{"title":"The Biological and Agronomic Nexus Behind Protoporphyrinogen IX Oxidase (PPO)-Inhibiting Herbicide Resistance in Crops.","authors":"Farman Ali, Aliya Fazal, Zeyu Qiu, Yuwen Yang, Baolong Zhang","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf220","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf220","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The repeated use of a single herbicide over many years results in the emergence of resistant weeds, posing a significant danger to food security. Current attempts to prevent herbicide-resistant weeds from evolving and spreading rely mostly on the creation of genetically engineered herbicide-resistant crops and the implementation of herbicide rotation strategies with varied modes of action. In recent years, protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO)-inhibiting herbicides have gained popularity for weed management in fields as a result of the slow evolution of PPO-inhibitor resistance and the widespread emergence of weed resistance to acetolactate synthase-inhibitor and glyphosate. The slowly emerging resistance to PPO herbicides enables long-term weed control and ensures the efficiency of PPO inhibitors in managing herbicide-resistant weeds. Recognizing its importance for food security, this review explores innovative strategies for developing crops resistant to PPO-inhibiting herbicides. The review in particular attempts to provide a more detailed explanation of strategies including conventional tissue culture, prokaryotic, amino acid substitution, Fe-chelatase, and circadian clock-controlled gene regulation. All of which contributes to our understanding of how these strategies maintain sufficient PPO enzymatic activity while moderating the herbicide's inhibitory effects and supporting the cells' continued growth and survival under herbicide application.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144110871","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":"A nonsense mutation in Brown Spotted Leaf 2 (BSL2) gene encoding a receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase confers enhanced disease resistance in rice.","authors":"Shiyu Wang, Xinfeng Zhang, Shuang Liu, Yu Song, Haoyu Zheng, Yanjuan Hu, Tong Li, Songhong Wei, Xiaoxue Wang","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf214","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf214","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) are critical components that facilitate the connection between transmembrane localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and downstream signaling pathways involved in defense responses in plants. In this study, we present findings regarding the BSL2 gene, which encodes a protein kinase in the RLCK superfamily, and its role in cell death-mediated defense responses in rice. We obtained a mutant exhibiting a lesion leaf phenotype, designated as brown spotted leaf 2-1 (bsl2-1), through an ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis. The bsl2-1 is characterized as a single recessive mutation, resulting from a G-to-A single base-pair alteration that converts tryptophan (Trp) to a premature stop codon. The BSL2 encodes a protein kinase containing a protein kinase catalytic (PKc) domain and a tight adherence D (TadD) domain. The bsl2-1 mutation disrupts the TadD domain, leading to the manifestation of a spontaneous lesion leaf phenotype. The BSL2 is expressed globally and is induced by phytohormones and pathogens in rice, which encodes a protein localized in the cytoplasm. Histochemical analysis indicated a significant accumulation of reactive oxygen species, increased DNA fragmentation, and the occurrence of programmed cell death, generating a phenotype resembling a hypersensitive response in bsl2-1. Furthermore, the bsl2-1 mutation conferred enhanced resistance to sheath blight and bacterial blight diseases. These findings suggest that BSL2 is involved in regulating innate immune responses and disease resistance in rice.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144101941","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}
Amit Kumar Chaturvedi, Ian Kin Yuen Choi, Benny Jian Rong Sng, In-Cheol Jang
{"title":"HFR1/PIF module balances chlorophyll biosynthesis to promote greening during de-etiolation in Arabidopsis.","authors":"Amit Kumar Chaturvedi, Ian Kin Yuen Choi, Benny Jian Rong Sng, In-Cheol Jang","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf217","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf217","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During de-etiolation, dark-grown seedlings are exposed to light, which triggers chlorophyll biosynthesis and greening of the cotyledons. LONG HYPOCOTYL IN FAR-RED 1 (HFR1) is known to interact with PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORs (PIFs) to regulate many light-mediated developmental processes in Arabidopsis. Here, we found that seedlings overexpressing HFR1 [HFR1(ΔN)-OE] showed photo-oxidative bleaching and reduced greening during de-etiolation, which is similar to pif1-1. To elucidate the role of HFR1 in regulating de-etiolation and greening, transcriptome analyses were performed on seedlings of hfr1-5, HFR1(ΔN)-OE, and pif mutants under 0, 1, and 6 h of de-etiolation. We found that PIFs and HFR1 exert opposing regulation of genes related to chlorophyll biosynthesis, photosynthesis, and oxidative stress during de-etiolation. Importantly, HFR1 promoted the expression of genes related to antioxidant activity and inhibition of programmed cell death, along with reduced protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) accumulation, potentially explaining the attenuated photobleaching observed in HFR1(ΔN)-OE, as compared to pifq. Further analysis of the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway revealed that gene regulation by HFR1 and PIFs at 6 h de-etiolation coincides with their photo-oxidative phenotypes. While HFR1 suppresses the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis genes, PIFs promote their expression, which influences the accumulation of protochlorophyllide and burst of singlet oxygen during de-etiolation, thereby causing photobleaching.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144093963","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}
Yusuf Genc, Ute Baumann, Judy Cheong, Julian Taylor, Judith Atieno, James Walter, Tristan Coram, Julie E Hayes, Tim Sutton
{"title":"Loss of HKT1;5D via a spontaneous terminal deletion elevates leaf sodium in bread wheat, but is independent of yield or salinity tolerance.","authors":"Yusuf Genc, Ute Baumann, Judy Cheong, Julian Taylor, Judith Atieno, James Walter, Tristan Coram, Julie E Hayes, Tim Sutton","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf213","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soil salinity is a significant constraint to global wheat production, and breeding for salinity tolerance offers a sustainable solution. MW#293 is a recently developed bread wheat line, notable for both its high salinity tolerance and unusually high leaf sodium (Na⁺) accumulation. However, the association between high Na⁺ accumulation and salinity tolerance in this line was unknown. Using genetic, genomic, physiological, and agronomic approaches, we identified and delineated a terminal deletion on chromosome 4D encompassing the major Na⁺ transporter gene TaHKT1;5D and determined this as the cause of the elevated leaf Na⁺ in MW#293. In a Mace x MW#293 segregating population, leaf Na+ and shoot growth measured under salinity were shown to be under separate genetic control. Field trials were conducted in three environments ranging from slightly to moderately saline. Despite the deletion encompassing at least 286 genes, we observed neither a positive nor a negative influence on grain yield. These results suggest that TaHKT1;5D is not a critical determinant of salinity tolerance in MW#293 and related bread wheat germplasm, but that other mechanisms are responsible.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144093964","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":"Transcriptomic and functional analyses reveal a complex unexplored landscape of Botrytis cinerea colonization in rose.","authors":"Rui Li, Juanni Yao, Jiaying Xiao, Yue Ming, Daofeng Liu, Yueqing Cao, Zhensheng Kang, Zhengguo Li, Yulin Cheng","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf219","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf219","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Botrytis cinerea (Bc) is a notorious necrotrophic fungal pathogen that colonizes different plant tissues. Gray mold caused by Bc is a great threat to rose (Rosa sp.), one of the most important ornamental plants worldwide, but colonization strategies of Bc in rose tissues remain unexplored. Here, we report a comprehensive investigation of the mechanisms underlying Bc colonization in rose leaf and petal by integrated transcriptomic and functional analyses. Multiple genes involved in the biogenesis of ribosome, an organelle for protein synthesis, were commonly upregulated during Bc colonization in leaf and petal. Application of inhibitors targeting fungal ribosome biogenesis, coupled with gene disruption assays, demonstrated the contribution of ribosome biogenesis to Bc colonization in leaf and petal. Notably, genes associated with nitrogen transport, carbohydrate metabolism, and protein glycosylation contributed to Bc colonization, and some of them were tissue-specific virulence factors. Through in silico secretome analysis and functional verification, we identified seven novel plant cell death-inducing effectors and one of them contributed to Bc colonization in leaf and petal. This study reveals a complex unexplored landscape of Bc colonization in rose and also advances the understanding of plant-pathogen interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144086348","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":"Shining light on photosynthesis.","authors":"Mike T Page, Martin A J Parry","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf096","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf096","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144078307","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}
Niels Eerdekens, Elif Nur Kabak, Batist Geldhof, John Vaughan-Hirsch, César Antonio Chavez, Francesco Mignolli, Maria Laura Vidoz, Bram Van de Poel
{"title":"An overview of low-oxygen sensing and flooding responses of tomato.","authors":"Niels Eerdekens, Elif Nur Kabak, Batist Geldhof, John Vaughan-Hirsch, César Antonio Chavez, Francesco Mignolli, Maria Laura Vidoz, Bram Van de Poel","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf203","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a globally significant and widely consumed vegetable crop. However, the productivity of tomato cultivation is increasingly threatened by flooding events, which are predicted to escalate in both frequency and severity due to climate change. During waterlogging, plants experience acute hypoxic stress, which can be lethal if prolonged. This review examines the mechanisms by which plants sense and signal low-oxygen stress, with focusing on the role of group-VII Ethylene Response Factors and the N-degron pathway, including their regulation. A comparative analysis of these low-oxygen signaling pathways between Arabidopsis and tomato reveals considerable conservation across species, although understudied in tomato. Furthermore, this paper elucidates how hypoxia triggers various adaptation strategies in tomato. We highlight the physiological, morphological, metabolic, and hormonal responses, including modifications in plant transpiration and photosynthesis, the development of aerenchyma and adventitious roots, the induction of epinasty, and the reprogramming of the energy metabolism. The review also provides insights into the hormonal signaling cascades that play a pivotal role in flooding stress responses. We aim to provide an in-depth understanding how tomato plants deal with flooding-induced hypoxic stress. Additionally, we aim to provide insights that can be leveraged for breeding more flood-tolerant and climate-resilient tomato cultivars.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144078304","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}
Chunyan Zheng, Hanjie Li, Yanfei Liu, Xiner Huang, Junting Han, Na Luo, Faqiang Li
{"title":"A DUF630 and 632 Domains-containing Protein, ZmNRL1, Acts as a Positive Regulator of Nitrogen Stress Response in Maize.","authors":"Chunyan Zheng, Hanjie Li, Yanfei Liu, Xiner Huang, Junting Han, Na Luo, Faqiang Li","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf202","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nitrogen (N) is a key macronutrient whose availability often determines maize growth and productivity. Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is critical to increase maize yield while reducing N input, and more importantly, alleviating environmental pollution. However, only a few genes have been exploited for maize NUE improvement thus far. Here, we identified 44 candidate genes associated with NUE-related traits by performing a genome-wide association analysis in a maize natural population. We further found that the natural variations in ZmNRL1, encoding a DUF630 and DUF632 domains-containing protein, strongly associated with chlorophyll content under N starvation. Loss function of ZmNRL1 reduced nitrogen content and weakened plant growth under hydroponic and soil conditions, whereas overexpression of ZmNRL1 conferred better tolerance to N stress and elevated yields in transgenic maize and Arabidopsis. Comparative transcriptome analysis further revealed that ZmNRL1 has a broad impact on the expression of many N utilization and signaling genes. Moreover, we showed that ZmNRL1 anchored to the plasma membrane likely through the dual lipid modifications of myristoylation and palmitoylation. Thus, we propose that ZmNRL1 is a key regulator of the adaptation response to N limitation in maize and could be a potential target for breeding high-yield maize with enhanced NUE.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144013365","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}
Waqar Ali, Marcin Grzybowski, J Vladimir Torres-Rodríguez, Fangyi Li, Nikee Shrestha, Ramesh Kanna Mathivanan, Gabriel de Bernardeaux, Khang Hoang, Ravi V Mural, Rebecca L Roston, James C Schnable, Seema Sahay
{"title":"Quantitative genetics of photosynthetic trait variation in maize.","authors":"Waqar Ali, Marcin Grzybowski, J Vladimir Torres-Rodríguez, Fangyi Li, Nikee Shrestha, Ramesh Kanna Mathivanan, Gabriel de Bernardeaux, Khang Hoang, Ravi V Mural, Rebecca L Roston, James C Schnable, Seema Sahay","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf198","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf198","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Natural genetic variation in photosynthesis-related traits can aid both in identifying genes involved in regulating photosynthetic processes and developing crops with improved productivity and photosynthetic efficiency. However, rapidly fluctuating environmental parameters create challenges for measuring photosynthetic parameters in large populations under field conditions. We measured chlorophyll fluorescence and absorbance-based photosynthetic traits in a maize diversity panel in the field using an experimental design that allowed us to estimate and control multiple confounding factors. Controlling the impact of day of measurement and light intensity as well as patterns of two-dimensional spatial variation in the field increased heritability for 11 out of 14 traits measured. We were able to identify high confidence GWAS signals associated with variation in four spatially corrected traits (the quantum yield of photosystem II, non-photochemical quenching, redox state of QA, and relative chlorophyll content). Insertion alleles for Arabidopsis orthologs of three candidate genes exhibited phenotypes consistent with our GWAS results. Collectively these results illustrate the potential of applying best practices from quantitative genetics research to address outstanding questions in plant physiology and understand natural variation in photosynthesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143967654","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}
Nathan O A Howard, Victor H Rodriguez-Morelos, Lewis Allen, Pedzisai Chinoruma, Louis D Cohen, Grace A Hoysted, Anne D Jungblut, Isabella Lamb, Sara Moeskjaer, Flavia Pinzari, James Prout, Claire E Stanley, Jurriaan Ton, Alex Watts, Alex Williams, Tim Daniell, Alan Wanke, Sebastian Schornack, Silvia Pressel, Katie J Field
{"title":"What's in a name? The case for standardised nomenclature for mutualistic Mucoromycotina 'fine root endophytes'.","authors":"Nathan O A Howard, Victor H Rodriguez-Morelos, Lewis Allen, Pedzisai Chinoruma, Louis D Cohen, Grace A Hoysted, Anne D Jungblut, Isabella Lamb, Sara Moeskjaer, Flavia Pinzari, James Prout, Claire E Stanley, Jurriaan Ton, Alex Watts, Alex Williams, Tim Daniell, Alan Wanke, Sebastian Schornack, Silvia Pressel, Katie J Field","doi":"10.1093/jxb/eraf210","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf210","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15820,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143999690","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}