Feng He; Maria Bellizzi; Kieu Thi Xuan Vo; Jong-Seong Jeon; Yuese Ning; Guo-Liang Wang
Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins play critical roles in plant immunity. However, how NLRs are regulated and activate defense signaling is not fully understood. The rice (Oryza sativa) NLR receptor Piz-t confers broad-spectrum resistance to the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae and the RING-type E3 ligase AVRPIZ-T INTERACTING PROTEIN 10 (APIP10) negatively regulates Piz-t accumulation
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Gene capture by transposable elements leads to epigenetic conflict in maize Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-11-07 Aline Muyle; Danelle Seymour; Nikos Darzentas; Elias Primetis; Brandon S. Gaut; Alexandros Bousios
Transposable elements (TEs) regularly capture fragments of genes. When the host silences these TEs, siRNAs homologous to the captured regions may also target the genes. This epigenetic cross-talk establishes an intragenomic conflict: silencing the TEs has the cost of silencing the genes. If genes are important, however, natural selection may maintain function by moderating the silencing response, which
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Tanned or Sunburned: How Excessive Light Triggers Plant Cell Death Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-28 Stefano D'Alessandro; Inès Beaugelin; Michel Havaux
Plants often encounter light intensities exceeding the capacity of photosynthesis (excessive light) mainly due to biotic and abiotic factors, which lower CO2 fixation and reduce light energy sinks. Under excessive light, the photosynthetic electron transport chain generates damaging molecules, hence leading to photooxidative stress and eventually to cell death. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms
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ESCRT-I Component VPS23A Is Targeted by E3 Ubiquitin Ligase XBAT35 for Proteasome-Mediated Degradation in Modulating ABA Signaling. Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-09 Feifei Yu,Xiaoqiang Cao,Guangchao Liu,Qian Wang,Ran Xia,Xiangyun Zhang,Qi Xie
A myriad of abiotic stress responses in plants are controlled by abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. ABA receptors can be degraded by both the 26S proteasome pathway and vacuolar degradation pathway after processing via the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) proteins. Despite being essential for ABA signaling, the upstream regulators of ESCRTs remain unknown. Here, we report that the
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Hybrid Rubisco with Complete Replacement of Rice Rubisco Small Subunits by Sorghum Counterparts Confers C4-Plant-like High Catalytic Activity. Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-08-31 Hiroyoshi Matsumura,Keita Shiomi,Akito Yamamoto,Yuri Taketani,Noriyuki Kobayashi,Takuya Yoshizawa,Shun-Ichi Tanaka,Hiroki Yoshikawa,Masaki Endo,Hiroshi Fukayama
Photosynthetic rate at the present atmospheric condition is limited by the CO2-fixing enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) because of its extremely low catalytic rate (kcat) and poor affinity for CO2 (Kc) and specificity for CO2 (Sc/o). Rubisco in C4 plants generally shows higher kcat than that in C3 plants. Rubisco consists of eight large subunits and eight small subunits
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Stigma Receptivity is controlled by Functionally Redundant MAPK Pathway Components in Arabidopsis. Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-02 Muhammad Jamshed,Subramanian Sankaranarayanan,Kumar Abhinandan,Marcus A Samuel
In angiosperms, the process of pollination relies on species-specific interaction and signaling between the male (pollen) and female (pistil) counterparts where the interplay between several pollen and stigma proteins decides the fate of the pollen. In Brassicaceae, the dry stigmatic papillary cells control pollen germination by releasing resources only to compatible pollen thereby allowing pollen
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RGF1-RGI1, a peptide-receptor complex, regulates Arabidopsis root meristem development via a MAPK signaling cascade. Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Xiaoting Lu,Hongyong Shi,Yang Ou,Yanwei Cui,Jinke Chang,Liang Peng,Xiaoping Gou,Kai He,Jia Li
Root growth is maintained by the continuous division of cells in the apical meristem. ROOT MERISTEM GROWTH FACTOR 1 (RGF1) is a critical peptide hormone regulating root stem cell niche maintenance. Previous studies discovered that five closely related leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinases (LRR-RLKs), named RGF1 INSENSITIVES (RGIs) or RGF1 RECEPTORS (RGFRs), are able to perceive the RGF1
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The YDA-MKK4/MKK5-MPK3/MPK6 cascade functions downstream of the RGF1-RGI ligand-receptor pair in regulating mitotic activity in the root apical meristem. Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Yiming Shao,Xinxing Yu,Xuwen Xu,Yong Li,Wenxin Yuan,Yan Xu,Chuanzao Mao,Shuqun Zhang,Juan Xu
The mitotic activity of root apical meristem (RAM) is critical to primary root growth and development. Previous studies have identified the roles of ROOT GROWTH FACTOR 1 (RGF1), a peptide ligand, and its receptors, RGF1 INSENSITIVEs (RGIs), a clade of five leucine-rich-repeat receptor-like kinases, in promoting cell division in the RAM, which determines the primary root length. However, the downstream
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Normal Structure and Function of Endothecium Chloroplasts Maintained by ZmMs33-mediated Lipid Biosynthesis in Tapetal Cells Are Critical for Anther Development in Maize. Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-19 Taotao Zhu,Ziwen Li,Xueli An,Yan Long,Xiaofeng Xue,Ke Xie,Biao Ma,Danfeng Zhang,Yijian Guan,Canfang Niu,Zhenying Dong,Quancan Hou,Lina Zhao,Suowei Wu,Jinping Li,Weiwei Jin,Xiangyuan Wan
Genic male sterility (GMS) is critical for heterosis utilization and hybrid seed production. Although GMS mutants and genes have been studied extensively in plants, it has remained unclear whether chloroplast-associated photosynthetic and metabolic activities are involved in the regulation of anther development. In this study, we characterized the function of ZmMs33/ZmGPAT6, which encodes a member
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Heat makes cellular hotspots in plants Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-10-16 Jin Hoon Won; Pil Joon Seo
Temperature-sensitive phase separation is reversibly and rapidly controlled by the prion domain (PrD)-containing EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3) protein. Disordered protein-driven liquid-liquid phase separation underlies a ratio-metric thermosensing in plants.
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Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 3 Fine-tunes the Assembly/Disassembly of Pre-Ribosome to Repress Nucleolar Stress by Interacting with RPS2B in Arabidopsis Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-10-15 Runlai Hang; Zhen Wang; Chao Yang; Lilan Luo; Beixin Mo; Xuemei Chen; Jing Sun; Chunyan Liu; Xiaofeng Cao
Ribosome biogenesis, taking place mainly in the nucleolus, involves coordinated expression of pre-ribosomal RNAs (pre-rRNAs) and ribosomal proteins, pre-rRNA processing, and subunit assembly with the aid of numerous assembly factors. Our previous study showed that the Arabidopsis thaliana protein arginine methyltransferase AtPRMT3 regulates pre-rRNA processing; however, the molecular mechanism remains
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Plant Immune Mechanisms: from Reductionistic to Holistic Points of View. Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Jie Zhang,Gitta Coaker,Jian-Min Zhou,Xinnian Dong
After three decades of the amazing progress made on molecular studies of plant–microbe interactions (MPMI), we have begun to ask ourselves “what are the major questions still remaining?” as if the puzzle has only a few pieces missing. Such an exercise has ultimately led to the realization that we still have many more questions than answers. Therefore, it would be an impossible task for us to project
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Bacterial vector-borne plant diseases: unanswered questions and future directions. Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-08-21 Weijie Huang,Paola Reyes-Caldas,Marina Mann,Shirin Seifbarghi,Alexandra Kahn,Rodrigo P P Almeida,Laure Beven,Michelle Heck,Saskia Hogenhout,Gitta Coaker
Vector-borne plant diseases have significant ecological and economic impacts, affecting farm profitability and forest composition throughout the world. Bacterial vector-borne pathogens have evolved sophisticated strategies to interact with their hemipteran insect vectors and plant hosts. These pathogens reside in plant vascular tissue, and their study represents an excellent opportunity to uncover
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The Soil-Borne Identity and Microbiome-Assisted Agriculture: Looking Back to the Future Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-29 Peter A.H.M. Bakker; Roeland L. Berendsen; Johan A. Van Pelt; Gilles Vismans; Ke Yu; Erqin Li; Sietske Van Bentum; Sanne W.M. Poppeliers; Juan J. Sanchez Gil; Hao Zhang; Pim Goossens; Ioannis A. Stringlis; Yang Song; Ronnie de Jonge; Corné M.J. Pieterse
Looking forward includes looking back every now and then. In 2007, David Weller looked back at 30 years of biocontrol of soil-borne pathogens by Pseudomonas and signified that the progress made over decades of research has provided a firm foundation to formulate current and future research questions. It has been recognized for more than a century that soil-borne microbes play a significant role in
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Molecular Basis of Disease Resistance and Perspectives on Breeding Strategies for Resistance Improvement in Crops Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-29 Yiwen Deng; Yuese Ning; Dong-Lei Yang; Keran Zhai; Guo-Liang Wang; Zuhua He
Crop diseases are major factors responsible for substantial yield losses worldwide, which affects global food security. The use of resistance (R) genes is an effective and sustainable approach to controlling crop diseases. Here, we review recent advances on R gene studies in the major crops and related wild species. Current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying R gene activation and
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A 2-kb Mycovirus Converts a Pathogenic Fungus into a Beneficial Endophyte for Brassica Protection and Yield Enhancement Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-29 Hongxiang Zhang; Jiatao Xie; Yanping Fu; Jiasen Cheng; Zheng Qu; Zhenzhen Zhao; Shufen Cheng; Tao Chen; Bo Li; Qianqian Wang; Xinqiang Liu; Binnian Tian; David B. Collinge; Daohong Jiang
Mycoviruses are viruses that infect fungi, and hypovirulence-associated mycoviruses have the potential to control fungal diseases. However, it is unclear how mycovirus-mediated hypovirulent strains live and survive in the field, and no mycovirus has been applied for field crop protection. In this study, we found that a previously identified small DNA mycovirus (SsHADV-1) can convert its host, Sclerotinia
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Nematode-encoded RALF Peptide Mimics Facilitate Parasitism of Plants through the FERONIA Receptor Kinase. Mol. Plant (IF 12.084) Pub Date : 2020-09-04 Xin Zhang,Huan Peng,Sirui Zhu,Junjie Xing,Xin Li,Zhaozhong Zhu,Jingyuan Zheng,Lon