Horticulture Research最新文献

{"title":"Origin and evolution of steroidal saponin biosynthesis and its regulation by the DcWRKY33-DcWRKY11 module in Dioscorea composita","authors":"Shangjie Yu, Peifan Lin, Yinxing Cao, Jiani Zhang, Jun Xie, Lingfei Li, Chunmei Zhong","doi":"10.1093/hr/uhag429","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag429","url":null,"abstract":"Although steroidal saponins from Dioscorea species have substantial economic value and versatile utilization potential, the evolutionary origin and regulatory mechanisms underlying their biosynthesis remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted a comparative genomic analysis across representative plant lineages ranging from algae to angiosperms to examine the copy number variation and syntenic organization of steroidal saponin biosynthetic genes. Our results reveal that ancestral sterol biosynthetic components were already present in bryophytes. However, synteny analysis indicates that stable genomic integration of these genes was established no earlier than in pteridophytes. By integrating transcriptome–metabolome association analyses with branch-site selection tests, we identified strong positive selection acting on DcWRKY33 within the Dioscorea lineage, suggesting adaptive evolution and highlighting the importance of regulatory innovation in steroidal saponin diversification. Functional analyses demonstrated that DcWRKY33 functions as a positive regulator of steroidal saponin biosynthesis: transient overexpression upregulates the expression of structural genes and increases saponin accumulation, whereas gene silencing produced opposite effects. Mechanistically, dual-luciferase and yeast one-hybrid assays indicated that DcWRKY33 activates DcHDR and DcCYP51, while indirectly regulating DcHMGR through modulation of DcWRKY11, thereby orchestrating biosynthesis across both the MEP and MVA pathways. Promoter analysis revealed W-box motifs partially absence in non-saponin-producing Dioscorea, and heterologous expression in tobacco confirmed lineage-specific regulatory capacity despite conserved cis-elements. Collectively, our study links pathway evolution with regulatory innovation and establishes a mechanistic framework for understanding the evolution and transcriptional control of steroidal saponin biosynthesis in D. composita, providing insights for metabolic improvement of medicinal and horticultural yam species.","PeriodicalId":13179,"journal":{"name":"Horticulture Research","volume":"98 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The CCCH zinc finger protein PtrTZF10 enhances cold tolerance in association with β-amylase-mediated starch degradation and sugar accumulation in Poncirus trifoliata","authors":"Min Wang, Huan Zhong, Zhuoxiang Zhao, Lei Ji, Yue Wu, Yue Ma, Shuqi Ye, Ji-Hong Liu, Wen-Shan Dai","doi":"10.1093/hr/uhag434","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag434","url":null,"abstract":"Cold stress is a major environmental constraint limiting the geographical distribution and productivity of citrus. Poncirus trifoliata, a close cold-hardy relative of citrus, serves as an invaluable reservoir of stress-resistance genes. Here, we functionally characterized PtrTZF10, a cold-responsive CCCH tandem zinc finger gene from P. trifoliata, and demonstrated its positive role in regulating cold tolerance and its association with sugar metabolism. In contrast to the transient induction observed in cold-sensitive lemon, PtrTZF10 was rapidly and persistently induced by cold in P. trifoliata. PtrTZF10 localizes to both the nucleus and plasma membrane, binds the tested DNA and RNA substrates in vitro, and possesses transcriptional activation activity. Ectopic expression of PtrTZF10 in tobacco and lemon significantly enhanced cold tolerance, as reflected by improved photosynthetic efficiency, reduced membrane damage, and lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Conversely, silencing PtrTZF10 in P. trifoliata compromised its freezing tolerance. Transcriptomic profiling under normal growth conditions revealed basal differences in the expression of carbohydrate metabolism-related genes in PtrTZF10-overexpressing lines. Molecular assays further showed that PtrTZF10 associates with and activates the PtrBMY1 promoter, while PtrTZF10 overexpression and silencing were accompanied by corresponding changes in β-amylase activity, starch degradation, and soluble sugar accumulation. Collectively, these findings identify PtrTZF10 as a positive regulator of cold tolerance and support a PtrTZF10-PtrBMY1 regulatory link associated with starch-to-sugar mobilization during the cold response.","PeriodicalId":13179,"journal":{"name":"Horticulture Research","volume":"188 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"3β-hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase/decarboxylase 2 ( HSD2 ) is essential for fruit cuticle formation in tomato","authors":"Fangyan Zheng, Long Cui, Feng Hu, Miao Liu, Lesong Jia, Tao Li, Qingmin Xie, Changxian Yang","doi":"10.1093/hr/uhag438","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag438","url":null,"abstract":"The plant cuticle is a multilayered structure composed of cutin, cutin-linked polysaccharides and diverse waxes. It covers aerial plant tissues to prevent water loss and pathogen invasion, and modulates key crop quality traits. Despite substantial progress in research on cuticle formation, its molecular regulatory mechanisms remain largely elusive. In this study, we functionally characterized a tomato mutant exhibiting severe fruit suberization, named CM (cuticle mutation). Genetic analysis revealed that the mutant phenotype is governed by a single recessive gene. Using bulked segregant analysis (BSA), we mapped the causal locus to SNP45564049 in the fourth exon of SlHSD2, a G-to-A substitution producing a glycine-to-serine change. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of SlHSD2 successfully reproduced the CM mutant phenotype and altered the profile of pericarp cutin monomers. Integrated transcriptomic and widely targeted metabolomic analyses showed that SlHSD2 mutation reshapes the expression of cutin, suberin and wax biosynthetic genes, perturbs fatty acid metabolism and the accumulation of core cutin monomers, and alters numerous metabolites including alkaloids, flavonoids, lipids and phenolic acids, ultimately impairing cuticle development. We further found that the SBP-box transcription factor SlCNR acts as a negative regulator of fruit cutin deposition, directly binding the GTAC motifs in the SlHSD2 promoter to represses its expression. In summary, SlHSD2 is a newly identified downstream target of SlCNR that is essential for tomato fruit cuticle development via the regulation of lipid metabolism. This study expands the regulatory network of fruit cuticle formation and provides valuable gene resources for crop genetic improvement and stress-resistant breeding.","PeriodicalId":13179,"journal":{"name":"Horticulture Research","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX) genes regulate reproductive meristem activity in tomato","authors":"Xiaobing Jiang,Baojian Chen,Indira Sanchez Bretones,Xiao Yin,Hongru Wang,Gerco C Angenent,Marian Bemer","doi":"10.1093/hr/uhag427","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag427","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13179,"journal":{"name":"Horticulture Research","volume":"192 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149210421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Salicylic acid delayed fruit senescence via the PpERF51B-L/PpNAC14-PpERF061- PpACO3 / PpPG1 regulatory module in sand pear","authors":"Yue Xu, Haiyan Shi, Huiying Wang, Hongyu Wang, Tianshi Hu, Songling Bai, Jianzhao Li","doi":"10.1093/hr/uhag430","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag430","url":null,"abstract":"Sand pear quality is limited by rapid postharvest senescence driven by ethylene. We identify two Ethylene Response Factors with opposing functions in this process. PpERF061 is induced by salicylic acid (SA) and repressed by the ethylene precursor ACC. Gain- and loss-of-function assays show that PpERF061 delays senescence by repressing ethylene biosynthesis and cell wall-modifying genes (PpACO3, PpPG1). PpERF061 also interacts with the NAC transcription factor PpNAC14, placing it within a broader regulatory module. In contrast, PpERF51B-L promotes senescence via two mechanisms: it forms a repressive complex with PpNAC14 to suppress PpERF061, and it engages ethylene signaling by interacting with PpEIN3a/b, with transcriptional activation by PpEIN3a. Notably, the SA receptor NPR1 attenuates PpERF51B-L’s pro-senescence activity through protein-protein interaction, revealing an SA-ethylene antagonism at the ERF node. These findings provide a mechanistic framework for manipulating hormonal crosstalk to extend shelf life and improve marketability in sand pear.","PeriodicalId":13179,"journal":{"name":"Horticulture Research","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MicroRNA regulatory networks in horticultural grasses: from cereal models to architecture, resilience, and translational strategies","authors":"Xiaoju Dou, Ning Qin, Dongwei Guo, Huanming Yang, Hansheng Zhao","doi":"10.1093/hr/uhag435","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag435","url":null,"abstract":"Bamboo, turfgrasses, and other perennial ornamental or landscape grasses extend the significance of Poaceae beyond cereal production. However, direct functional evidence for microRNA (miRNA) action in these plants remains limited. This review draws on rice, maize, and wheat as reference species to assess what current evidence can and cannot establish regarding miRNA regulation in horticulturally important grasses. We argue that grass miRNAs are better understood as dosage-sensitive network regulators than as simple on-off switches. Conserved miRNA–target modules recurrently shape phase change, organ polarity, architecture, regeneration, and stress-associated growth responses. We then examine how nutrient stress, redox control, host–invader interactions, polyploidy, lineage-specific miRNAs, and domestication alter regulatory output across grass lineages. Throughout, we distinguish direct functional evidence from transcriptomic association and cross-species inference because the transferability of cereal-based evidence to other perennial grasses remains uneven. Finally, we assess deployment strategies, including target-site tuning, miRNA-locus editing, target mimicry, artificial miRNAs, and external RNA delivery, and argue that phenotypic gains are most likely when interventions focus on well-validated nodes and are evaluated across genotypes and environments. This framework positions miRNAs as quantitative regulators of horticulturally relevant grass traits and clarifies whether the present evidence base is strong enough to support deployment.","PeriodicalId":13179,"journal":{"name":"Horticulture Research","volume":"293 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149187928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A phylogenomic atlas of PP2C and PYL families across 377 plant genomes illuminates the evolution of core ABA signalling","authors":"Shugao Fan, Yanling Yin, Xiang Shi, Xiao Xu, Jiawei Wu, Ying Zhao","doi":"10.1093/hr/uhag403","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag403","url":null,"abstract":"Abscisic acid (ABA) receptors of the PYR/PYL/RCAR (PYL) family and ABA-related clade A type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2Cs) form an obligate co-receptor pair in which the receptor’s principal biochemical output is inhibition of its partner phosphatase. Whether such physically coupled families are also coupled evolutionarily has not been tested at genomic scale. We analysed 3315 PYL and 29 808 PP2C genes across 377 plant genomes spanning nine major lineages as a single interacting module. Phylogenetic generalized least squares regression revealed significant copy-number coupling after correcting for phylogenetic non-independence and total protein-coding gene number, and branch-wise evolutionary rates of orthologous PYR1-like PYLs and ABA-related clade A PP2Cs covaried across matched terminal branches. The families differed sharply in origin: PP2Cs resolved into four clades comprising 15 sub-lineages, all four clades already represented in algae, whereas two sub-lineages arose only in land plants and the sublineage containing the canonical ABA-related clade A phosphatases occurred in only two of 26 algal genomes; PYLs were confined to land plants. This asymmetry supports a model in which ligand-gated receptor control was superimposed on a pre-existing phosphatase scaffold during terrestrialization. Dispersed duplication dominated in algae and early-diverging lineages, whole-genome and segmental duplication drove angiosperm expansion, and PP2Cs were embedded in far denser transcription-factor networks than PYLs, suggesting that ABA output is tuned preferentially through PP2C rewiring. Yeast one-hybrid and electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated direct binding of CdHOX and CdNAC to the CdPYL04 and CdPP2C105 promoters in bermudagrass, where antisense silencing produced opposing oxidative phenotypes under cold stress.","PeriodicalId":13179,"journal":{"name":"Horticulture Research","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149152599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Establishment of a Sonication-Assisted AGL1-Mediated Transformation and Gene-Editing System in Ornamental\u0000 Lilium\u0000 Species","authors":"Weiwei Bao,Hao Liu,Yufan Zhou,Dexuan Ma,Jie Yin,Chunjie Wei,Qingyun Long,Zezhou Ni,Wentao Xu,Kaile Zhu,Xiaoya Jiang,Ying Sun,Minmin Chen,Chong Wang,Hui Zhang","doi":"10.1093/hr/uhag422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag422","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13179,"journal":{"name":"Horticulture Research","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149210419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced biomass production by engineering gibberellin signaling in\u0000 Populus","authors":"Tao Yao,Sanskriti Dwivedi,Lindsay P Brown,Rohit Kousika,Natalie G Aldrich,Margot S S Chen,María A Ortega,William P Bewg,Brent Lieb,McKenna Coile,Nancy L Engle,Arthur J Ragauskas,Yunqiao Pu,Tomás Allen Rush,Chung-Jui Tsai,Timothy J Tschaplinski,Gerald A Tuskan,Miaomiao Li,Jin-Gui Chen","doi":"10.1093/hr/uhag423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag423","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13179,"journal":{"name":"Horticulture Research","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149210420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The chromosome-level genome assembly and integrated multiomics reveal cucurbitacin B-associated pathogen defense mechanisms in Trichosanthes kirilowii","authors":"Rui Xiong, Zhuannan Chu, Xingxing Peng, Yong Su, Guangsheng Cui, Ying Hu, Kunhua Wei, Ling Dong, Weiwen Li","doi":"10.1093/hr/uhag416","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag416","url":null,"abstract":"Trichosanthes kirilowii is a traditional medicinal herb widely cultivated in China. Among the cultivated varieties, ‘Wanlou 17’, developed by our research group, exhibits significantly higher resistance to pathogen infection. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying this high resistance, we assembled a chromosome-level genome of T. kirilowii (‘Wanlou 17’) using PacBio sequencing technology. The assembly size is 4.75 Gb with a contig N50 of 3.69 Mb. A total of 4.37 Gb (92%) genome sequence was anchored to 88 chromosomes, and genotype analysis revealed that it is an autopolyploid octoploid. Metabolome analysis indicated that the high disease resistance of ‘Wanlou 17’ was associated with jasmonic acid (JA) and cucurbitacin B. Experiments demonstrated that exogenous JA promoted the synthesis of cucurbitacin B, and cucurbitacin B enhanced plant resistance to anthracnose. Promoter analysis and co-expression network demonstrated that TkWRKY37 correlated with JA, cucurbitacin B content, as well as biosynthesis pathway genes. Heterologous overexpression experiment confirmed that TkWRKY37 enhanced disease resistance, dual-luciferase showed that TkWRKY37 repressed TkMYC2 expression and activated TkACT1 expression. Furthermore, in vivo silencing of TkWRKY37 in T. kirilowii using antisense oligonucleotide probes significantly reduced the contents of JA and cucurbitacin B, confirming its positive regulatory role. This study provides valuable insights and genomic resources for the molecular breeding research of T. kirilowii.","PeriodicalId":13179,"journal":{"name":"Horticulture Research","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149152598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}