Journal of Experimental Botany最新文献

{"title":"Manipulation of the PtWOX11-PagKNAT2/6b Module Bidirectionally Regulates Petiole Traits in Populus.","authors":"Bobin Liu, Jianbo Li, Xinyang Yan, Jin Zhang, Guiliang Xin, Li Zhang, Meng-Zhu Lu, Dongmei He, Daizhen Zhang, Yanqiu Zhao, Xiaqin Wang","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag531","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erag531","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Canopy architecture is a critical determinant of productivity in crops and trees, with leaf positioning being a key factor. Petiole length and angle govern leaf positioning and light interception in many flowering plants, yet the molecular mechanisms that coordinately regulate these two traits in woody plants remain largely unexplored. Here, we show that a transcriptional module in poplar enables bidirectional control over petiole length and angle. Petiole morphogenesis entails a developmental transition from a meristematic state to a differentiation state, a process blocked by the class I KNOX transcription factor PagKNAT2/6b. Using yeast one-hybrid, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, chromatin affinity purification and transient expression assays in tobacco leaves, we provide evidence that WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX 11 (PtWOX11) binds the PagKNAT2/6b promoter in vitro and transactivates it in heterologous systems. Transcriptomic and qPCR analyses reveal that PtWOX11 maintains a meristematic transcriptional program and suppresses differentiation genes, including those for cell expansion and wall thickening. Accordingly, overexpression of PtWOX11 produces compact petioles with upright leaf angles, whereas its dominant repression yields hyperelongated petioles with reduced leaf angles. Together, these findings suggest a mechanistic framework for manipulating petiole traits and offer a potential strategy for modifying canopy architecture in bioenergy poplar.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223905","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":"Amino acids on the move: boosting transporters for high-quality crops under reduced nitrogen supply.","authors":"B Renau-Morata, A Alcántara-Enguídanos, O Sánchez-Rodríguez, R V Molina, J Medina, S G Nebauer","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag530","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erag530","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nitrogen availability is one of the main factors limiting crop productivity, and the low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of crops imposes significant economic and environmental costs. Research on NUE has traditionally focused on improving nitrogen uptake and assimilation; however, the efficient redistribution of assimilated nitrogen within the plant is equally important for growth, yield, and crop quality. Amino acids are the main form in which reduced nitrogen is transported over long distances. Their movement between source and sink tissues depends on a diverse group of membrane transporters belonging to the Amino Acid/Auxin Permeases (AAAP), Amino Acid/Polyamine/Choline transporters (APC), and Usually Multiple Acids Move In and Out Transporters (UMAMIT) families. These transporters mediate amino acid uptake, export, vascular loading and unloading, intracellular transport, and redistribution to developing organs, thereby influencing plant growth, reproductive development and the composition of harvested products. Recent work in cereals, legumes and horticultural crops has shown that modifying amino acid transport can alter biomass production, grain filling, seed protein content, fruit quality, and NUE. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of plant amino acid transporters, from their molecular and physiological functions to their roles in crop yield, nutritional quality and NUE. We also discuss how advances in genome editing, exploitation of natural genetic variation, high-throughput phenotyping and systems biology may facilitate the development of crops with more efficient nitrogen use and improved agricultural sustainability.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149224204","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":"Generation and characterization of a barley strigolactone mutant collection: from plant architecture to drought stress response.","authors":"Irene M Fontana, Weronika Buchcik, Jochen Kumlehn, Michael Melzer, Goetz Hensel, Agata Daszkowska-Golec, Marek Marzec","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag529","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erag529","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Strigolactones (SLs) are known to regulate shoot architecture and to be involved in plant responses to environmental stress, whereas their specific contributions to drought adaptation in barley remain incompletely defined. In this study, we analysed transcriptional, hormonal, and physiological responses to water deficit in barley SL mutants affected in early biosynthesis (Hvd10 and Hvd17), late biosynthesis (Hvmax1a), or signalling (Hvd14). The Hvd10, Hvd17, and Hvd14 mutants exhibited the typical high-tillering phenotype of SL deficiency, whereas Hvmax1a displayed characteristics similar to the wild type (WT), indicating functional differences within the SL biosynthetic pathway. Transcriptome analysis showed a clear overlap in gene expression among the high-tillering SL mutants under both control and drought conditions. We also used computational methods to identify potential transcription factors that might regulate SL-dependent gene expression. A drought experiment showed that SL mutants exhibited reduced biomass, relative water content, and photosynthetic efficiency, with the most pronounced effects observed in the high-tillering lines. Drought also activated the abscisic acid (ABA) pathway in all genotypes, with particularly high accumulation of ABA metabolites in the high-tillering SL mutants. Notably, Hvmax1a resembled the mutant-like metabolic profile, despite maintaining a wild-type-like architecture. Taken together, these results provide new insights into the roles of SL pathway components in drought responses and highlight functional differences among individual genes influencing both plant architecture and stress-related transcriptional programmes. Furthermore, the mutants generated in this study using Cas9-mediated genome editing represent a valuable genetic collection for future research into SL-mediated development and stress responses in barley.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149224243","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":"Tracing the Evolutionary Origins of Jasmonate Signaling: Co-Evolution of Oxylipin Metabolism and Hormone Perception in the Green Lineage.","authors":"Andrea Chini, Guillermo H Jimenez-Aleman, Roberto Solano","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag527","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erag527","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Jasmonates constitute a central class of lipid-derived signaling molecules that regulate plant defense, development, and environmental adaptation. Although jasmonic acid (JA) and its bioactive conjugate jasmonoyl-L-isoleucine (JA-Ile) are well characterized in angiosperms, recent evolutionary, biochemical, and structural studies have revealed that jasmonate signaling predates the origin of land plants. Jasmonates occur in streptophyte algae but are absent from chlorophytes, indicating that jasmonate biosynthesis evolved in the last common ancestor of streptophytes. However, the molecular nature, perception mechanisms, and biological functions of jasmonates have undergone profound changes during plant evolution. During terrestrialization, the recruitment of a pre-existing transcriptional regulatory network by a newly evolved COI1 receptor module established the canonical COI1/JAZ signaling system. Early diverging land plants employed dn-OPDA, a JA precursor, as the ancestral ligand, which was progressively replaced by JA amino acid conjugates such as JA-Ile in vascular plants. Here, we synthesize current evidence supporting a stepwise evolutionary model progressively shaping the COI1/JAZ-dependent hormone pathway. We discuss how (bio)chemical diversification of oxylipins, co-evolution of receptors and ligands, and the emergence of JA-Ile in vascular plants enabled the expansion, specificity, and systemic integration of jasmonate signaling as a requirement for plant terrestrialization.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149206872","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":"Cell wall polymer interactions, rather than polysaccharide fine structure, underlie recalcitrance in energy cane varieties.","authors":"Adriana Grandis, Débora Pagliuso, Marina C M Martins, Anne Elizabeth Harman-Ware, Nicholas C Carpita, Marcos S Buckeridge","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag494","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erag494","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Second-generation bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass has driven the development of high-fiber sugarcane varieties known as energy canes, which combine high tillering, high biomass accumulation, lower sucrose, and improved agronomic performance. However, energy canes have been reported to be more recalcitrant to enzymatic saccharification. We compared biomass and cell wall composition, non-cellulosic polysaccharide extractability, and saccharification efficiency in two energy cane varieties, Vertix V2 and Vertix V3, and sugarcane. Sugarcane contained three times as much sucrose and less fiber than energy canes. After removing soluble sugars from the biomass, reduced digestibility became evident in the two energy cane varieties, particularly in V2. Saccharification increased with alkali and doubled after acidic sodium chlorite treatments. Although the main polysaccharides and linkage structures were broadly conserved across genotypes, minor changes were observed in their relative abundance and extractability. Glucuronoarabinoxylans (GAX) were the predominant wall polysaccharides (72%), while pectins [homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I), each 1%], arabinan side-groups (4-6%), glucomannans (1%), and xyloglucan (2-4%) occurred in smaller proportions. Sugarcane contained higher abundances of xyloglucan, β-glucan, glucomannan, and arabinan, whereas energy canes had higher HG and RG-I. Chlorite oxidation solubilized GAX and RG-I, indicating that polymers are associated with phenylpropanoids and contribute to wall recalcitrance. The contrasting saccharification behavior of the sugarcane and energy cane varieties examined here appears to arise not from major changes in polysaccharide fine structure, but from differences in biomass allocation, phenylpropanoid abundance, extractability, and molecular interactions among cellulose, matrix polysaccharides, and phenylpropanoids within the cell wall. Understanding these properties in relation to enzyme-mediated disassembly is fundamental to accessing grass walls and improving biomass saccharification.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149216186","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":"Rhizobial type III effectors as regulators of root-nodule symbiosis in legumes.","authors":"Alicia Camuel, Albin Teulet, Pablo Del Cerro","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erag528","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The rhizobia-legume nitrogen-fixing symbiosis begins when plants perceive rhizobial Nod factors (NF), activating the Common Symbiosis Signalling Pathway (CSSP) that drives nodule organogenesis. Rhizobia also inject Type III effectors (T3E) into host cells through a Type III Secretion System (T3SS) related to those of pathogenic bacteria. These effectors were long viewed only as suppressors of plant immunity and determinants of host compatibility, but this picture has changed. Recent studies revealed that rhizobial effectors (known as Nodulation Outer Proteins, Nops) such as NopT, NopM, NopL, NopP and NopZ directly target NF receptors or associated kinases, thereby regulating CSSP activation. The effector-triggering nodulation proteins (ET-Nods), a separate class of T3Es found in various Bradyrhizobium species, can activate nodule organogenesis independently of NF perception by rewiring host transcriptional and SUMOylation-based signalling. We trace the evolutionary origins of these activities, which may derive either from redirection of ancestral immune-targeting effectors toward symbiotic functions or from rhizobium-specific innovations. We ask whether the T3SS contributed to nodulation. We then consider what this interference means for the host, ranging from reinforced partner choice to partial loss of host control, and argue that rhizobial effectors have evolved as specialised modulators that converge on the signalling hubs governing symbiosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149207137","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":"Rethinking wound signaling in plant development: the epigenetic and metabolic nexus of jasmonate-mediated bud activation.","authors":"Puyuan Liu, Rishikesh P Bhalerao, Qinsong Yang, Guolei Li","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag346","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag346","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6307-6310"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148436951","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":"Sulfite dynamics affect drought tolerance and water status in Arabidopsis and tomato.","authors":"Kusum Khatri, Jaykumar Patel, Aizat Bekturova, Poonam Tiwari, Tesfaye Asmare Sisay, Babita Choudhary, Dominic Standing, Beery Yaakov, Simon Barak, Veronika Turečková, Miroslav Strnad, Moshe Sagi","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag344","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag344","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Previously, we showed that altered sulfite homeostasis led to higher water loss in sulfite oxidase (SO) RNA interference (Ri) plants than in Arabidopsis wild type (WT) after sulfite infiltration into rosette leaves. In contrast, SO overexpression (OE) and adenosine-5'-phosphosulfate reductase 2 (apr2) knockout (KO) resulted in lower water loss than in WT. Accordingly, sulfite homeostasis and drought tolerance under prolonged drought in Arabidopsis and tomato (Rheinlands Ruhm) were investigated. SO Ri mutants displayed the most severe wilting and water loss, accompanied by sulfite accumulation due to reduced SO expression. In contrast, SO OE, apr2 KO, apr2 KO/SO OE, and gene-edited lines, including sulfite reductase (SiR) OEC2+SO OEC2 and SiR OEC4/SO OE, maintained higher relative water content by enhancing sulfite oxidation and reduction. Elevated sulfite in SO Ri mutants acted as an antagonist to abscisic acid (ABA), as despite accumulating higher ABA than all other genotypes, SO Ri plants displayed the lowest relative water content, consistent with sulfite suppressing ABA signal transduction through impaired by Pyrobactin resistance 1-like 5 (PYL5) and enhanced ABA negative feedback by Highly ABA-induced PP2C gene 2 (HAI2). SO and SiR overexpression also increased hydrogen sulfide and cysteine levels, contributing to drought resilience. Tomato lines also reflected these patterns in SO OE, SiR OE, and SiR OE/SO OE, showing reduced sulfite and improved relative water content compared with WT. Overall, coordinated regulation of SO, SiR, and APR2 maintains sulfite homeostasis, mitigating drought-induced damage and enhancing water retention across species by directly limiting sulfite accumulation and relieving sulfite-driven antagonism of ABA signal transduction.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6756-6773"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672997/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148421567","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":"The transcriptional regulator MOS1 attenuates salinity stress-induced seed germination inhibition via negative feedback regulation of ABA signaling in Arabidopsis.","authors":"Yafei Xu, Xiaoyu Chen, Lujing Luo, Jie Huang, Fangning Zhu, Zhixue Wang, Dianxing Wu, Lilan Hong, Ning Zhang","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag305","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag305","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Seed germination is inhibited by salt stress, and this inhibition is known to be mainly mediated by the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA). Whether and how this inhibition is fine-tuned is not fully understood. Here, we identified MODIFIER OF snc1-1 (MOS1) as an attenuator of salt-induced inhibition of seed germination. MOS1 expression was induced by salt, and this induction was partly dependent on ABA biosynthesis and signaling. The mos1 mutant showed hypersensitivity to salt stress during seed germination compared with the wild type, accompanied by higher ABA accumulation and stronger salt-induced expression of ABA biosynthesis and signaling genes. Genetic analysis suggested that MOS1 limits both salt-induced ABA biosynthesis and ABA responsiveness. Moreover, ABI5 directly activated MOS1 expression, whereas ABI5 transcripts and protein accumulated to higher levels in mos1 under salt stress. In addition, MOS1 expression was inhibited by the germination-promoting hormone gibberellin (GA), and MOS1 helped maintain GA biosynthesis. Together, these findings suggest that MOS1 attenuates salt-induced inhibition of seed germination, at least in part, through ABI5-linked negative feedback regulation of ABA signaling and modulation of GA biosynthesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6672-6688"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148277680","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":"The pentatricopeptide repeat protein EMBRYO DEFECTIVE 1417 is required for chloroplast RNA editing and intron splicing in Arabidopsis.","authors":"Chu Zeng, Tonghui Wu, Jinling Su, Qingsong Jiao, Ting Jia, Xueyun Hu","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag362","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag362","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Post-transcriptional RNA processing is essential for chloroplast biogenesis. The pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein EMBRYO DEFECTIVE 1417 (EMB1417), which contains only two PPR motifs, was previously shown to be required for splicing of rpoC1 and ycf3.2 transcripts in chloroplasts. Here, we demonstrate that chemical-induced silencing of EMB1417 results in a yellow-leaf phenotype with markedly reduced chlorophyll content. RNA sequencing analyses revealed that EMB1417 is indispensable for efficient C-to-U editing at multiple sites, including rpoA-200, clpP-559, petL-5, psbZ-50, accD-1568, and ndhD-2. Protein-protein interaction assays demonstrated that EMB1417 physically interacts with multiple RNA editing cofactors, MORF2/8/9 and DG409, thereby facilitating RNA editing in chloroplasts. Strikingly, disruption of EMB1417 significantly also severely impairs the splicing of group II introns in ndhB, petB, and petD transcripts. We further identified a direct interaction between EMB1417 and the splicing factor CFM3A. These findings establish that EMB1417 participates in chloroplast RNA processing, providing critical insights into the mechanisms of RNA editing and splicing during chloroplast development.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6436-6449"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148549358","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}