Nature Plants最新文献

{"title":"PAX-regulated self-organizing polarity drives procambial strand formation","authors":"Alkistis E. Lanassa Bassukas, Yao Xiao, Namuk Kim, Claus Schwechheimer","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02382-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02382-w","url":null,"abstract":"In plants, the vascular network enables the transport of water, nutrients and metabolites. The vascular network formed in leaves is a striking example of tissue patterning, and leaf venation is a defining leaf feature. During patterning, veins arise from aligned, elongated procambial cells derived from undifferentiated ground meristem cells. The mechanisms behind procambial strand formation involving cell selection, polarization, alignment, elongation and division have remained elusive. Here we identify a previously uncharacterized role for the polar protein PAX in establishing coordinated cell and tissue polarity during this process. We uncover a novel, auxin-guided role for the polar PAX protein in establishing cell and tissue polarity that precedes and is independent of the polarization and activity of PIN auxin transporters. Our findings refine and redefine existing models of vascular patterning during vein network formation in plant leaves. PAX, a polarly localized protein kinase, converts auxin cues into coordinated cell polarity, propagating polarity between neighbouring cells to align procambial cells and form connected veins. PAX reinforces PIN-mediated auxin patterning and vascular connectivity.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 10","pages":"2108-2119"},"PeriodicalIF":15.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-026-02382-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148840852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating Causal Claims in Plant Developmental Metabolism: A When–Where–How Framework","authors":"Xiangfei Cheng, Yanan Zhao, Leidi Liu, Yaning Li, Ruohang Zhao, Zhiyao Yang, Xinci Hao, Zhongling Yang, Chengde Yu, Chengming Fan, Zhifang Li","doi":"10.3390/plants15172604","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15172604","url":null,"abstract":"Metabolic changes are often described as drivers of plant development even when the evidence establishes only association or a permissive requirement. This review separates biological role from causal status and evaluates claims across seven dimensions: association, necessity, localization, transport, rescue and mediation, sufficiency, and quantitative-threshold testing. We apply a when–where–how framework to four cases. Perturbations of T6P, SnRK1, and TOR support T6P-dependent kinase regulation as a mediator of lateral-root development and are consistent with a context-dependent candidate gate, but its window and threshold remain unresolved. Circadian regulation of AHA3 and SUC2 by CCA1 provides the most complete chain, combining cell-specific perturbation, transport, and rescue. The OsARF18–OsARF2–OsSUT1 pathway supports sucrose transport as a mediator of rice fertility, although receiving-cell necessity and quantitative restoration remain unresolved. H+-ATPase perturbations identify apoplastic pH as a proximal mediator of Arabidopsis hypocotyl and cotton-fiber elongation, with context-dependent optima rather than a shared threshold. Nutrient and redox regulation, specialized metabolism, stress, and senescence provide boundary comparisons. Causal confidence depends on claim-matched evidence for responding cells and developmental windows and, where relevant, transport routes, mechanisms, and whole-plant trade-offs. The framework can guide AI-assisted breeding by prioritizing genotype-, stage-, and tissue-specific interventions for prospective perturbation and rescue.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"15 17","pages":"2604-2604"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148861329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolutionary tuning of the molecular charge state of UBP24 shapes responses to high temperature","authors":"Shao-Li Yang, Hongyan Liu, Xiangyu Xu, Anton Gorkovskiy, Monica L. Garcia Gomez, Kirsten ten Tusscher, Jennifer Molinet, Božena Klodová, Tingting Zhu, Cassio Flavio Fonseca De Lima, Brigitte Van De Cotte, Karin Voordeckers, Toshinori Kinoshita, Kevin J. Verstrepen, Rike Stelkens, Kris Gevaert, Lam Dai Vu, Ive De Smet","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02345-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02345-1","url":null,"abstract":"Protein evolution is shaped by sequence variation that modulates protein properties—for example, through the gain or loss of post-translational modifications. Among these, reversible phosphorylation alters a protein’s overall electrical charge and enables organisms to dynamically respond to environmental fluctuations. In plants, the hydro-active opening of stomata, microscopic pores that regulate gas exchange and leaf temperature, is governed by phosphorylation-dependent signalling. Here we identify a mechanism involving the deubiquitylase UBIQUITIN-SPECIFIC PROTEASE 24 (UBP24) that promotes stomatal opening in Arabidopsis thaliana under heat. UBP24 is phosphorylated at serine 360 by the kinase OPEN STOMATA 1, which is activated by B4 RAF kinases in response to heat stress. This phosphorylation stabilizes UBP24, enabling the deubiquitylation of a plasma membrane H+-ATPase to promote stomatal opening. This reveals a heat-responsive signalling pathway that evolved in vascular plants to regulate stomatal function. Strikingly, a similar evolutionary feature exists in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where the UBP24 homologue Ubp3 requires a constitutively negatively charged residue at the homologous site to support growth after heat shock. Our findings uncover a conserved molecular mechanism in which negative charge, via phosphorylation or acidic residues, modulates deubiquitylase function, supporting adaptive thermal responses in plants and yeast and highlighting how charge-based regulation promotes cellular resilience under stress. Yang et al. reveal a conserved heat-adaptation mechanism in plants and yeast. Elevated temperatures increase protein negative charges, stabilizing key proteins. In Arabidopsis, UBP24 stabilization promotes stomatal opening and improves heat survival.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 9","pages":"1846-1859"},"PeriodicalIF":15.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148830594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atypical E2F transcription factors couple Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 to endosperm cell division and differentiation","authors":"Yongyan Wang \u0000 (, ), Dongsheng Shi \u0000 (, ), Yuhong Wei \u0000 (, ), Yuejiao Dong \u0000 (, ), Fengjiao Niu \u0000 (, ), Xiaoyue Luan \u0000 (, ), Xiaotian Zhang \u0000 (, ), Qingwen Shen \u0000 (, ), Hongyu Chen \u0000 (, ), Hua Jiang \u0000 (, ), Jihua Tang \u0000 (, ), Guifeng Wang \u0000 (, )","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02386-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02386-6","url":null,"abstract":"Flowering plant endosperm and mammalian placenta represent convergent evolutionary products sharing conserved developmental programmes, embryonic nutrient transport and genomic imprinting. Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2)-mediated H3K27me3 silencing restricts precocious tissue overproliferation in both lineages, yet the underlying molecular mechanism remains undefined. Here we show that mutations in ancestral maize ZmFIE2, not its derived paralogue ZmFIE1, abrogates global H3K27me3 levels, resulting in aberrant cell proliferation, impaired differentiation in early endosperm and seed lethality. ZmFIE2 physically interacts with the ancient atypical E2F transcription factor ZmE2F12 to recruit PRC2, depositing H3K27me3 at G1/S-phase and differentiation genes via E2F motifs in their promoters and repressing their expression. Codepletion of ZmE2F12 and its close paralogue ZmE2F13 abolishes this epigenetic repression and induces excessive endosperm cell proliferation. The orthologous DEL1–FIE complex functions equivalently in Arabidopsis endosperm. Collectively, our findings delineate a conserved E2F–PRC2 epigenetic module that restricts G1/S-phase progression to maintain endosperm developmental homeostasis. Atypical E2F transcription factors recruit the PRC2 complex to catalyse H3K27me3 deposition at G1/S-phase loci within plant endosperm, curbing premature G1/S transitions and sustaining endosperm developmental homeostasis.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 9","pages":"1782-1797"},"PeriodicalIF":15.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148819040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A conserved hexapeptide switch controls autoinhibition of plant cytosolic invertases","authors":"Yujie Fan, Chunyan Mo, Chuang Wang, Jianfeng Xing, Yunlong Zhang, Nan Sun, Qingbiao Xie, Yuan Yao, Kaiye Liu, Xue Yang, Xiaodong Liu, Jun Tao, Yongjun Fang, Xiaohu Xiao, Zhendong Zhao, Xueqing Zhou, Xiaolin Tian, Haiteng Deng, Jianquan Liu, Zhenhua Ming, Jiang Wang, Chaorong Tang","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02383-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02383-9","url":null,"abstract":"Cytosolic invertases (CINVs) are essential for plant sugar homeostasis, growth and development, yet their enzymatic regulation remains unclear. Here we show that land plant CINV enzymes are tightly autoinhibited via synergistic actions of their N- and C-termini on the central catalytic GH100 domain. A conserved C-terminal hexapeptide functions as a dual switch: an intrinsic ‘brake’ that inhibits GH100 and an ‘accelerator’ that recruits 14-3-3 activators upon phosphorylation. During plant terrestrialization, this motif evolved from ‘TRSXpSW’ to ‘[K/R]RSXpSW’, enhancing both autoinhibition and 14-3-3 binding. In Hevea brasiliensis, 14-3-3-dependent CINV activation is the primary source of endogenous CINV enzyme activity in rubber-producing laticifers. In Arabidopsis thaliana, replacing its hexapeptide with ancestral variant relieves autoinhibition, elevates CINV activity and promotes growth. Our study unveils an evolutionarily refined, hexapeptide-mediated mechanism that controls CINV autoinhibition with potential for biotechnological crop improvement. The study reveals an evolved molecular switch that controls plant sucrose-cleaving enzymes. Altering this switch increases enzyme activity and stimulates plant growth, offering a potential strategy for crop improvement.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 9","pages":"1830-1845"},"PeriodicalIF":15.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148819056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A paradigm shift in the regulation of plant invertases","authors":"Christine H. Foyer","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02397-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02397-3","url":null,"abstract":"Sugar signalling is a cornerstone of anatomical plasticity and reproductive success, tailoring plant development to metabolic and environmental cues. The demonstration of a C-terminal hexapeptide-dependent mechanism for the autoinhibition of cytosolic invertase activity that is controlled by protein phosphorylation and 14-3-3 protein binding is pivotal to our understanding of carbohydrate metabolism and sugar signalling, as is the knowledge of how this mechanism has been tailored to optimize function during evolution.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 9","pages":"1669-1670"},"PeriodicalIF":15.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148819104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plant-specific and conserved mechanisms of the polymerase-associated factor 1 complex in replication stress responses","authors":"Cunliang Li, Yuyu Guo, Ziying Wang, Haowei Zheng, Jing Deng, Shunping Yan, Lili Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02387-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02387-5","url":null,"abstract":"DNA replication stress threatens genome stability, but how plants respond to this challenge remains unclear. Here we show that the evolutionarily conserved polymerase-associated factor 1 complex (PAF1C) is required for the replication stress response in Arabidopsis. Plants lacking functional PAF1C are hypersensitive to replication stress-inducing agents. Mechanistically, we reveal a plant-specific pathway in which the stress-activated kinase WEE1 phosphorylates PAF1 to prevent its protein degradation, a regulatory mechanism absent in yeast. By contrast, we uncover a conserved pathway in which the replication factor C (RFC) complex recruits PAF1C to stalled replication forks, where PAF1C in turn recruits the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes UBC1/2 and the E3 ubiquitin ligases HUB1/2 to promote histone H2B monoubiquitination, thereby stabilizing the forks. Collectively, our findings suggest that PAF1 regulates replication stress responses by integrating a plant-specific protein stability control mechanism (WEE1–PAF1) with a conserved recruitment mechanism (RFC–PAF1–UBC1/2–HUB1/2). This work establishes a new function for PAF1C and expands the mechanistic understanding of WEE1 and the RFC complex in the replication stress response. This study shows that PAF1 protects plants from DNA replication stress via plant-specific WEE1-mediated protein stabilization and conserved RFC-mediated fork recruitment, driving H2B monoubiquitination to maintain genome stability.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 9","pages":"1798-1813"},"PeriodicalIF":15.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PAF1 integrates conserved and plant-specific mechanisms in response to DNA replication stress","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02390-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02390-w","url":null,"abstract":"DNA replication stress can compromise genome stability, but the mechanisms of protective responses in plants remain unclear. We show that PAF1 counteracts DNA replication stress through plant-specific WEE1-mediated protein stabilization and conserved recruitment of replication factor C to replication forks, where it drives H2B monoubiquitination to protect fork stability.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 9","pages":"1677-1678"},"PeriodicalIF":15.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rethinking ATP balance in photosynthesis","authors":"Ranay Mohan Yadav, Rajagopal Subramanyam","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02399-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02399-1","url":null,"abstract":"A study recently published in Nature Plants marks a paradigm shift that the primary role of PROTON GRADIENT REGULATION 5 is not to boost ATP production but to safeguard photosynthesis through ΔpH-dependent photoprotection. By overturning two decades of dogma, it invites us to rethink how plants manage energy and resilience. Photosynthesis is not just about making ATP but is about protecting the delicate machinery that sustains life on Earth.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 9","pages":"1659-1660"},"PeriodicalIF":15.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148795754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The origin and domestication of modern cultivated Chrysanthemum × morifolium","authors":"Cunquan Yuan, Rui Zhang, Tianci Cong, Yalin Liu, Tingting Sun, Chunhua Li, Rouzhi Liu, Ming Sun, Qingqing Yang, Yujie Yang, Man Zhang, Huien Zhao, Yicen Yao, Hetong Liu, Qing Yuan, Xiaojie Song, Huiye Wu, Shuai Sun, Huitang Pan, Jia Wang, Tangren Cheng, Tangchun Zheng, He Zhang, Guangyi Fan, Qixiang Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02366-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02366-w","url":null,"abstract":"The modern cultivated chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat.) is a globally important ornamental plant, ranking as the second-largest cut flower after roses. Here, to unravel its complex origin and domestication history, we achieved 6 haplotypes of the elite hexaploidy cut chrysanthemum cultivar ‘Jinba’ (2n = 6x = 54). By constructing a genome-wide variant map across 147 core accessions, we classified current Chrysanthemum varieties into 4 wild and 4 cultivated groups. We observed extensive, intricate gene flow among these groups, demonstrating that wild germplasms from both China and Japan contribute substantially to the formation of modern cultivars. We constructed a global dispersal map for cultivated chrysanthemum and confirmed Chrysanthemum indicum as one of the key ancestral taxa. In addition, we identified candidate loci and genes associated with the development of important agronomic traits, including plant architecture, flower type and flower colour. This study provides crucial insights into the evolutionary history of cultivated chrysanthemums and establishes a robust genomic resource for advancing molecular breeding. Haplotype-resolved genome assembly and population genomic analyses reveal the origin and domestication history of modern hexaploid cultivated chrysanthemum, as well as loci and genes associated with key agronomic traits.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 9","pages":"1725-1740"},"PeriodicalIF":15.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148769312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}