{"title":"Melatonin regulates tomato cold tolerance through SlPMTRs-SlCaM6-SlICE1 signaling cascade","authors":"Ying Liu, Shirui Jing, Congyang Jia, Zhe Ma, Jiawei Li, Qiuyu He, Chonghua Li, Yang-Dong Guo, Na Zhang","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70528","DOIUrl":"10.1111/tpj.70528","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Cold stress severely impairs plants' growth and productivity by inducing oxidative damage and disrupting cellular signaling. While phytomelatonin (MT) enhances cold tolerance, the role of its specific receptors and the signaling transduction pathways remains unclear. This study has demonstrated that the phytomelatonin receptors SlPMTR1/2 are essential for phytomelatonin protection against cold injury in tomatoes when treated at 4°C for 48 h. Upon sensing 10 μM melatonin, SlPMTR1/2 mitigated oxidative damage through enhancing activities of antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase), thereby reducing levels of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde accumulation. Meanwhile, SlPMTR1/2 physically interacted with calmodulin SlCaM6, recruiting it to the plasma membrane and reducing its nuclear localization. This sequestration alleviated SlCaM6's inhibition of the transcription factor SlICE1 in the nucleus. Consequently, released SlICE1 activated the expression of <i>SlCBF1</i> and downstream <i>COR</i> genes. Furthermore, SlCBF1 directly upregulated the expression of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels 2 (<i>SlCNGC2</i>), promoting extracellular Ca<sup>2+</sup> influx upon cold shock—a response amplified by MT in a SlPMTR1/2-dependent manner. This enhanced Ca<sup>2+</sup> signaling reinforces cold tolerance. Collectively, we have unveiled a dual-pathway signaling cascade where SlPMTR1/2 orchestrated tomato cold adaptation by enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and interacting with SlCaM6 to activate the SlICE1-SlCBF1/SlCNGC2 transcriptional module to amplify Ca<sup>2+</sup>-mediated cold responses.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145297926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuqing Han, Hongyi Zhang, Yujie Zhang, Lin Dong, Haiming Li, Jiahui Tian, Kexin Lu, Tao Liu, Hongyan Qi
{"title":"CmCBF4 crosstalk with H2O2 signal involved in trehalose-promoted cold tolerance of melon seedlings","authors":"Yuqing Han, Hongyi Zhang, Yujie Zhang, Lin Dong, Haiming Li, Jiahui Tian, Kexin Lu, Tao Liu, Hongyan Qi","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70520","DOIUrl":"10.1111/tpj.70520","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Cold stress severely inhibits the normal growth of melon (<i>Cucumis melo</i> var. <i>makuwa</i> Makino) seedlings. At low temperature, the moderate increase of apoplastic hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) level and subsequent intracellular signal transduction are important to plant cold response. Our previous studies showed that trehalose (Tre) could activate H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> signal and improve cold tolerance of melon seedlings. However, the specific mechanism is not completely clear. Here, we found that Tre-promoted C-repeat binding factor 4 (CmCBF4) could combine with the promoter of <i>respiratory burst oxidase homologs D</i> (<i>CmRBOHD</i>) to enhance the production of apoplastic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>. Further studies suggested that CmCBF4 could also activate the transcription of <i>plasma membrane intrinsic protein 2;3</i> (<i>CmPIP2;3</i>), which has H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> transport capability in melon seedlings. In addition, abscisic acid-responsive element (ABRE)-binding factor 2 (CmABF2) and CmCBF4 could promote the transcription of each other to increase the expression of <i>CmPIP2;3.</i> Silencing <i>CmCBF4</i> significantly reduced Tre-promoted cold tolerance and apoplastic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production and transport. In summary, this study reveals that CmCBF4 regulates Tre-promoted cold tolerance in melon seedlings by promoting the production and transport of apoplastic H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> signal.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145290452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xin-Xian Liu, Nuo-Wen Zhang, Chao-Rong Guo, Peng-Yang Li, Ya-Xin Wang, Hao Su, Yong Zhu, Wen-Rui Ren, Chu-Tian Tan, Chen Liu, Xue-Mei Yang, He Wang, Jun Shi, Guo-Bang Li, Zhi-Xue Zhao, Ji-Wei Zhang, Jing Fan, Yan Li, Yan-Yan Huang, Wen-Ming Wang
{"title":"A rice-specific miRNA miR24584 enhances JA signaling by silencing OsJAZ13 to boost rice blast resistance","authors":"Xin-Xian Liu, Nuo-Wen Zhang, Chao-Rong Guo, Peng-Yang Li, Ya-Xin Wang, Hao Su, Yong Zhu, Wen-Rui Ren, Chu-Tian Tan, Chen Liu, Xue-Mei Yang, He Wang, Jun Shi, Guo-Bang Li, Zhi-Xue Zhao, Ji-Wei Zhang, Jing Fan, Yan Li, Yan-Yan Huang, Wen-Ming Wang","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70521","DOIUrl":"10.1111/tpj.70521","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Many conserved miRNAs are reported to function in plant immunity, while the discovery and functional characterization of additional immunity-related miRNAs remain an active area of research. In this study, we identified miR24584, a 24-nucleotide miRNA, as a critical positive regulator of rice immunity against <i>Magnaporthe oryzae</i>. The accumulation of miR24584 exhibits dynamic patterns upon pathogen challenge, with upregulation in resistant rice accessions and downregulation in susceptible accessions. The transgenic lines overexpressing miR24584 conferred resistance against diverse <i>M. oryzae</i> isolates, whereas suppression through target mimicry rendered plants susceptible. Furthermore, miR24584 targets the 3′ untranslated region of <i>OsJAZ13</i>, a transcriptional repressor of jasmonate (JA) signaling, and suppresses its expression. Transgenic overexpression of <i>OsJAZ13</i> caused seedling lethality, whereas CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout lines displayed blast resistance accompanied by elevated JA accumulation and upregulated expression of JA-responsive marker genes. Intriguingly, following <i>M. oryzae</i> inoculation and chitin treatment, <i>osjaz13</i> mutant lines displayed significantly increased callose deposition similarly to the transgenic lines overexpressing miR24584. Altogether, our results establish the miR24584-<i>OsJAZ13</i> regulatory module that activates JA signaling to enhance physical barrier formation to optimize blast resistance. This work expands the known repertoire of immunity-associated miRNAs.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145290506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TreesPub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1007/s00468-025-02690-2
Anas Hamdani, Said Bouda, Atman Adiba, Abdellatif Boutagayout, Mohamed Kouighat, Rachid Razouk
{"title":"Impact of temperature variability on carbon and nitrogen storage in plum branches","authors":"Anas Hamdani, Said Bouda, Atman Adiba, Abdellatif Boutagayout, Mohamed Kouighat, Rachid Razouk","doi":"10.1007/s00468-025-02690-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-025-02690-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The aim of this study was to investigate the variation of reserves in dormant and bud break branches of local and introduced plum genotypes in Morocco. An ex situ collection of twenty-eight Japanese and European plum cultivars, installed at the INRA experimental field in Taoujdate, Morocco, was examined during the period of 2019–2020 and 2021 to assess their total soluble solids (TSS), soluble sugar (SSC), and amino acid (AAC) content in branches during the two phases of dormancy and bud break. The results showed significant differences between cultivars and years for each characteristic analyzed. During the transition from the two phenological phases monitored, TSS and SSC in the shoots decreased significantly, while AAC increased. The correlation coefficients showed significant differences for each of the traits studied. The correlations highlighted the particular involvement of sugars in the lifting of dormancy and amino acids in bud break and flowering, emphasizing that the correlation between SSC and AAC is negative. This research is of great importance for the expansion of the plum growing area, taking climatic conditions into account, and for contributing to our understanding of the biochemical mechanisms involved in dormancy breaking and flowering.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"39 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145315912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shenghua Xiao, Mingkun Chen, Lifang Zeng, Kai Chen, Mingjing Liao, Yuqing Ming, Keyi Luo, Shiming Liu, Xiyan Yang, Baoqi Li
{"title":"GhWRKY41 Confers Salt Tolerance by Enhancing Photosynthetic Capacity in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum).","authors":"Shenghua Xiao, Mingkun Chen, Lifang Zeng, Kai Chen, Mingjing Liao, Yuqing Ming, Keyi Luo, Shiming Liu, Xiyan Yang, Baoqi Li","doi":"10.1111/pce.70224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70224","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cotton is a vital textile resource; however, its productivity and fibre quality are severely affected by soil salinity. Identifying salt-tolerant genes is critical for improving cotton resilience, yet the molecular mechanisms linking photosynthesis and chlorophyll metabolism to the salt stress response remain poorly understood. In this study, the WRKY transcription factor GhWRKY41 was identified as a key regulator of salt tolerance by screening WRKY family members responsive to salinity stress. Functional validation demonstrated that GhWRKY41 overexpression significantly enhanced salt tolerance in cotton and Arabidopsis, whereas gene knockdown increased the sensitivity of cotton to salt stress. GhWRKY41 directly binds to and activates the expression of two salt-responsive genes, GhMPK3 and GhLEA3. Global transcriptomic analyses revealed that GhWRKY41 and its Arabidopsis homologues regulate a set of genes involved in photosynthesis and salt stress responses. Notably, GhWRKY41 knockdown downregulated genes encoding photosystem reaction centre proteins, impairing photosynthetic capacity under salt stress. These findings indicate that GhWRKY41 enhances salt tolerance primarily by maintaining elevated photosynthetic activity in cotton under saline conditions. This study provides novel insights into the complex regulatory network underlying the response of cotton to salt stress and presents a valuable genetic resource for breeding salt-tolerant cotton varieties.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145278610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Muhammad Atiq Ashraf, Muhammad Ateeq, Kaijie Zhu, Muhammad Asim, Samim Mohibullah, Talha Riaz, Xue Huang, Huiqiao Pan, Guohuai Li, Sergey Shabala, Junwei Liu
{"title":"Phytohormone Networks Orchestrating Lateral Organ Adaptations to Hypoxia and Reoxygenation in Fruit Crops.","authors":"Muhammad Atiq Ashraf, Muhammad Ateeq, Kaijie Zhu, Muhammad Asim, Samim Mohibullah, Talha Riaz, Xue Huang, Huiqiao Pan, Guohuai Li, Sergey Shabala, Junwei Liu","doi":"10.1111/pce.70242","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70242","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The increasing severity and frequency of climate extremes threaten global fruit production. Among these, waterlogging-induced hypoxia and subsequent reoxygenation represent devastating yet understudied challenges. Major rainfall events disrupt rhizosphere oxygen dynamics, triggering metabolic dysfunction and growth impairment in economically vital fruit crops. This review elucidates cutting-edge knowledge on how phytohormonal networks-centred on auxin, ethylene, gibberellin, abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid-mastermind the plasticity of lateral organs by modulating adaptive responses such as adventitious root initiation, aerenchyma development, shoot elongation, and metabolic reprogramming during hypoxia and reoxygenation cycles. While extensive research in model plants has unveiled intricate hormonal interplay by optimising root architecture and shoot growth in stress adaptation strategies, corresponding regulatory networks in fruit crops remain poorly understood. Although progress has been made in deciphering hypoxia responses, shedding light on species-specific hormonal reprogramming and molecular insights into hormonal crosstalk, the reoxygenation phase is often overlooked. We also emphasise recent advances in understanding the interplay between hormonal biosynthesis, signalling, and cross-regulatory mechanisms that determine plant survival and recovery under fluctuating oxygen conditions. By integrating genetic, metabolic, and hormonal research, this review aims to uncover strategies for enhancing fruit crop resilience to oxygen fluctuations, offering solutions to climate-driven challenges in horticulture.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145285157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ethylene enhances cold resistance through GhDREB1/CBF in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)","authors":"Yaxin Dong, Huijuan Ma, Yanhui Shen, Pengzhen Li, Changwei Ge, Qian Shen, Jinglin Li, Ruihua Liu, Siping Zhang, Shaodong Liu, Chaoyou Pang","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70517","DOIUrl":"10.1111/tpj.70517","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Although the role of ethylene in plant growth and development has been widely studied, its regulatory effect on cold tolerance varies among crops, and the mechanisms underlying this variability remain unclear. We used weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to analyse cotton transcriptome changes under low-temperature stress. Differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in those related to ethylene signalling pathways, suggesting their potential role in cold stress responses. The positive effect of ethylene on cold tolerance in cotton was demonstrated by the effects of exogenously applied ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid and ethylene synthesis inhibitor α-aminoisobutyric acid. Using CRISPR/Cas9, virus-induced gene silencing, as well as overexpression in tobacco, we obtained evidence indicating that the ethylene synthesis gene <i>GhACO1</i> enhanced plant cold tolerance. Transcriptome analysis showed that the C-repeat/DRE binding factor (GhDREB1/CBF) was highly expressed in cotton and significantly upregulated by low-temperature stress. The CUT&Tag approach suggested that GhDREB1 binds to the <i>GhACO1</i> promoter. The direct regulation of <i>GhACO1</i> by GhDREB1 was further confirmed through luciferase reporter gene and yeast one-hybrid detection. These results suggest that <i>GhACO1</i> enhances cold tolerance of cotton via the CBF-dependent pathway. Transgenic cotton plants overexpressing GhDREB1 exhibited elevated GhACO1 expression and improved cold resistance, further supporting the regulatory role of GhDREB1. Our results revealed that <i>GhACO1</i>-mediated ethylene synthesis is modulated by GhDREB1, which positively regulates cold tolerance in cotton. These findings provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying cold tolerance in cotton and lay the foundation for improving crop resilience to low-temperature stress.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"124 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145278574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Junyi Tan, Zhejuan Tian, Feifan Chen, Kang Gao, Jinghao Jin, Anthony P Keinath, Ronald D Dymerski, Zhiming Wu, Yiqun Weng
{"title":"Photosystem Perturbation by Staygreen Mutations Confers Allele-Dependent Defences Against Infections of Pathogens With Different Lifestyles and Abiotic Stress Tolerance.","authors":"Junyi Tan, Zhejuan Tian, Feifan Chen, Kang Gao, Jinghao Jin, Anthony P Keinath, Ronald D Dymerski, Zhiming Wu, Yiqun Weng","doi":"10.1111/pce.70229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70229","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The staygreen (SGR) gene encodes the magnesium dechelatase that plays an important regulatory role during chlorophyll degradation. Our previous work revealed a nonsynonymous SNP (A323G) inside cucumber CsSGR that is responsible for multiple disease resistance (MDR), but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Here we report the development, phenotypic, genetic, or transcriptomic characterisation of near-isogenic lines for the A323G locus and knock-out mutants of CsSGR (SGRΔ37 with 37-bp deletion) in response to biotic/abiotic stresses. Both SNP and SGRΔ37 mutants show enhanced MDR against infection of five pathogens with different lifestyles, as well as low-temperature tolerance than the wildtype, and SGRΔ37 is a stronger allele with higher resistance/tolerance than the A323G allele. Physical interactions of CsSGR with itself and other chlorophyll catabolic enzymes (CCEs), light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding1 proteins (LHCB1s), and the chlorophyll homoeostasis regulator CsBCM are significantly reduced or abolished in A323G and SGRΔ37 mutants, respectively. Comparative transcriptome analyses revealed a complex regulatory network in which both passive and active defences contribute to Cssgr-conferred MDR. The loss-of-susceptibility CsSGR mutations downregulate expression of chlorophyll catabolic genes, slow down chlorophyll degradation, and delay pathogenesis-induced senescence, thus providing passive defence. The active defence involves SA and/or JA biosynthesis/signalling pathways, which are likely triggered by ROS-mediated retrograde signalling due to perturbation of the photosynthetic electron transport chain. We propose that CsSGR is a target of choice for gene editing to develop mutant alleles for enhanced MDR. Further, mutations of genes involving chlorophyll metabolism, photosystems, or chloroplast development could be a potential source of MDR for plant breeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145285203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}