Joana Machado, Marta Nunes da Silva, Marta W Vasconcelos, Carla S Santos
{"title":"The Impact Of Climate Change-Induced Abiotic Stresses on the Nutritional Quality of Legume Seeds.","authors":"Joana Machado, Marta Nunes da Silva, Marta W Vasconcelos, Carla S Santos","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf085","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Legumes are integral to agricultural sustainability, offering multifaceted benefits ranging from enhanced yields to companion crops to improved soil health. Despite their recognized advantages, challenges such as technological lock-ins, limited breeding resources, and adverse environmental conditions pose threats to their cultivation. Herein, the complex interaction between climate change stressors - specifically drought, high temperatures, and elevated CO2 levels - and their individual and combined impacts on the nutritional quality of legumes will be discussed. This topic has not been reviewed very often for multiple legume crops, despite its importance under climate change. This review critically examines the impact of environmental stresses on the nutritional quality of legume seeds and explores the underlying regulatory mechanisms, encompassing protein, amino acids, minerals, carbohydrates, lipids, and bioactive compounds. Key insights indicate a general need to shift legume cultivation practices, and the necessity of field studies beyond controlled environments for results that are more readily translated to the target population of environments for legume cultivation.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144010885","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":"Species-specific phyllosphere responses to external pH change.","authors":"Cristal Lopez-Gonzalez, Jean-Baptiste Floc'h, Tanya Renner, Kadeem J Gilbert","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf157","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf157","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The leaf surface, known as the phylloplane, represents the initial point of contact for plants in their interaction with the aboveground environment. Although prior research has assessed how leaves respond to external pH variations, particularly in the context of acid rain, there remains a limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which plants detect, respond to, and mitigate cellular damage. To look at plant responses to external pH changes, we measured the phylloplane pH for five species with variable phylloplane pH that ranged in the dry control. Moreover, we investigated the phylloplane pH in response to three pH treatments (pH 6.5, 4, and 2) and found that plants can modify their phylloplane pH, and this buffering ability is species-specific. Among the species analyzed, only Gossypium displayed a strong buffering ability. For treatments where leaves were exposed to either pH 6.5 or pH 4, Gossypium alkalinized the phylloplane pH slightly higher than the dry control pH. Remarkably, when leaves were exposed to pH 2, Gossypium was able to buffer the pH to 6 within five minutes. Furthermore, our transcriptional analysis indicated that the responses to external pH changes varied among species, highlighting differentially expressed genes associated with calcium (Ca2+) signaling pathways, as well as Ca2+- and H+-ATPases pumps. These findings also suggest that pH stress impacted photosynthesis, and that both wetness and moderate pH shifts may trigger additional abiotic and biotic stress signaling pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144027602","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}
Catarina Paiva-Silva, João Proença Pereira, Frederico Marcolino, Andreia Figueiredo, Rita B Santos
{"title":"Silenced cutters: mechanisms and effects of protease inhibition in plant-pathogen interactions.","authors":"Catarina Paiva-Silva, João Proença Pereira, Frederico Marcolino, Andreia Figueiredo, Rita B Santos","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf156","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf156","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Proteases are essential enzymes in plants that play multiple roles in immunity, including molecular recognition, programmed cell death, and the degradation of pathogen proteins. During plant-pathogen interactions, both organisms have evolved mechanisms to regulate protease activity. Plants produce specific inhibitors to prevent excessive or harmful proteolysis, while pathogens counteract these defenses by deploying molecules that block proteases and weaken plant immunity. Despite significant progress in understanding protease function, many regulatory mechanisms remain unexplored. This review examines the roles of endoproteases in plant responses to biotic stress and the diverse strategies employed by both plants and pathogens to modulate their activity. We discuss known protease inhibition mechanisms and highlight emerging methodologies that offer new insights into protease regulation. Additionally, we explore biotechnological applications, including genetic engineering and chemical inhibitors, aimed at enhancing plant resistance to pathogens. By integrating current knowledge with innovative research tools, we can uncover novel protease regulatory pathways and develop new strategies to improve plant resilience. Understanding these mechanisms not only advances fundamental plant biology but also holds potential for sustainable agricultural practices in the face of evolving pathogen threats.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143999374","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":"Using functional structural models to design architectural ideotypes of grapevine to cope with extreme heat and water stresses: a multi-criteria analysis.","authors":"Mathilde Millan, Rami Albasha, Stathis Delivorias, Romain Boulord, Thierry Simonneau, Benoît Pallas","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf155","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf155","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Extreme heat combined with water stress can cause significant physiological damage, including leaf burn in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.), highlighting the need for varieties better adapted to high temperatures. Modifying specific functional and architectural traits may help mitigate these stresses. However, the impact of genotypic variation in grapevine architecture on leaf temperature and related carbon and water traits has not been thoroughly studied. This study aimed to identify grapevine architectural ideotypes that maximize net carbon assimilation (An) and water use efficiency (WUE) while minimizing leaf temperature (Tleaf) using a functional structural plant model. We generated 1000 3D plant mock-ups by varying leaf area (LA), elevation angle (R), and internode length (IL), based on measurements carried out on a world-wide diversity panel of Vitis vinifera L. Simulations were run under hot and extremely hot conditions, combined with mild and severe water deficits. Architectural traits significantly affected An, WUE and, to a lesser extent, Tleaf. Within a single mock-up, up to 10°C of variation between the coldest and warmest leaves was simulated. Across all weather conditions, large LA, moderate IL, and downward leaf orientation minimized the temperature of the hottest leaves with minimal impact on An and WUE. Ideotypes for dry and hot conditions were identified by minimizing the phenotypic distance between best performing morphotypes and the diversity panel. This study highlights the potential of targeted architectural modifications to enhance grapevine resilience to climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144039789","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}
Andrew L Phillips, Alison K Huttly, Rocío Alarcón-Reverte, Suzanne J Clark, Pavel Jaworek, Danuše Tarkowská, Patrycja Sokolowska, David Steele, Andrew Riche, Malcolm J Hawkesford, Stephen G Thomas, Peter Hedden, Stephen Pearce
{"title":"GIBBERELLIN 3-OXIDASE genes regulate height and grain size in bread wheat.","authors":"Andrew L Phillips, Alison K Huttly, Rocío Alarcón-Reverte, Suzanne J Clark, Pavel Jaworek, Danuše Tarkowská, Patrycja Sokolowska, David Steele, Andrew Riche, Malcolm J Hawkesford, Stephen G Thomas, Peter Hedden, Stephen Pearce","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf151","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In plants, gibberellin (GA) levels are tightly regulated to optimise growth and development. GA 3-oxidases (GA3OX) catalyse a key GA biosynthesis step, converting precursor GAs into bioactive forms. We characterised seven GA3OX homologues in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): a homoeologous triad of GA3OX2 genes expressed in vegetative and reproductive tissues and four others (a homoeologous triad of GA3OX3 genes plus GA1OX1-B1) expressed predominantly in grains. ga3ox2 mutants are severely dwarfed and infertile due to very low bioactive GA levels, indicating GA3OX2 is essential for normal wheat development. By contrast, ga3ox3 mutants have lower bioactive GA levels in grains, reducing grain size and weight, while ga1ox1 mutants accumulate high levels of bioactive GAs, producing larger grains. Unexpectedly, ga3ox3 and ga1ox1 alleles also affected height, possibly reflecting GA transport to vegetative tissues. Natural variation in adjacent GA3OX3-B1 and GA1OX1-B1 genes was associated with differences in grain size and weight, suggesting that a haplotype associated with larger grains was selected during modern breeding. Our study shows that the wheat GA3OX family has diversified roles, with GA3OX2 required for general growth and GA3OX3/GA1OX1 modulating GA levels during grain development. These findings highlight opportunities to exploit variation in GA biosynthetic pathways for wheat improvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144028212","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":"Biological functionality of non-functional protein kinases.","authors":"Matthieu H A J Joosten","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf059","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":"76 6","pages":"1478-1481"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11981891/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143999375","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}
Jesica Raineri, Enrique Montero Bulacio, Mabel Campi, Margarita Portapila, María Elena Otegui, Raquel Lía Chan
{"title":"The sunflower transcription factor HaHB11 increases soybean grain number and heat tolerance across multi-season field trials.","authors":"Jesica Raineri, Enrique Montero Bulacio, Mabel Campi, Margarita Portapila, María Elena Otegui, Raquel Lía Chan","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf088","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soybean is one of the primary sources of vegetable oil and protein worldwide. However, its yield improvement has lagged behind the other major crops. This study explored the potential of the sunflower transcription factor HaHB11 to enhance soybean yield and heat stress tolerance. We generated transgenic soybean plants expressing HaHB11 and evaluated their performance across four field trials. The HaHB11 plants showed a significant increase in grain number per plant compared to controls, which can be related to an increased number of nodes and pods per plant. Flowering dynamics analysis revealed delayed blooming and an increased number of flowers per node, leading to a higher pod set, particularly between nodes four and six. Principal component analysis across field trials identified temperature as a crucial factor influencing grain number, enhancing the differences exhibited by HaHB11 plants. The pollen from transgenic plants germinated better, and tubes were longer than controls under heat stress. Carbohydrate distribution analyses indicated differential allocation of nutrients, which could support the increased pod and grain set in HaHB11 plants. Additionally, vegetation indices can distinguish HaHB11 plants from controls in several developmental stages. These results indicated that HaHB11 enhances soybean yield under heat stress, becoming a promising technology for soybean improvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143811540","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}
Raul Gimenez, Lachlan Lake, Cesar Mariano Cossani, Raul Ortega Martinez, Julie E Hayes, Maria Fernanda Dreccer, Robert French, James L Weller, Victor O Sadras
{"title":"Linking phenology, harvest index, and genetics to improve chickpea grain yield.","authors":"Raul Gimenez, Lachlan Lake, Cesar Mariano Cossani, Raul Ortega Martinez, Julie E Hayes, Maria Fernanda Dreccer, Robert French, James L Weller, Victor O Sadras","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erae487","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erae487","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding phenology and its regulation is central for the agronomic adaptation of chickpea. We grew 24 chickpea (Cicer arietinum) genotypes in 12 environments to analyse the environmental and genotypic drivers of phenology, associations between phenology and yield, and phenotypes associated with allelic variants of three flowering related candidate loci: CaELF3a, a cluster of three FT genes on chromosome 3, and an orthologue of the floral promoter GIGANTEA on chromosome 4. A simple model with three genotype-specific parameters explained the differences in flowering response to daylength. Environmental factors causing flower abortion, such as low temperature and radiation and high humidity, led to a longer flowering-to-podding interval. Late podding associated with poor partition to grain, limiting yield in favourable environments. The genotype Sonali, carrying the early allele of Caelf3a (elf3a), was generally the earliest to set pod and had low biomass but the highest harvest index. Genotypes combining the early variants of GIGANTEA and FT orthologues featured early reproduction and high harvest index, returning high yield in favourable environments. Our results emphasize the importance of pod set, rather than flowering, as a target for breeding, agronomic, and modelling applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"1658-1677"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11981900/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142769502","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}
Simona Crivelli, Kai Bartusch, M Aguila Ruiz-Sola, Mario Coiro, Signe Schmidt Kjølner Hansen, Elisabeth Truernit
{"title":"Distinct and redundant roles of the Arabidopsis OCTOPUS gene family in plant growth beyond phloem development.","authors":"Simona Crivelli, Kai Bartusch, M Aguila Ruiz-Sola, Mario Coiro, Signe Schmidt Kjølner Hansen, Elisabeth Truernit","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf010","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/eraf010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Arabidopsis root apical meristem is an excellent model for studying plant organ growth. This involves a coordinated process of cell division, elongation, and differentiation, with each tissue type developing according to its own schedule. Among these tissues, the protophloem is particularly important, differentiating early to supply nutrients and signalling molecules to the growing root tip. The OCTOPUS (OPS) protein and its homologue OPS-LIKE 2 (OPL2) are essential for proper root protophloem differentiation and, probably through this role, indirectly promote root growth. Here, we explored the roles of the other three OPS homologues in Arabidopsis, OPL1, OPL3, and OPL4. OPS/OPL genes exhibited overlapping expression patterns and functions, with a high degree of redundancy among them. Although higher order mutants did not display more severe phloem defects, they exhibited significantly reduced root growth compared with the ops opl2 mutant. These results indicate a direct contribution of the investigated OPL genes to meristematic activity. While our focus was on root growth, the OPS/OPL gene family also plays a positive role in regulating shoot growth, emphasizing its broader impact on plant development. Furthermore, our analyses reiterate the central role of OPS and the phloem domain in controlling overall plant growth.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"1752-1766"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11981903/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142971153","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}
Andrew P Dare, Chen Wu, Jose I Carvajal, Han M Nguyen, Catrin S Günther, Cyril Hamiaux, Sarah Bailey, Cecilia Deng, Molla F Mengist, Massimo Iorizzo, Toshi M Foster, David Chagné, Sara Montanari, Richard V Espley
{"title":"Haplotyped genome mapping and functional characterization of a blueberry anthocyanin acetyltransferase (AAT) controlling the accumulation of acylated anthocyanins.","authors":"Andrew P Dare, Chen Wu, Jose I Carvajal, Han M Nguyen, Catrin S Günther, Cyril Hamiaux, Sarah Bailey, Cecilia Deng, Molla F Mengist, Massimo Iorizzo, Toshi M Foster, David Chagné, Sara Montanari, Richard V Espley","doi":"10.1093/jxb/erae489","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jxb/erae489","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Blueberry has a diversity of anthocyanins that confer its characteristic blue-coloured skin. Whilst most cultivars produce only anthocyanin glycosides, some can add aliphatic or aromatic groups to the sugar moiety to create acylated anthocyanins. Due to their enhanced stability, acylated anthocyanins represent an attractive breeding target in blueberry. In this study, a haplotype-resolved assembly of a previously identified quantitative trait locus on chromosome 2 of 'Hortblue Petite' (Vaccinium corymbosum) was created to identify candidate anthocyanin acyltransferase genes. One full-length gene (VcAAT1a) was selected based on quantitative PCR expression profiling and transient expression in tobacco leaves and in strawberry and blueberry fruit flesh. In all three systems, VcAAT1a was able to produce a range of acylated anthocyanins in planta. Recombinant VcAAT1a protein demonstrated that, while VcAAT1a was able to act on both anthocyanin 3-O-glucosides and 3-O-galactosides, it could only utilize acetyl-CoA as an acyl donor. Protein modelling using AlphaFold suggested that this restricted range in acyl donors may be due to a spatially restricted sub-pocket in the acyl-binding site of VvAAT1. Finally, LUC/REN promoter activation assays revealed that the VcAAT1a promoter was transactivated by the VcMYBPA1 and VcMYBPA2 transcription factors, further expanding our knowledge of anthocyanin regulation in blueberry.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":"1607-1624"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11981897/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142807236","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}