{"title":"Engineering nitrogen and carbon fixation for next-generation plants","authors":"Zehong Zhao , Alisdair R. Fernie , Youjun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102699","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102699","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improving plant nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) acquisition and assimilation is a major challenge for global agriculture, food security, and ecological sustainability. Emerging synthetic biology techniques, including directed evolution, artificial intelligence (AI)-guided enzyme design, and metabolic engineering, have opened new avenues for optimizing nitrogenase to fix atmospheric N<sub>2</sub> in plants, engineering <em>Rhizobia</em> or other nitrogen-fixing bacteria for symbiotic associations with both legume and nonlegume crops, and enhancing carbon fixation to improve photosynthetic efficiency and source-to-sink assimilate fluxes. Here, we discuss the potential for engineering nitrogen fixation and carbon fixation mechanisms in plants, from rational and AI-driven optimization of nitrogen and carbon fixation cycles. Furthermore, we discuss strategies for modifying source-to-sink relationships to promote robust growth in extreme conditions, such as arid deserts, saline-alkaline soils, or even extraterrestrial environments like Mars. The combined engineering of N and C pathways promises a new generation of crops with enhanced productivity, resource-use efficiency, and resilience. Finally, we explore future perspectives, focusing on the integration of enzyme engineering via directed evolution and computational design to accelerate metabolic innovation in plants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11003,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in plant biology","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 102699"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143578730","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yaoyao Li , Wenjie Huang , Huijun Gao , Ganjun Yi , Shijuan Yan
{"title":"Regulation of starch metabolism in banana fruit: Mechanisms shaping the nutritional quality","authors":"Yaoyao Li , Wenjie Huang , Huijun Gao , Ganjun Yi , Shijuan Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102698","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102698","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bananas are nutrient-rich fruits that provide starch, essential vitamins, and minerals and play significant importance in the global economy through extensive production, trade, and consumption. Nutrient metabolic processes, such as starch-to-sugar conversion, are fundamental in shaping the quality of banana fruits. Starch accounts for 15%–35% of fresh fruit weight, and its degradation mediated by ethylene signaling components can increase sweetness, soften texture, and increase the palatability of banana fruit. This review summarizes recent advances in the regulatory mechanism underlying starch metabolism in banana fruits, highlights key research questions for future investigation, and proposes promising strategies to manipulate starch levels to develop new banana varieties with enhanced nutritional quality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11003,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in plant biology","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 102698"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143479077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Punita Lalchand , Didier-Deschamps Ashley , Xue Pan
{"title":"Biomolecular condensates at the plasma membrane: Insights into plant cell signaling","authors":"Punita Lalchand , Didier-Deschamps Ashley , Xue Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102697","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102697","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biomolecular condensates, often formed through liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), are increasingly recognized as a critical mechanism for cellular compartmentalization across diverse biological systems. Although traditionally considered membrane-less entities, recent discoveries highlight their dynamic interactions with membranes, where they regulate various processes, including signal transduction. Signaling lipids are observed in condensates. Despite these advancements, our understanding of such condensates in plant biology remains limited. This review highlights recent studies involving membrane-associated condensates in plants, focusing particularly on their interactions with the plasma membrane (PM) and their potential roles in PM-based signaling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11003,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in plant biology","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 102697"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143479078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Light, CO2, and carbon storage in microalgae","authors":"Yasuyo Yamaoka , Dimitris Petroutsos , Sujeong Je , Takashi Yamano , Yonghua Li-Beisson","doi":"10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102696","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102696","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microalgae exhibit remarkable adaptability to environmental changes by integrating light and CO<sub>2</sub> signals into regulatory networks that govern energy conversion, carbon fixation, and storage. Light serves not only as an energy source for photosynthesis but also as a regulatory signal mediated by photoreceptors. Specific light spectra distinctly influence carbon allocation, driving lipid or starch biosynthesis by altering transcriptional and metabolic pathways. The ratio of ATP to NADPH imbalances significantly impact carbon allocation toward lipid or starch production. To maintain this balance, alternative electron flow pathways play critical roles, while inter-organelle redox exchanges regulate cellular energy states to support efficient carbon storage. The CO<sub>2</sub>-concentrating mechanism (CCM) enhances photosynthetic efficiency by concentrating CO<sub>2</sub> at Rubisco, energized by ATP from photosynthetic electron transport. This review examines how light receptors, energy-producing pathways, and the CCM interact to regulate carbon metabolism in microalgae, emphasizing their collective roles in balancing energy supply and carbon storage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11003,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in plant biology","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 102696"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143454700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Steroidal compounds in Paris polyphylla:structure, biological activities, and biosynthesis","authors":"Xin Hua , Chengxi Kou , Fengge Wang , Jianfeng Zhang , Jifeng Yuan , Zheyong Xue","doi":"10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102695","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102695","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Steroidal compounds are chemical constituents found in the traditional medicinal plant <em>Paris polyphylla</em>, known for their significant pharmacological activities. Due to their complex structures, the biosynthetic pathways of these compounds have garnered considerable attention. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in elucidating the biosynthetic pathways of steroidal compounds from <em>P. polyphylla</em>, with several complete biosynthetic routes being fully characterized. The de novo synthesis of diosgenin has been successfully achieved in both <em>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</em> and <em>Nicotiana benthamiana</em> using various metabolic engineering techniques. Herein, we summarize the latest research progress regarding the structural classification, biological activities, and biosynthesis studies of steroidal compounds from <em>P. polyphylla</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11003,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in plant biology","volume":"84 ","pages":"Article 102695"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143446090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chromatin dynamics and epigenetic regulation in plant development and environmental responses","authors":"Mark Zander, Javier Gallego-Bartolomé","doi":"10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102674","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102674","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11003,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in plant biology","volume":"83 ","pages":"Article 102674"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142871630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial overview: Spatial and temporal regulation of molecular and cell biological process across biological scales","authors":"Arun Sampathkumar, Masayoshi Nakamura","doi":"10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102675","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102675","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11003,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in plant biology","volume":"83 ","pages":"Article 102675"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142863534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Detecting novel plant pathogen threats to food system security by integrating the Plant Reactome and remote sensing","authors":"Seth C. Murray , Aart Verhoef , Alper Adak , Dipankar Sen , Riva Salzman , Pankaj Jaiswal , Sushma Naithani","doi":"10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant diseases constantly threaten crops and food systems, while global connectivity further increases the risks of spreading existing and exotic pathogens. Here, we first explore how an integrative approach involving plant pathway knowledgegraphs, differential gene expression data, and biochemical data informing Raman spectroscopy could be used to detect plant pathways responding to pathogen attacks. The Plant Reactome (<span><span>https://plantreactome.gramene.org</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>) demonstrates the potential to synthesize knowledgegraphs depicting plant-pathogen interactions, leveraging availability of publicly available OMIC data sets related to major diseases of rice and maize. Plant pathway signatures may then guide the development of drone and satellite remote-sensing methods for early monitoring of disease outbreaks across farms and landscapes. A review of current proximal- and remote-sensing technology demonstrates the potential for actionable early pathogen detection. We furthermore identify knowledge gaps that need to be addressed for developing these tools as components of effective strategies for safeguarding global food security against current and emerging pathogens.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11003,"journal":{"name":"Current opinion in plant biology","volume":"83 ","pages":"Article 102684"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142926900","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}