{"title":"Bending and squeezing: gradual electric potentials encode mechanical stimuli in poplar.","authors":"Erwan Tinturier, Éric Badel, Nathalie Leblanc-Fournier, Geoffroy Guéna, Yoël Forterre, Jean-Louis Julien","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag329","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag329","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mechanical stimuli such as wind elicit rapid electrical signals in plants, yet the mechanisms underlying these responses remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the electrophysiological responses of young poplar trees to controlled stem bending. We identified a gradual potential (GP), distinct from classical action potentials, whose attenuation and propagation distance depend strongly on stimulus speed and intensity. While the maximal GP amplitude recorded near the bending site remained stable across stimulation conditions, slower or gentler flexions resulted in faster spatial decay and shorter propagation distances. Similar GP responses were elicited by stem bending and by direct root pressurization, indicating a coupling between hydraulic perturbations and electrical signaling. Although GP propagation and attenuation are consistent with a diffusive pressure signal, key features-such as the invariance of peak amplitude at the generation site and progressive waveform narrowing-cannot be explained by hydraulic diffusion alone and point to a nonlinear transduction process. Together, these results constrain the biophysical mechanisms underlying mechanically induced electrical signaling in trees and provide a framework for future studies addressing their physiological relevance.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6541-6554"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148404827","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":"Combining a high-caliber chromosome-level genome and root single-cell atlas resolves genetic diversity and root development in Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata.","authors":"Wenjun Hu, Chenkai Jiang, Qian Zhao, Wei Wang, Xue Li, Hongling Lu, Lin Chen, Song Gao, Fei Xu, Guoxin Shen, Shenlong Zhu, Ying Fu, Erli Niu","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag311","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag311","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata, a subspecies of olive trees, stands out for its remarkable stress tolerance, and commonly serves as a rootstock that enhances olive oil yield. To explore its genomic and cellular underpinnings for potential breeding applications, a chromosome-scale genome assembly and a root-specific single-cell atlas of O. europaea subsp. cuspidata was resolved. Using a combined survey evaluation strategy along with PacBio CLR and Hi-C sequencing technologies, a total genome of 1.62 Gb was obtained (23 chromosomes; N50: 55.72 Mb). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Oleaceae plants diverged ∼17.2 million years ago (Mya), with O. europaea subsp. cuspidata splitting from other O. europaea lineages ∼5.7 Mya. It is genetically closer to the cultivated olive O. europaea subsp. europaea cv. Arbequina than to the wild olive O. europaea subsp. europaea var. sylvestris. Additionally, a dynamic molecular map of olive roots was generated at single-cell resolution to reconstruct the continuous root cell differentiation and developmental trajectory. This helps to unravel key regulatory genes in olive root development and adaptation to the external environment. This study explored the diversity of olive trees at genomic and root cellular levels, with insights to support the theoretical basis for enhanced stress tolerance, aiding the global introduction and promotion of olive trees.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6450-6467"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148317391","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}
Xue-Fang Yang, Le Ding, Xiao-Tong Ji, Ru-Yuan Zhang, Wei-Zhong Tang, Chui-Hua Kong
{"title":"Herbicide-resistant weeds exploit their kinship to reduce allelopathy from wheat and rice.","authors":"Xue-Fang Yang, Le Ding, Xiao-Tong Ji, Ru-Yuan Zhang, Wei-Zhong Tang, Chui-Hua Kong","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag267","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag267","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Kin recognition enables plants to optimize growth strategies when competing with heterospecific neighbors; however, its prevalence in herbicide-resistant weeds and how such weeds exploit kinship to interact with allelopathic crops remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that kin recognition occurred in 4 out of 10 tested herbicide-resistant weed biotypes from wheat and rice paddy fields. Root segregation treatments confirmed that kin recognition was mediated by root-secreted chemical signals. When interacting with allelopathic rice and wheat, weed biotypes possessing kin recognition exhibited striking plasticity. Kinship-based pairing reduced root allocation but accelerated flowering and increased seed production. Crucially, herbicide-resistant weed biotypes growing with kin had lower concentrations of the general stress-signaling carotenoid compound (-)-loliolide in the roots, and this was associated with reduced production of allelochemicals in the crops and reduced crop-mediated growth inhibition. This cascade allowed the weeds to reallocate resources toward reproduction and to reduce defense investment in crops, thus revealing a novel 'signal-mediated mutual de-escalation' strategy. Our findings suggest that kin recognition is an adaptive trait in herbicide-resistant weeds, reducing allelopathy from crops through (-)-loliolide-mediated chemical interactions. By modulating crop signaling systems, herbicide-resistant weeds exploit kinship for population expansion in agroecosystems, an adaptation strategy that should be considered when developing integrated weed management approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6660-6671"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148149958","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}
Min Xiong, Chuxin Wang, Qiang Gao, Tingting Liu, Lingyi Chu, Lichun Huang, Changquan Zhang, Xiaolei Fan, Qianfeng Li, Qiaoquan Liu
{"title":"The Waxy (Wx) gene, which encodes a granule-bound starch synthase I, promotes rapid seed germination and embryo growth in rice by enhancing starch-to-sugar conversion.","authors":"Min Xiong, Chuxin Wang, Qiang Gao, Tingting Liu, Lingyi Chu, Lichun Huang, Changquan Zhang, Xiaolei Fan, Qianfeng Li, Qiaoquan Liu","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag378","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag378","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Efficient seed germination and seedling establishment are vital for achieving high rice yields. These processes are governed by pathways involving stored starch mobilization and sugar utilization. The Waxy (Wx) gene controls amylose content in rice grains, and the premature termination of its transcription determines whether the grain is waxy or non-waxy. While Wx is important for regulating rice eating and cooking quality (ECQ), this study reveals a new function for Wx in mediating brassinosteroid-regulated seed germination. Analysis of Wx-related near-isogenic and transgenic lines revealed that seeds carrying the Wxa allele showed faster germination and superior post-germinative growth than those carrying the wx allele. Enhanced post-germinative growth was associated with increased Wx expression, which significantly boosted amylase activity, leading to extensive starch degradation. Additionally, the higher expression and activity of α-amylase in Wxa seeds resulted in greater efficiency of starch-to-sugar conversion. In vitro embryo culture assays demonstrated that the Wxa allele and glucose acted synergistically to promote plumule growth. Moreover, differential Wx expression influenced abscisic acid biosynthesis and catabolism in germinated seeds. Collectively, these findings suggest that appropriately modifying Wx expression to optimize starch composition could achieve the dual goal of improving both ECQ and germination-related traits in rice breeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6498-6509"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148592018","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":"Mutation of SCARECROW-LIKE28 or CYTOKININ OXIDASE3/5 suppresses rosette branching in Arabidopsis.","authors":"Zhiwei Luo, Bart Janssen, Janine Cooney, Dwayne Jensen, Joanna Putterill, Kimberley Cathryn Snowden","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag345","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag345","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Shoot branching is an important trait that influences plant architecture and crop productivity, and it is regulated by multiple plant hormones including strigolactones (SLs), auxin, and cytokinin; however, the interplay between them has yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, branching regulators were identified through a series of transcriptomic, functional and genetic studies. Based on results for gene expression that correlated with either bud outgrowth or bud growth suppression in petunia from a previous study, candidates for branching regulation were selected, and their functions in modulating branching were studied using Arabidopsis mutant lines. The SCARECROW-LIKE28 mutant (scl28) and CYTOKININ OXIDASE/DEHYDROGENASE3/5 double-mutant (ckx3 ckx5) showed significant reductions in rosette branching and altered flowering time relative to the wild type. Transcriptome comparisons between these mutants and the wild type suggested that up-regulation of SL biosynthesis genes in the mutants might contribute to the suppression of rosette branching. This was supported by genetic data indicating that SCL28 and CKX3/5 regulate rosette branching via the SL signalling pathway but regulate flowering independently. These findings provide new insights into the regulation and connections between SL and other hormones and developmental processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6555-6571"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672996/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148421511","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":"Orchestral maneuvers: integrated cytokinin and gibberellin signals regulate flowering.","authors":"Grace A Johnston, Cristiana T Argueso","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag474","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag474","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":"77 19","pages":"6303-6306"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672982/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149194566","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":"Correction to: Rapid on-site detection of crop RNA viruses using CRISPR/Cas13a.","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag318","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag318","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6810"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148630280","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":"Arabidopsis GOLDEN2-LIKE transcription factors interact with ABA-INSENSITIVE 4 to modulate cotyledon greening in light-exposed etiolated seedlings.","authors":"Pengxin Yu, Friederike Saga, Miriam Bäumers, Ute Hoecker","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag364","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag364","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The transcription factors GOLDEN2-LIKE1 (GLK1) and GLK2 are central regulators of chlorophyll biosynthesis and chloroplast biogenesis. We show that GLK1 and GLK2 interact with ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 4 (ABI4). We reveal that GLKs and ABI4 have antagonistic functions in cotyledon greening of light-exposed etiolated seedlings: compared with the wild type, abi4 mutants, similar to seedlings overexpressing GLK2, accumulated more protochlorophyllide in dark-grown seedlings, while glk1 glk2 mutants contained less protochlorophyllide. The protochlorophyllide in etiolated abi4 mutants and GLK2 overexpressors was inefficiently photoreduced upon light exposure, leading to accumulation of 1O2. This corresponded to low cotyledon greening rates and low seedling survival. We also identified photosynthesis-associated nuclear genes (PhANGs) whose transcript accumulation patterns may contribute to the seedling photobleaching pattern. Importantly, the high protochlorophyllide content, low cotyledon greening rate, high 1O2 level, and high PhANG induction in abi4 mutant seedlings were fully dependent on GLK1 and GLK2, indicating that ABI4 acts upstream of GLK genes. Since ABI4 did not regulate GLK transcript levels while it physically interacted with GLK proteins, these data suggest that ABI4 inhibits GLK1 and GLK2 activities in etiolated seedlings to prevent high protochlorophyllide accumulation which would lead to high 1O2 levels and seedling death upon light exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6792-6808"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13672994/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148669785","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}
Yongxing Chen, Caiyan Liang, Yijing Liu, Min Jiang, Lin Qiu, Haizheng Yu, Lei Zhang
{"title":"Chalcone synthase: from discovery to biotechnological applications.","authors":"Yongxing Chen, Caiyan Liang, Yijing Liu, Min Jiang, Lin Qiu, Haizheng Yu, Lei Zhang","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag350","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag350","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Flavonoids, a class of phenolic compounds widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom, exhibit extensive physiological and pharmacological properties. Chalcone synthase (CHS), the key and rate-limiting gateway enzyme in flavonoid biosynthesis, catalyzes the condensation reaction between malonyl-CoA and p-coumaroyl-CoA to produce chalcone, the core C6-C3-C6 skeleton of flavonoids and related secondary metabolites. This review systematically summarizes the current knowledge of CHS, focusing on its protein structure, catalytic mechanism, evolutionary origin, and divergence patterns. It further elaborates on the precisely orchestrated multilayered regulation of CHS, including tissue-specific and developmental transcription mediated by MYB, bHLH, and WD40 transcription factors, responses to key environmental cues, and post-translational modifications (ubiquitination and phosphorylation) that modulate its stability and catalytic activity. Additionally, targeted rational design and metabolic engineering strategies (gene-directed evolution, heterologous expression, and pathway optimization) to efficiently enhance CHS performance in microbial and plant cell factories for boosted flavonoid production are summarized. This comprehensive analysis provides a solid theoretical and practical basis for optimizing CHS function and flavonoid biosynthesis, facilitating the sustainable development and practical implementation of industrial and agricultural applications of these bioactive compounds.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6375-6392"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148471084","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}
Li Liu, Yu Han, Wei Liu, Yanjun Zan, Dong Wang, Yan Ji, Yiwen Sun, Xin Liu, Ran Hao, Wenjia Zhang, Linjie Guo, Jiarui Zhao, Zhimei Song, Dan Liu, Aiguo Yang, Caineng Zhao, Haizhou Hu, Lirui Cheng, Huan Si
{"title":"Complex genetic architecture underlying the plasticity of tobacco leaf width provides insight into across-environment genomic prediction.","authors":"Li Liu, Yu Han, Wei Liu, Yanjun Zan, Dong Wang, Yan Ji, Yiwen Sun, Xin Liu, Ran Hao, Wenjia Zhang, Linjie Guo, Jiarui Zhao, Zhimei Song, Dan Liu, Aiguo Yang, Caineng Zhao, Haizhou Hu, Lirui Cheng, Huan Si","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erag343","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erag343","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Phenotypic plasticity refers to the ability of a given genotype to produce multiple phenotypes in response to changing environmental conditions. Understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic plasticity and developing predictive models for agronomic traits are crucial for future agricultural adaptation to climate change. In this study, we investigated the genetic basis of leaf width mean (LWm) and plasticity (LWp) in a tobacco multiparent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) population comprising 594 individuals. In total, we identified 14 LWm-associated loci and 43 LWp-associated loci, with 12 loci shared between LWm and LWp, indicating that LWm and LWp have a partially shared but not identical genetic basis. Among these loci, qLW14 showed a clear environment-dependent effect. Sequence analysis localized this locus to an ∼3 Mb structural-variation region, and a deletion-associated haplotype was associated with significantly greater leaf width than non-deletion haplotypes in Zhucheng, whereas no significant haplotype effect was detected in Guiyang. This locus provides a representative example of how genotype-specific responses to environmental variation contribute to trait expression and phenotypic plasticity. By integrating genotype, environment, and their interactions into a GEAI model, we improved cross-environment prediction of leaf width, with prediction accuracy increasing by 7.2-8.7% relative to the GBLUP model. Overall, this study characterizes the genetic basis of LWp, highlights substantial environment-dependent genetic effects, and provides a basis for incorporating multi-environment information into breeding-oriented prediction.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"6744-6755"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148436930","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}