Frontiers in Plant Science最新文献

{"title":"Genome-wide association studies and candidate gene identification under salinity stress in bread wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.).","authors":"B Jagadhesan, Harish Chandra Singh, Sujata Thakur, Juhee Kumari, Sundeep Kumar, Shailendra Kumar Jha, Jyoti Kumari, Arvind Kumar, Rakesh Singh, Lekshmy Sathee, Gyanendra Pratap Singh, Amit Kumar Singh","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2026.1817999","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1817999","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Salinity is a major abiotic stress in wheat production across the globe, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. In this study, 313 genetically diverse wheat genotypes were assessed for vegetative-stage salinity tolerance in a hydroponic condition and genotyped using 35K Axiom SNP array. Genotyping of the 313 wheat genotypes produced 24,968 polymorphic SNPs. To dissect salt tolerance, marker-trait association analysis was carried out using the salt tolerance indices of three traits, such as leaf chlorophyll content, green leaf area, and dry biomass. In total, 24 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) showing significant associations with these three traits were identified, including seven linked to leaf chlorophyll content, twelve with green leaf area, and five to dry biomass traits. Four QTNs (Q.CCI-E3-1A, Q.CCI-E3-5D, Q.DB-E3-1B, and Q.GLA-E3-5A.2) showed significant phenotypic effects and represented GWAS-significant loci under both control and salt-stress conditions. Gene ontology analysis of the genomic regions linked to these QTNs revealed 67 putative candidate genes associated with ion transport, stress signaling, and photosynthetic processes. The identified SNPs, QTNs, and candidate genes provide valuable genomic resources for marker-assisted breeding of salt-tolerant wheat cultivars, contributing to sustainable wheat production under saline environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"17 ","pages":"1817999"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13148073/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147837022","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":"<i>Blumea balsamifera BbHDA6</i> regulates abiotic stress responses and flavonoid biosynthesis in transgenic plants.","authors":"Qiumei Luo, Sihong Sang, Yuchen Liu, Kailang Mu, Shan Sha, Fei Ran, Changmao Guo, Shi Yao, Tianjian Wang, Zhengwei Zhang, Yuan Yuan, Yuxin Pang","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2026.1811058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1811058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Flavonoids in the leaves of <i>Blumea balsamifera</i> (L.) DC. have prominent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, conferring high medicinal value to the plant. However, the key genes governing flavonoid biosynthesis and environmental adaptability in this species remain uncharacterized. This study aimed to clarify the functions of <i>BbHDA6</i> (a histone deacetylase gene) in <i>B. balsamifera</i> flavonoid biosynthesis and abiotic stress responses.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We cloned the full-length <i>BbHDA6</i> gene (1350 bp) and systematically analyzed its molecular characteristics and expression patterns. Heterologous functional validation was subsequently conducted in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> and <i>Nicotiana benthamiana</i>. Transgenic <i>Arabidopsis</i> plants overexpressing <i>BbHDA6</i> were subjected to ABA, osmotic, and salt stress treatments, and the gene's role in abiotic stress responses was characterized by combining phenotypic analysis with transcriptome sequencing. Meanwhile, the function of <i>BbHDA6</i> in flavonoid biosynthesis was investigated in transgenic plants.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Results showed that <i>BbHDA6</i> localizes to the nucleus, is predominantly expressed in the upper leaves of <i>B. balsamifera</i>, and responds to abiotic stress. Overexpression of <i>BbHDA6</i> in transgenic <i>Arabidopsis</i> enhanced plant tolerance to low ABA concentrations but increased sensitivity to high ABA concentrations. In addition, <i>BbHDA6</i> regulated salt stress responses in a developmental stage-dependent manner and positively improved osmotic stress tolerance. Transcriptome analysis of <i>BbHDA6</i>-transgenic <i>Arabidopsis</i> revealed that <i>BbHDA6</i> modulates key abiotic stress-responsive genes and acts as a negative regulator of flavonoid biosynthetic genes. Furthermore, overexpression of <i>BbHDA6</i> in <i>N. benthamiana</i> reduced the total leaf flavonoid content by 29.72%-37.18%.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Collectively, this study is the first to identify <i>BbHDA6</i> as an epigenetic factor regulating abiotic stress resistance and flavonoid biosynthesis in <i>B. balsamifera</i>, providing a key molecular target for the genetic improvement of plant flavonoid content and stress-resistant traits.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"17 ","pages":"1811058"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143846/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147837096","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":"Carbohydrate dynamics in plant-fungal-nematode networks: implications for stress resilience.","authors":"Chris A Bell, Aishat A Anifowose, Krzysztof Wieczorek","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2026.1825021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1825021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant-parasitic nematodes are among the most destructive agricultural pests, driving substantial yield losses across diverse cropping systems through their exploitation of plant resources. Conversely, root-associated obligate mutualistic fungi, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and endophytic taxa such as <i>Serendipita</i> spp., can reshape plant responses to nematode attack by increasing nutrient uptake, modulating stress responses, and influencing immune signalling. These fungi form intimate symbioses with plant roots, exchanging mineral nutrients for host-derived carbohydrates, placing carbon allocation at the centre of plant-fungal-nematode interactions. This review synthesises current understanding of the tripartite interactions between plants, mutualistic fungi, and plant-parasitic nematodes, with a particular focus on carbohydrate allocation as a shared and contested resource. We discuss how nematodes redirect host carbon flows to establish and maintain feeding sites, and how fungal mutualists alter carbohydrate partitioning, plant defence and stress physiology. Importantly, we highlight that fungal symbioses do not uniformly enhance resistance; in some cases, they may increase host susceptibility to nematodes by altering carbohydrate availability or defence prioritisation. By integrating findings across plant-fungal-nematode systems, this review identifies mechanisms that underpin resistance- versus susceptibility-enhancing outcomes and outlines key knowledge gaps. Together, these insights provide a framework to inform the strategic use of beneficial fungi to strengthen crop resilience against nematode stress.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"17 ","pages":"1825021"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13144106/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147837129","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":"Response of <i>Morus alba</i> L. to cadmium stress with potential for restoration: physiological and microbiological perspectives.","authors":"Xiang Li, Dingping Zhao, Jiaheng Zhao, Chuang Li, Wen Deng, Shun Gao, Gang Chen, Hongling Hu","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2026.1795556","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1795556","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cadmium (Cd) contamination threatens plant productivity and the stability of soil ecosystems. However, the mechanisms by which woody plants tolerate Cd stress remain incompletely understood. In this study, one-year-old <i>Morus alba</i> L. saplings were exposed to a gradient of Cd concentrations to investigate plant physiological responses, metal allocation patterns, cellular ultrastructure, and rhizosphere microbial communities. Increasing Cd concentrations progressively reduced plant growth, nutrient status, pigment content, and photosynthetic performance, while oxidative stress and membrane damage increased. In contrast, low Cd exposure induced a mild hormetic response, characterized by enhanced antioxidant activity, osmotic regulation, and a temporary increase in photosynthetic capacity. Bioaccumulation indices together with ultrastructural observations revealed a dose-dependent change in Cd handling. Under lower Cd exposure, Cd was more readily translocated to shoots, whereas higher Cd levels promoted root sequestration and intracellular compartmentalization. Despite Cd treatment, rhizosphere bacterial α-diversity remained relatively stable, although several Cd-tolerant taxa increased in relative abundance. Overall, these results demonstrate the tolerance capacity of <i>M. alba</i> to Cd stress and highlight its potential for the phytoremediation of mildly to moderately Cd-contaminated soils.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"17 ","pages":"1795556"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143779/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147836891","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":"Heterogeneous light environments induce plasticity in leaf morphology and photosynthesis of two sympodial bamboo species.","authors":"Xin Deng, Xia Jiang, Hongming Zhong, Xiangjie Zeng, Xuanyu Tao, Yongquan Ren","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2026.1803095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1803095","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Light heterogeneity is common in forest ecosystems. It arises from both horizontal (orientation) and vertical (canopy layer) gradients, driving adaptive strategies in plant morphology and physiology.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The responses of leaf morphological and physiological traits in <i>Dendrocalamus farinosus</i> and <i>Bambusa rigida</i> were studied to clarify the adaptative mechanism of these two sympodial bamboo species to heterogeneous light environments.</p><p><strong>Results and discussion: </strong>These two bamboo species showed a distinctly higher leaf mass per area (LMA) under high-light environments, with the highest LMA in upper canopy layer of south orientation and the lowest LMA in lower canopy layer of north orientation. Similarly, the maximum net photosynthetic rate (P_nmax) of both bamboo species was significantly higher in high-light environments (south orientation and upper layer) than in low-light environments (north orientation and lower layer). However, the two sympodial bamboo species demonstrated distinct acclimation strategies in leaf morphological and photosynthetic traits: <i>D. farinosus</i> achieved broad acclimation through the stability of its functional traits, whereas <i>B. rigida</i> attained precise acclimation via morphological and physiological plasticity. This study reveals a consistent increase in leaf investment under high light conditions in two sympodial bamboos, alongside species-specific variations in the extent of their morphological and physiological plasticity. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the sustainable management of bamboo forest ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"17 ","pages":"1803095"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13144157/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147837025","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":"Volatile metabolomics combined with rOAV and sensory evaluation reveals the aroma basis of black tea processed from the novel tea line 'Jinlong No.1' and its progenitor 'Huangdan'.","authors":"Jun Sun, Zhikun Lin, Liugang Zhu, Wenjin Zhang, Feng Wang","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2026.1803743","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1803743","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fruity-floral black tea quality is co-determined by both cultivar and processing. Jinlong No. 1 (JL1), a newly released high-aroma cultivar, lacked identified quantitative aroma markers. To elucidate the aroma characteristics of the newly released high-aroma cultivar 'Jinlong No.1' (JL1), three black teas were analyzed through GC-MS/MS-based volatile metabolomics, sensory evaluation, and relative odor activity value analysis. These included JL1 fruity-floral black tea (JL1B), JL1 conventional black tea (JL1S), and 'Huangdan' fruity-floral black tea (HDB). JL1B achieved the highest overall aroma score (8.2 ± 0.8). Comparative analysis revealed 340 differential volatiles between the two fruity-floral teas, predominantly esters (18%) and ketones (16%). Key upregulated compounds in JL1B included hexyl butanoate and hexyl 2-methylbutanoate, while (<i>E</i>)-2-nonenal and 1-nonen-3-ol were notably downregulated. Further comparison between the two JL1 teas identified 536 differential volatiles, with terpenoids (20%) and esters (18%) as the most abundant classes. Seventeen metabolites were commonly altered across comparisons, including the aforementioned esters. These findings establish specific quantitative targets for the precision processing and cultivar-directed breeding of premium fruity-floral black teas.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"17 ","pages":"1803743"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143945/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147836875","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":"<i>Macrocystis pyrifera</i> seaweed extracts combined with <i>Pseudomonas koreensis</i> enhance growth and stomatal regulation in the sweet cherry rootstock 'Colt' under contrasting water conditions.","authors":"Macarena Cruzat-Hermosilla, Tamara Alvear, Macarena Gerding, Marcelo Brintrup, Marianne V Asmüssen, Miguel Garriga, Arturo Calderón-Orellana","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2026.1813040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1813040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Colt rootstock (<i>Prunus avium × Prunus pseudocerasus</i>) is widely used in Chilean cherry orchards due to its high compatibility and vigor; however, its low drought tolerance limits its performance in water-scarce environments. Although biostimulants derived from seaweed extracts combined with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have shown positive effects in herbaceous crops, their impact on woody species remains largely unexplored. This study evaluated the physiological and morphological responses of young Colt plants to applications of <i>Macrocystis pyrifera</i> extracts obtained by alkaline hydrolysis (A1) and mixed hydrolysis (alkaline + enzymatic; A2), applied alone or in combination with <i>Pseudomonas koreensis</i> AG 97 (B), including the treatments A1B, A2B, and B alone, under well-watered (WET) and deficit irrigation (DRY) conditions. Under WET conditions, which induced periods of substrate saturation conducive to transient root-zone hypoxia, the A1B treatment increased stomatal conductance by 90% and reduced leaf temperature by approximately 2 °C, mitigating excess-moisture stress and enhancing photochemical efficiency (<i>Fv</i>/<i>Fm</i>) under low-light conditions, as well as shoot elongation (+23 cm versus 10 cm in the control). Under DRY conditions, A1B reduced stomatal conductance by approximately 70% when plant water potential dropped below -1.1 MPa, limiting dehydration and reducing defoliation to less than 15% compared to 40% in plants treated with B alone, while treatments A1 and A1B also showed higher carbon assimilation rates (>41%). Overall, these results confirm a synergistic effect between <i>Macrocystis pyrifera</i> seaweed extracts and PGPB, improving stomatal regulation, physiological resilience, and growth of the Colt rootstock under contrasting water regimes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"17 ","pages":"1813040"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143964/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147837111","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":"Inheritance patterns and heterosis of key floral traits in interspecific hybrids of <i>Clematis tientaiensis</i> × <i>C. lanuginosa</i>: implications for breeding compact cultivars.","authors":"Xinli Zeng, Dujuan Shi, Shunyun He, Duojie Wei, Zhigao Liu","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2026.1792549","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1792549","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Clematis</i> cultivars are predominantly developed through hybridization, yet the genetic architecture of key ornamental traits remains poorly understood. In this study, <i>C. lanuginosa</i> and <i>C. tientaiensis</i>, along with their F₁ progeny, were utilized to investigate the inheritance patterns of ten floral and vegetative traits. Specifically, we analyzed flower stalk length (FS), flower diameter (FD), sepal length (CL), sepal width (CW), stamen length (SL), pistil length (PL), Leaf blade length (BL), Leaf blade width (BW), blooming period (BBP), and flower color value (CCV) using heterosis analysis and a major gene plus polygene mixed genetic model. Ten phenotypic traits exhibited continuous, unimodal, and skewed distributions, with eight traits showing leptokurtic patterns (kurtosis > 0) and two traits showing platykurtic patterns (kurtosis < 0) across both populations, indicative of quantitative traits controlled by multiple genes. In Cross I, BL (-2.41) and BW (-2.04) displayed significant negative mid-parent heterosis, whereas BBP (7.99) and CCV (1.08) exhibited positive mid-parent heterosis. In Cross II, BL (-3.47) and BW (-1.61) showed significant hybrid depression, while BBP (6.54) and CCV (0.36) demonstrated significant mid-parent heterosis. Genetic analysis identified the optimal inheritance models as follows: Model 2MG-AD (two major genes with additive-dominance effects) for FS, FD, CL, and CW, with the first gene pair showing predominant additive effects (d_a = 1.81, 2.76, 1.31, and 0.70, respectively); Model 2MG-A (two major genes with additive effects) for SL, with the second gene pair contributing larger additive effects (d_b = 0.39); Model 2MG-ADI (two major genes with additive-dominance-epistatic effects) for PL and BL, with negative dominance effects (h_a = -0.55 and -1.15, respectively); Model 2MG-EA (two major genes with additive-equal effects) for BW and BBP, with additive effects of 0.65 and 10.86, respectively; and Model 1MG-A (one major gene with additive effects) for CCV, with an additive effect of 1.62. Except for BW, the major gene heritability for the remaining nine traits exceeded 88%, suggesting that these traits are under strong genetic control under the specific environmental conditions of this study. These findings provide valuable genetic information to support future breeding efforts in <i>Clematis</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"17 ","pages":"1792549"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13143908/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147836670","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":"Genome-wide association study of post-harvest physiological deterioration in cassava (<i>Manihot esculenta</i> Crantz) using visual and AI-powered phenotyping.","authors":"Kwame Obeng Dankwa, Jorge Luis Luna Melendez, Juan Camilo Giraldo, Camilo Enrique Sánchez-Sarria, Michael Selvaraj, Bunmi Olasanmi, Winnie Gimode","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2026.1807180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1807180","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Postharvest physiological deterioration (PPD) is a rapid and severe process in cassava that causes root discoloration and spoilage soon after harvest, limiting shelf life and commercial value of the storage roots. Although environmental interventions can temporarily delay PPD, they are impractical for large-scale use. Previous studies have focused mainly on transcriptome, proteome, and candidate-gene analyses, with a few reporting robust and independently validated quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Identifying PPD-linked-QTLs is essential to breeding PPD-tolerant cassava varieties.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to identify genomic regions associated with PPD tolerance using both human visual scoring (VS) and an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered phenotyping method. A mapping population of 298 cassava accessions was genotyped using two platforms: DArTag mid-density panel and genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS).</p><p><strong>Results and discussion: </strong>Across both genotyping platforms, 6 significant SNPs were identified using VS dataset and 6 using the AI phenotypic dataset. Consistent associations on chromosomes 1 and 12 across both phenotyping and genotyping platforms indicate potentially robust genomic regions influencing PPD response. Overall, the AI-powered phenotyping approach presents a standardized and reproducible PPD scoring procedure over the traditional visual scoring in future breeding programs for PPD. Despite differences in marker density, both DArTag and GBS markers capture comparable insights into the genetic structure of the GWAS panel. These findings provide insights into the genetic basis of PPD in cassava and offer valuable targets for marker-assisted and genomic selection toward developing cassava varieties with delayed PPD.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"17 ","pages":"1807180"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13144131/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147836985","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":"Genome-wide analysis of expansin and aquaporin genes and their association with auxin-related metabolites during flower opening in <i>Lonicera macranthoides</i>.","authors":"Zhong Chen, Junpeng Qi, Wei Zhuo, Yuqi Wang, Li Liu, Sheng'E Lu, Han Wang, Jibin Zhu, Fengming Ren","doi":"10.3389/fpls.2026.1769953","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1769953","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>In flowering plants, expansins and aquaporins function coordinately to promote cell expansion, thereby driving flower opening. <i>Lonicera macranthoides</i> is a widely used medicinal plant rich in chlorogenic acid (CGA) and saponins. Its flowers have high medicinal value; however, the contents of these bioactive compounds decrease after flower opening, and open flowers are prone to abscission. To date, the expansin and aquaporin gene families in <i>L. macranthoides</i> have not been systematically studied, and their roles in flower opening remain unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Expansin and aquaporin genes were identified from a chromosome-level genome using hidden Markov models. Phylogenetic relationships, chromosomal localization, protein sequence features, gene structures, and cis-regulatory elements were further analyzed. Gene expression patterns were examined using transcriptomic data and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and auxin-related metabolites were quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).</p><p><strong>Results and discussion: </strong>Here, 34 expansin and 43 aquaporin genes were identified and systematically characterized. Expression analyses showed that <i>LmEXPA26</i> (EXPA subfamily) and <i>LmPIP2-2</i> (PIP2 subfamily) exhibited expression patterns that closely matched flower developmental progression during opening in <i>L. macranthoides</i>, with peak expression in S4 flowers of the flowering wild type (WT) but much lower expression in the bud-type cultivar 'Yulei 1'. Promoter analysis revealed abundant MYB-, bZIP-, and ARF-binding sites, together with multiple ABA-, JA-, Auxin-, and ethylene-responsive elements in the promoters of expansin and aquaporin genes. Transcriptome analysis revealed significant enrichment of auxin-responsive genes in WT S4 flowers. Auxin-related metabolite profiling showed higher accumulation of MEIAA, a reversibly inactive auxin form convertible to IAA, in WT S4 flowers, whereas irreversibly inactivated OxIAA accumulated predominantly in S4 flowers of 'Yulei 1'. Based on these results, the present study suggests that enhanced expression of expansins and aquaporins, especially <i>LmEXPA26</i> and <i>LmPIP2-2</i>, may be associated with the flower-opening process in <i>L. macranthoides</i>, which is likely primarily influenced by MEIAA-mediated auxin activation, although other hormones may also contribute. This study provides new insights into the molecular basis of flower opening in <i>L. macranthoides</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":12632,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Plant Science","volume":"17 ","pages":"1769953"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13144126/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147837008","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}