生命科学最新文献

{"title":"OsMAP4K5 is an Upstream Activator of OsMKKK28 in Abscisic Acid Signalling in Rice.","authors":"Ning Ren, Huining Ju, Xiaokun Yang, Donghuan Fu, Tao Shen, Lan Ni, Mingyi Jiang","doi":"10.1111/pce.70896","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pce.70896","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>MAPK cascades (MAPKKK-MAPKK-MAPK) have been demonstrated to play a pivotal role in plant responses to various environmental stresses and in abscisic acid (ABA) signalling. The activation of MAPKKK is a prerequisite for the activation of the entire MAPK cascade. It was discovered as early as 30 years ago in yeast and mammalian cells that MAPK cascades can be activated by their upstream MAPK kinase kinase kinases (MAP4Ks). However, no evidence to date has shown that plant MAP4Ks can interact with and phosphorylate MAPKKKs. Here, we show that OsMAP4K5 directly interacts with and phosphorylates OsMKKK28 both in vitro and in vivo. We found that OsMAP4K5 directly phosphorylates the Ser135 residue of OsMKKK28, and that OsMAP4K5-mediated Ser135 phosphorylation of OsMKKK28 is essential for the activation of OsMKKK28 and its downstream kinase OsMKK1 in ABA signalling. Genetic evidence reveals that OsMAP4K5 is a positive regulator of ABA responses in rice, and its role in regulating rice ABA responses is achieved, at least partially, through OsMKKK28. In summary, our findings reveal a new mechanism for regulating the activation of MAPK cascade in plant cells, which directly links MAP4K to MAPKKK in ABA signalling, thus resolving a long-standing question in plant biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"10301-10319"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149011859","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":"Discovery and Structural Basis of Zoledronic Acid as a Potent SPS-Targeting Herbicide.","authors":"Min Li, Si-Mei Zhou, Jian-Guo Wei, Shao-Jie Zeng, Zi-Xuan Li, Jing Zhao, Buddhi Marambe, Han Xiao, Da-Wei Wang","doi":"10.1111/pce.70920","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pce.70920","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Solanesyl diphosphate synthase (SPS) is essential for plastoquinone-9 (PQ-9) biosynthesis and has emerged as a promising target for herbicide discovery. The commercial SPS herbicides bind to the dimer interface of the protein; however, substrate-competitive SPS inhibitors are still rare, particularly in agronomically relevant weed and crop orthologs. Here, we show that zoledronic acid (ZOL) inhibits Arabidopsis thaliana SPS1 with an IC₅₀ value of 2.55 μM in an Mg²⁺-dependent manner. Crystal structures of ZOL-bound SPS from the weed Aegilops tauschii (AeSPS) and the crop Sorghum bicolor (SbSPS) revealed that the bisphosphonate moiety is anchored in the catalytic pocket through an Mg²⁺-water coordination network and conserved aspartate-rich motifs, showing substrate-competitive inhibition. ZOL induced chlorosis, root-growth inhibition, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in A. thaliana. Transcriptomic analyses further showed that ZOL and aclonifen affected shared antioxidant-related processes, but with markedly different response magnitudes. ZOL showed good herbicidal activity against S. viridis, D. sanguinalis, V. persica, and C. album at 1000 g a.i./ha. Together, this work establishes ZOL as a mechanistically distinct SPS inhibitor and provides a structural basis for the development of competitive SPS-inhibiting herbicides.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"10366-10378"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149023559","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":"Constitutive Metabolomic Profiles Linked to Seasonal Climate Niche Adaptation and Resilience to Black Rot in Cabbage.","authors":"Refiloe M M Motsatsi, Kamogelo Mmotla, Ian A Dubery, Msizi I Mhlongo","doi":"10.1111/pce.70850","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pce.70850","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plants are dynamic chemical factories that produce diverse specialised metabolites essential for growth, defence, and environmental adaptation. Metabolomes, shaped by genetic architecture, enable plants to respond to abiotic and biotic pressures, including temperature fluctuations. In Brassica systems, warm and humid conditions favour black rot caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc), whereas cooler temperatures reduce disease pressure, thus influencing seasonal cultivar deployment. In this study, we investigated whether the constitutive metabolomes of two commercially cultivated South African white cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. alba) F1 hybrids reflect adaptation to contrasting seasonal niches and associated disease risk. 'Optima' exhibits intermediate resistance to Xcc, is heat-tolerant and cultivated during summer, whereas 'Superslam', which is more susceptible to Xcc, is grown under cooler late-season conditions when pathogen pressure is diminished. Their metabolomic profiles were characterised using untargeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). Untargeted metabolomics coupled with multivariate chemometric analysis revealed clear metabolic divergence between the cultivars under controlled conditions. 'Optima' accumulated higher levels of amino acids and related intermediates, including phenylalanine, isoleucine, threonine and 2-oxobutanoate, suggesting enhanced nitrogen remobilisation, branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, and photorespiratory activity associated with heat adaptation and metabolic flexibility. In contrast, 'Superslam' exhibited elevated levels of flavonoids and diverse glucosinolates, indicating reinforced phenylpropanoid metabolism and constitutive antioxidant capacity consistent with chilling adaptation. Pathway analysis highlighted significant modulation of phenylalanine metabolism, glycine-serine-threonine metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, as well as glucosinolate biosynthesis. These findings reveal distinct constitutive metabolomic architectures associated with seasonal cultivation niches and reported differences in disease resilience. However, the proposed relationships remain correlative and require validation through controlled temperature treatments and pathogen challenge experiments.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"9995-10011"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13725247/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Three Amino Acid Sequence Gates Protein Stability Control of bHLH104 and Iron Uptake in Arabidopsis thaliana.","authors":"Dibin Baby, Sarah Weldi, Marie Knopf, Vinitha Venkadasamy, Jessica Lee Erickson, Petra Bauer","doi":"10.1111/pce.70879","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pce.70879","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Iron (Fe) homeostasis is regulated to prevent iron imbalance, with the help of redundant basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) IVc transcription factors that can be controlled by Fe-binding E3 ligases such as BRUTUS (BTS) in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, knowledge gaps remain to fully explain the mechanistic basis of this redundant protein interaction module. The C-terminus of bHLH104 is known to interact with BTS, and structural predictions implicate the three terminal amino acids, proline-alanine-alanine (PAA). However, the importance of the PAA sequence for post-translational regulation of bHLH104 and for the resulting plant phenotypes has not been tested experimentally. Here we show that transgenic plants expressing a bHLH104 variant lacking PAA (b104^dPAA) constitutively upregulate Fe acquisition and Fe transport genes and accumulate Fe, whereas plants expressing wild-type bHLH104 do not. The extent of Fe accumulation in independent b104^dPAA lines correlated positively with b104^dPAA protein abundance. Unlike the wild-type form, b104^dPAA showed no indication of interaction with BTS or of ubiquitination by it. Together, these findings support a model in which the PAA sequence serves as a recognition motif for binding to BTS and for subsequent post-translational regulation of bHLH104. Hence, targeted manipulation of the bHLH IVc protein PAA sequence may represent a strategy for crop biofortification.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":"10421-10441"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13725251/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149023543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interleukin-12: Central Roles in Immune Regulation and Disease Therapy","authors":"Anthi Psoma,&nbsp;Geert van den Bogaart","doi":"10.1111/imcb.70167","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imcb.70167","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a key immunoregulatory cytokine produced primarily by antigen-presenting cells. During infection, IL-12 orchestrates innate immune responses and shapes the nature of subsequent adaptive immunity. Specifically, by promoting interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production in helper and cytolytic T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, it promotes the activation of these cells and drives the differentiation of CD4⁺ T cells into type 1 T helper (Th1) cells. IL-12 is a heterodimeric cytokine composed of the p35 and p40 subunits, whose coordinated expression is required for formation of the bioactive p70 molecule. The promiscuous use of these subunits within the IL-12 cytokine family, where p40 and p35 also pair with other partners to form IL-23, IL-27, and IL-35, creates structural and functional overlap that enables fine-tuned immune regulation. Given its potent immune functions, it is not surprising that IL-12 availability is regulated at multiple levels, including gene transcription, subunit assembly, and shared receptor signaling components. In this review, we provide an overview of IL-12, how it is produced and secreted and its mechanisms of action. We also discuss the targeting of IL-12 for the treatment of various diseases, including bacterial infections, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":179,"journal":{"name":"Immunology & Cell Biology","volume":"104 10","pages":"996-1014"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/imcb.70167","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149079131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hypercapnia Induces Mitochondrial Adaptations and Alters Glutamine Metabolism to Drive a Distinct Metabolic Phenotype in Monocytes","authors":"Ben Reddan,&nbsp;David E. Phelan,&nbsp;Xiaofei Yin,&nbsp;Lorraine Brennan,&nbsp;Martina Wallace,&nbsp;Eoin P. Cummins","doi":"10.1111/imcb.70162","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imcb.70162","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an ancient and ubiquitous physiological gas generated during aerobic respiration. Historically viewed as a simple metabolic waste product, CO₂ has received far less research attention than oxygen (O₂), the primary substrate of aerobic respiration. However, emerging evidence has revealed important roles for CO₂ in immunometabolism, immunology, muscle physiology, and clinical medicine. While circulating pCO₂ levels are tightly regulated, patients with lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently develop hypercapnia, pCO₂ &gt; 45 mmHg. Hypercapnia is associated with significantly increased mortality, higher risk of ICU admission, and a global prevalence estimated at 13–15 million patients. Its broader clinical consequences remain poorly understood and are inadequately integrated into current therapeutic paradigms. Here, we examined the impact of hypercapnia on the metabolic profile of monocytes. We demonstrate that 24 h of buffered hypercapnia induces a marked reduction in mitochondrial mass. This is accompanied by dysregulation of mitochondrial membrane potential and key bioenergetic substrates (NADH/NAD⁺ and ATP content). We further show that hypercapnia alters the abundance of metabolites and proteins associated with mitochondrial metabolism, with effects spanning glucose, glutamine, and lipid metabolism. Thus, we provide direct mechanistic evidence that hypercapnia directly alters the glutamine–glutamate–proline synthesis axis. Collectively, these findings establish the foundation for a discrete hypercapnic metabolic phenotype, that is, in several respects, distinct from the metabolic adaptations observed in hypoxia. We propose that hypercapnia triggers a cascade of metabolic adaptations with tissue-dependent consequences on cellular effector functions.</p>","PeriodicalId":179,"journal":{"name":"Immunology & Cell Biology","volume":"104 10","pages":"943-963"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/imcb.70162","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148981797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Think BIG, Stay Connected: A Regional Immunology Meeting as a Durable Model for Scientific Community Building","authors":"Danielle I. Stanisic,&nbsp;Rajiv Khanna,&nbsp;Severine Navarro,&nbsp;J. Alejandro Lopez","doi":"10.1111/imcb.70165","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imcb.70165","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Regional scientific meetings occupy a distinctive but underexamined position within the research ecosystem. Smaller and more accessible than national congresses, yet broader in scope than institutional seminar programm, they provide opportunities for repeated interactions across institutions, career stages, and research domains. The Brisbane Immunology Group (BIG) meeting is one of the longest-running and most influential regional meetings associated with the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology (ASI), providing a focal point for immunology researchers across Queensland, Australia, and beyond. This article examines the BIG meeting as a case study of a regional immunology community that has sustained scientific engagement, mentoring, and collaboration for 25 years. Drawing on historical records and thematic analysis of interviews with organizers, senior contributors, and recent attendees, we identify six characteristics that have contributed to the longevity and impact of the meeting: accessibility, cross-institutional ownership, intergenerational participation, social integration, programmatic continuity with adaptive innovation, and deliberate recognition of community contributions. We argue that BIG functions not merely as an annual scientific meeting but as a regional community of practice that supports scientific collaboration, professional identity formation, and leadership development. The BIG experience provides broader lessons regarding the role of regional meetings in strengthening scientific communities, supporting future scientific leaders and sustaining disciplinary vitality.</p>","PeriodicalId":179,"journal":{"name":"Immunology & Cell Biology","volume":"104 10","pages":"987-995"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/imcb.70165","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149079086","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"HvMAPK5-Mediated Phosphorylation of HvWRKY75 Enhances Salt Tolerance in Barley.","authors":"Huanqiang Guo, Meini Song, Lirong Yao, Erjing Si, Na Li, Jinfeng Yu, Yaxiong Meng, Chi Song, Huajun Wang, Chengdao Li, Juncheng Wang","doi":"10.1111/pce.71037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.71037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soil salinization is a significant constraint on crop productivity, necessitating the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying salt tolerance in cereals such as barley. In this study, a novel regulatory module comprising the ion transporter HvHKT1;2, the transcription factor HvWRKY75, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase HvMAPK5 was identified. HvHKT1;2 localized to the plasma membrane, and its overexpression promoted Na⁺ efflux at the root apex, reduced Na⁺ accumulation in shoots, increased the K⁺/Na⁺ratio, and enhanced salt tolerance, whereas HvHKT1;2 knockdown produced the opposite phenotype. Furthermore, HvWRKY75 directly bound to the HvHKT1;2 promoter and activated its transcription. Under salt stress, HvMAPK5 interacted with and phosphorylated HvWRKY75 at Ser21, thereby enhancing HvWRKY75 protein stability and transcriptional activity toward HvHKT1;2. Consistently, HvMAPK5 overexpression increased HvWRKY75 protein abundance, upregulated HvHKT1;2 expression, and enhanced salt tolerance, whereas HvMAPK5 knockdown accelerated HvWRKY75 degradation and compromised salt tolerance. Collectively, our findings identify a regulatory module consisting of HvMAPK5, HvWRKY75, and HvHKT1;2 that maintains cellular Na⁺/K⁺ homeostasis during salt stress, providing a mechanistic framework for breeding salt-tolerant barley varieties.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149340029","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":"Engineering Antibody Evolution: Germline-Targeting HIV Vaccines Reach a Turning Point","authors":"Rowena A. Bull,&nbsp;Deborah L. Burnett","doi":"10.1111/imcb.70169","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imcb.70169","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This commentary examines three recent <i>Nature</i> studies demonstrating a conceptual shift in HIV vaccine design, demonstrating how germline-targeting HIV vaccines can progress beyond expanding rare broad neutralizing antibody (bnAb) precursors to deliberately guiding their affinity maturation into bnAbs in non-human primates.\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":179,"journal":{"name":"Immunology & Cell Biology","volume":"104 10","pages":"1015-1018"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/imcb.70169","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149101514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of T Cells in Chronic Pain: Mechanisms, Regulation, and Therapeutic Implications","authors":"Yuanyuan Li,&nbsp;Ruihan Yang,&nbsp;Shipeng Wei,&nbsp;Jing Wang,&nbsp;Haoyu Ke,&nbsp;Wenguo Fan","doi":"10.1111/imcb.70160","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imcb.70160","url":null,"abstract":"<p>T cells are critical for controlling the adaptive immune response and maintaining the homeostasis of the body. Recent evidence suggests that T cells are involved in the initiation, maintenance, and resolution of chronic pain by releasing mediators such as cytokines and endogenous opioids. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the involvement of T cells in chronic pain. We also describe how T cells act on sensory neurons to promote, suppress, or even resolve pain. Finally, we review how T cells are regulated and how we can translate these findings to develop therapies for chronic pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":179,"journal":{"name":"Immunology & Cell Biology","volume":"104 10","pages":"932-942"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/imcb.70160","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148899945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}