Fengyan Fang, Boxuan Yuan, Lixia He, Minmin He, Xuchu Wang
{"title":"Roles of rubber elongation factor and small rubber particle protein in rubber particles.","authors":"Fengyan Fang, Boxuan Yuan, Lixia He, Minmin He, Xuchu Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11103-025-01593-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-025-01593-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rubber elongation factor (REF) and small rubber particle protein (SRPP) are critical components in the biosynthesis of natural rubber in Hevea species, with both proteins playing significant roles in regulating stress responses. Despite recent advancements in understanding their regulatory mechanisms, a comprehensive analysis of their functional roles, gene evolution, expression patterns, and biological regulation is still needed. This review consolidates current knowledge on REF and SRPP, highlighting their evolutionary history and the influence of environmental factors and hormonal signals on their transcriptional regulation. Additionally, it explores the potential of REF and SRPP in plant breeding, not only for improving rubber-producing plants but also for enhancing stress tolerance in non-rubber-producing species. The review emphasizes the need for further research into the molecular mechanisms driving REF and SRPP function, including their involvement in stress resilience and interactions with other proteins in rubber biosynthesis. By synthesizing the latest findings, this work aims to inform future breeding strategies and genetic engineering efforts, with a particular focus on improving rubber production efficiency and increasing plant resistance to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity. This review provides valuable insights for optimizing the utilization of REF and SRPP in future crop improvement programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"115 3","pages":"71"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144192150","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":"Biochemical characterization of benzaldehyde dehydrogenases from petunia.","authors":"Takao Koeduka, Karin Ito, Shin-Nosuke Yamamoto, Shin-Ichi Ozaki, Tomohiko Tsuge, Sakihito Kitajima","doi":"10.1007/s11103-025-01597-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-025-01597-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Benzoic acid, the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid, is an important building block for a wide range of primary and specialized plant metabolites. In Petunia hybrida, benzoic acid serves as a key precursor of volatile benzenoids, which are responsible for the primary floral scent. However, the enzymes responsible for benzoic acid production in plants have rarely been reported. This study aimed to identify and characterize benzaldehyde dehydrogenases-enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of benzaldehyde to benzoic acid-using a combination of metabolite analysis and transcriptomic approaches. We identified two petunia benzaldehyde dehydrogenases, PhBALDH-1 and PhBALDH-2, with apparent K<sub>m</sub> values of 93 and 51 μM for benzaldehyde, respectively. While PhBALDH-2 exhibited a strong preference for NAD<sup>+</sup> as a cofactor, PhBALDH-1 was capable of utilizing both NAD<sup>+</sup> and NADP<sup>+</sup>. In vitro mutagenesis experiments demonstrated that substituting a single amino acid markedly affected the cofactor specificity of the PhBALDH-1 enzyme. Gene expression analysis during petunia flower development suggests that both PhBALDH-1 and PhBALDH-2 are likely involved in regulating volatile benzenoid biosynthesis in petunia flowers. Our findings provide functional insights into the biosynthesis of benzoic acid and its regulation in P. hybrida.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"115 3","pages":"70"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144192149","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}
Xiao-Lin Niu, Gang-Shuai Liu, Xiaodan Zhao, Da-Qi Fu
{"title":"SlRGLG2-SlBEL2 module regulates drought tolerance in tomato.","authors":"Xiao-Lin Niu, Gang-Shuai Liu, Xiaodan Zhao, Da-Qi Fu","doi":"10.1007/s11103-025-01595-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-025-01595-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BEL1-LIKE HOMEODOMAIN (BLH/BELL) family transcription factors play important roles in the response of plants to environmental stress. In this study, we found that the BLH/BELL transcription factor SlBEL2 affects drought tolerance in tomato plants, as SlBEL2-knockout (KO-SlBEL2) tomato plants showed enhanced drought tolerance, whereas SlBEL2-overexpression (OE-SlBEL2) tomato plants displayed impaired drought tolerance. Further research demonstrated that SlBEL2 negatively regulates drought tolerance in tomato plants by suppressing the expression of a number of genes that respond to drought. In addition, a RING E3 ligase, SlRGLG2, interacts with SlBEL2 and promotes ubiquitination degradation of SlBEL2, thus affecting the stability of the SlBEL2 protein, which in turn positively regulates drought tolerance in tomato plants. In summary, the SlRGLG2-SlBEL2 module regulates drought tolerance in tomato plants, and the aforementioned findings offer a novel viewpoint on the tomato plant's drought tolerance regulatory network.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"115 3","pages":"69"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144187559","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":"Comparative proteomic analysis of desiccation responses in recalcitrant Quercus acutissima seeds.","authors":"Haiyan Chen, Yongbao Shen","doi":"10.1007/s11103-025-01596-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-025-01596-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The preservation of recalcitrant seeds is crucial for sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation, particularly for economically important species like Quercus acutissima. However, these seeds pose serious challenges for ex situ conservation due to their high sensitivity to desiccation. This study employed integrated physiological, cytological, and proteomic approaches to systematically reveal the characteristics of viability loss during desiccation of Q. acutissima seeds. The results showed that fresh seeds had an initial moisture content of 38.8% (IM) with a germination percentage of 99%, while the semi-lethal (SLM) and lethal moisture (LM) contents were 26.8% and 14.8%, respectively. Desiccation caused cell wall collapse, membrane system rupture, and cytoplasmic degradation, while physiological and proteomic results revealed distinct responses during different desiccation stages. In the early stages, downregulation of iron superoxide dismutase indicated antioxidant system impairment, while lipoxygenase-mediated membrane lipid peroxidation triggered reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde accumulation. During the deep desiccation stages (LM), we observed active energy metabolism with isocitrate dehydrogenase [NADP] upregulation. Additionally, the downregulation of phospholipase D and acyl-CoA synthetase may promote abnormal accumulation of free fatty acids; these factors collectively exacerbated membrane system disintegration. Furthermore, the glutathione-ascorbic acid cycle failed at later stages, translation mechanisms were imbalanced (ribosomal protein upregulation and tRNA synthetase downregulation), programmed cell death -related proteins were upregulated, while protective protein systems (insufficient late embryogenesis abundant expression and delayed small heat shock protein response) failed to effectively mitigate damage. The results suggest that the desiccation sensitivity of Q. acutissima seeds stems from a multi-cascade reaction involving oxidative damage, membrane system collapse, translation dysregulation, and programmed cell death. This study provides a theoretical basis for optimizing recalcitrant seed preservation strategies: comprehensive approaches should include antioxidant protection, membrane stabilization techniques, and metabolic regulation to holistically address multi-system damage during desiccation.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"115 3","pages":"68"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144143140","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}
Xin-Xin Li, Yue-Hao Gao, Hao-Wen Ma, Yu-Qiong Wang, Tian Bu, Weilun Yin, Xinli Xia, Hou-Ling Wang
{"title":"Non-tissue culture genetic modifications for plant improvement.","authors":"Xin-Xin Li, Yue-Hao Gao, Hao-Wen Ma, Yu-Qiong Wang, Tian Bu, Weilun Yin, Xinli Xia, Hou-Ling Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11103-025-01594-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-025-01594-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gene delivery systems are essential for investigating gene regulation mechanisms and enhancing the genetic improvement of functional traits in plants. However, fewer than 0.1% of higher plant species on Earth can be genetically modified. Even for these species, the genetic modification process relies on complex tissue culture methods, which are time-consuming, costly, and often require specialized technical skills. Additionally, the efficiency of genetic modification is extremely low in some species. Notably, over the past five years, significant progress has been made in establishing non-tissue culture genetic modification systems. This advancement effectively resolved a series of previously mentioned challenges and innovated in biotechnology for the improvement of many valuable plant species. This review summarizes the research advancements in non-tissue culture genetic modification technologies and presents examples of successful species modified using various methods, including fast-treated Agrobacterium co-culture (Fast-TrACC), cut-dip-budding (CDB), particle bombardment, and nano-mediated delivery systems. Additionally, we propose a working guideline to classify, analyze, evaluate, and select non-tissue culture genetic modification systems for plant species of interest. Our review also discusses the potential for enhancing plant regeneration capacity, improving genetic modification efficiency, and the future application prospects for plant improvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"115 3","pages":"67"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144079475","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":"Shoot elongation patterns and regulatory genes controlling grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) internode elongation.","authors":"Youmei Li, Xinyu Huangfu, Wenqin Hua, Yiran Bian, Yuanqian Ni, Zhaosen Xie","doi":"10.1007/s11103-025-01590-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-025-01590-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The robust growth of grape shoots often results in diminished grape quality and increased labor costs in grape production. Investigating the patterns of shoot elongation and the underlying mechanisms is beneficial for simplifying cultivation processes and enhancing fruit quality. However, there is limited research on this topic. In this study, we found that lateral growth and elongation growth occurred simultaneously in each grape internode, and exhibited a similar sigmoid growth curve model. The dissection of the internode structure revealed that elongation of the cells in the middle of the stem was the primary reason for the rapid elongation of grape shoots, while the sharp increase in the xylem area significantly contributed to the lateral growth of the internodes. Transcriptome analysis indicated that genes associated with cell cycle organization, cell wall organization, and phytohormone activity play important roles in regulating the growth of grape internodes. One candidate gene, VvSAUR72, which is related to auxin signaling components, was characterized to promote internode elongation by overexpression in Arabidopsis. These results provide a foundation for further investigation into the regulatory mechanisms related to the internode elongation in grapevine.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"115 3","pages":"62"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143987408","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}
Yanping Zhang, Yali Guan, Yongkang Lu, Lin Wang, Yuqing Chen, Manzhu Bao
{"title":"Topping-induced transcriptome changes reveal PaSPL-mediated regulation of plant architecture in Platanus acerifolia.","authors":"Yanping Zhang, Yali Guan, Yongkang Lu, Lin Wang, Yuqing Chen, Manzhu Bao","doi":"10.1007/s11103-025-01580-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-025-01580-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant architecture is one of the most important qualities of Platanus acerifolia Willd., enabling it to be known as \"the king of street trees\". However, there are few reports available on its molecular regulatory mechanisms. Shoot branching is a key process in regulating plant architecture. In this study, topping experiments and transcriptome sequencing analyses were performed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying axillary bud growth and development in P. acerifolia. After 3 d of topping, the axillary buds in P. acerifolia exhibited significant growth, with the trend increasing over subsequent days. The KEGG enrichment analysis revealed considerable changes in the expression levels of genes involved in the auxin signal transduction pathway. Additionally, the expression of most PaSPL genes was downregulated after topping. While Pla-miR156f regulated Arabidopsis plant architecture, flowering transition and flower development, this regulation was not directly influenced by the topping pathway. These results contribute to a better understanding of P. acerifolia plant architecture regulation and provide valuable insights into the regulation of other plants, particularly woody plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"115 3","pages":"65"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144000058","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 a gene with PWWP domain confers salt tolerance in rice.","authors":"Hyeon Ung Seo, Cheol Seong Jang","doi":"10.1007/s11103-025-01581-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-025-01581-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Salinity is a major problem due to the continuous increase in the salinization of agricultural lands, particularly, paddy fields. Using a forward genetics approach, salt-insensitive TILLING line 3, sitl3, was selected from a core population induced by gamma-ray irradiation. Under salt stress, sitl3 had greater fresh weight and chlorophyll content, and lower H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> and Na<sup>+</sup> contents than the wild-type. In the gene (LOC_Os07g46180) with two PWWP domains (named Oyza sativa PWWP4, OsPWWP4) of sitl3, a premature stop was caused by an SNP, and was named OsPWWP4p.Gly462* (a stop gain occurred from the 462th amino acid residue). The OsPWWP4 and substrate proteins (OsEULS2, OsEULS3, and OsEULD2) were identified using yeast two-hybrid, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, in vitro pull-down, and in vitro methyltransferase assays. Subcellular localization of OsPWWP4 and OsPWWP4p.Gly462*GFP-tagged proteins revealed they were both localized in the nucleus, while OsEULS2, OsEULS3, and OsEULD2 GFP-tagged proteins were found in the nucleus and cytosol of rice protoplasts. The expression levels of OsEULS2, OsEULS3, OsEULD2 under salt stress were higher in sitl3 than in wild-type plants. In contrast, OsPWWP4 expression was higher in the latter. Genes involved in the salt overly sensitive (SOS) pathway showed higher expression in the aerial tissues of silt3 than in the wild-type. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated OsPWWP4 knock-out transgenic plants showed salt tolerance phenotypes with low Na<sup>+</sup> contents and low Na<sup>+</sup>/K<sup>+</sup> ratios. The data suggest that sitl3 is a valuable genetic resource for understanding protein post-translational regulation-related salinity tolerance mechanisms such as methyltransferase activities, and for improving salt tolerance in rice through breeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"115 3","pages":"63"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144006329","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 analysis of wrinkled leaf development of Tai-cai (Brassica rapa var. tai-tsai) and its synthetic allotetraploid via RNA and miRNA sequencing.","authors":"Xinli Zhang, Wen Zheng, Zhiyu Zhu, Xiaocan Guo, Jinbao Hu, Li'ai Xu, Huihui Fang, Yunshuai Huang, Zhengyan Ling, Zhujun Zhu, Yunxiang Zang, Jianguo Wu","doi":"10.1007/s11103-025-01592-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-025-01592-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The allotetraploid (AACC) was synthesized through wide hybridization between 'Mottle-leaf Tai-cai' (Brassica rapa var. tai-tsai Hort. AA) and 'Big Yellow Flower Chinese Kale' (B. oleracea var. alboglabra Bailey. CC) in earlier study, which owns a stronger wrinkled leaf and wave margin than Tai-cai. To analyze the structure and developmental mechanism of wrinkled leaf and wave edge, four leaf development stages were chosen for RNA-seq and their key stages for anatomical observation. As a result, the number of cell layers and compactness of AA and AACC were significantly increased in folded parts, and the enlargement of epidermal cells causes the leaf edge to curve inward. The gene expression bias of AACC showed no difference in the cotyledon stage, favored the A genome in the first leaf stage, however, favored the C genome in the third leaf and fifth leaf stages, showing an expression level advantage over the C genome parent. During the leaf development, the plant hormone signaling pathway were significantly enriched, PIN1 (BraC07g037600), AUX1 (BraC05g007870), AUX/IAA (BraC03g037630), and GH3 (BraC10g026970), which maintained high expression during the euphylla leaf stage of AA and AACC. And these genes performed different patterns in CC. In addition, the expression levels of miR319 and miR156 of AA were significantly higher than those of CC, and the expression levels of their target genes TCP and SPL were lower. These genes were jointly involved in the development of AA and AACC leaves and may be closely related to the formation of leaf folds and waves.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"115 3","pages":"66"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144064474","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}
Ramyani Bhattacharjee, Highland Kayang, Eros V Kharshiing
{"title":"Engineering plant photoreceptors towards enhancing plant productivity.","authors":"Ramyani Bhattacharjee, Highland Kayang, Eros V Kharshiing","doi":"10.1007/s11103-025-01591-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-025-01591-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Light is a critical environmental factor that governs the growth and development of plants. Plants have specialised photoreceptor proteins, which allow them to sense both quality and quantity of light and drive a wide range of responses critical for optimising growth, resource use and adaptation to changes in environment. Understanding the role of these photoreceptors in plant biology has opened up potential avenues for engineering crops with enhanced productivity by engineering photoreceptor activity and/or action. The ability to manipulate plant genomes through genetic engineering and synthetic biology approaches offers the potential to unlock new agricultural innovations by fine-tuning photoreceptors or photoreceptor pathways that control plant traits of agronomic significance. Additionally, optogenetic tools which allow for precise, light-triggered control of plant responses are emerging as powerful technologies for real-time manipulation of plant cellular responses. As these technologies continue to develop, the integration of photoreceptor engineering and optogenetics into crop breeding programs could potentially revolutionise how plant researchers tackle challenges of plant productivity. Here we provide an overview on the roles of key photoreceptors in regulating agronomically important traits, the current state of plant photoreceptor engineering, the emerging use of optogenetics and synthetic biology, and the practical considerations of applying these approaches to crop improvement. This review seeks to highlight both opportunities and challenges in harnessing photoreceptor engineering approaches for enhancing plant productivity. In this review, we provide an overview on the roles of key photoreceptors in regulating agronomically important traits, the current state of plant photoreceptor engineering, the emerging use of optogenetics and synthetic biology, and the practical considerations of applying these approaches to crop improvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"115 3","pages":"64"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144000047","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}