Plant Molecular Biology最新文献

{"title":"Coumarin metabolites in Ocimum: chemical diversity, biosynthetic pathways, and network pharmacology-based prediction of multi-target anticancer potential.","authors":"Jingtian Yang, Jialin Li, Wuzhi Jiaba, Jing Yuan, Mei Liu, Lingliang Guan, Guoyu Yang","doi":"10.1007/s11103-026-01731-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-026-01731-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ocimum, a widely used medicinal and culinary herb, is known for its health-promoting properties, yet most research has focused on its volatile oils, leaving the therapeutic potential and biosynthesis of its coumarins largely unexplored. Despite reports of coumarin bioactivity in other plants, a comprehensive understanding of coumarin diversity, pharmacology, and genetic regulation within Ocimum remains lacking-limiting both its breeding potential and pharmaceutical applications. Here, we applied an integrated multi-omics approach-including UPLC-MS/MS metabolomics, transcriptomics, network pharmacology, and molecular docking-to systematically profile coumarin metabolites, investigate their medicinal potential, and uncover their biosynthetic underpinnings across ten Ocimum accessions. A total of 59 coumarins were identified, 58 of which displayed significant variation among accessions, highlighting pronounced intra-genus metabolic diversity. Network pharmacology revealed that 35 bioactive coumarins potentially interact with 263 human targets, forming a rich metabolite-target-disease-pathway network. These coumarins were enriched in cancer- and inflammation-related KEGG pathways (e.g., PI3K-Akt, Ras/MAPK, endocrine resistance) and GO terms (e.g., tyrosine kinase activity), with hub compounds such as isodemethylwedelolactone, coumestrol, daphnetin, umbelliferone, and agrimonolide showing strong binding affinities to key proteins (e.g., EGFR, MAPK1, CCND1; docking scores ≤ - 6 kcal/mol). Coumarin biosynthetic pathways were reconstructed for several major compounds, revealing genotype-specific accumulation patterns and associated differentially expressed genes. These findings fill a critical knowledge gap regarding Ocimum coumarins by linking their metabolic diversity to pharmacological function and underlying gene expression. Our results lay the groundwork for breeding high-value Ocimum cultivars and developing coumarin-based functional foods or multi-target therapeutic agents, particularly for cancer and inflammatory diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"116 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148157597","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":"Ethanol application enhances freezing stress tolerance in Arabidopsis and sugar beet.","authors":"Daisuke Todaka, Kentaro Nakaminami, Akihiro Matsui, Seishi Ikeda, Quynh Thi Nhu Do, Maho Tanaka, Satoshi Takahashi, Chieko Torii, Junko Ishida, Tomoyuki Takeda, Atsushi J Nagano, Motoaki Seki","doi":"10.1007/s11103-026-01719-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-026-01719-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cold stress, especially freezing stress, is an important environmental factor that induces physiological damage in plants. In previous studies, we showed that ethanol application increases tolerance to high salinity, heat, high-intensity light, and drought, although the core mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated whether ethanol application could enhance freezing stress tolerance in Arabidopsis and sugar beet. Arabidopsis seedlings grown on agar plates were pretreated with 20 mM ethanol solution and then subjected to freezing. The survival ratio and growth indicators, including green leaf area, were higher in ethanol-pretreated seedlings than in water-pretreated seedlings. Similarly, in Arabidopsis seedlings grown in pots containing soil, 20 mM ethanol pretreatment increased the green leaf area after freezing treatment. Pretreatment with 80 mM ethanol solution of potted sugar beet seedlings grown in soil before exposure to freezing increased the survival ratio compared with that of water-pretreated seedlings. Transcriptome analysis using potted Arabidopsis plants grown in soil identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which included stress-related genes (LEA, DREB1A and ERF6) and anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes (LDOX/ANS and DFR). Gene ontology analysis showed that DEGs associated with hypoxic response including oxidative stress response and anthocyanin-containing compound metabolic process were enriched in seedlings pretreated with 20 mM ethanol. Collectively, the results reveal that ethanol application effectively increases freezing stress tolerance and provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms that underlie ethanol-mediated abiotic stress tolerance.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"116 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13233896/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148157602","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":"CeO₂ Nanozymes as redox regulators: Reprogramming of reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling for plant climate resilience.","authors":"Shareen Niyazi, Krishnamurthi Keerthana, Yamshi Arif, Zishan Ahmad, Mohammad Shahid, Venkatesan Vijayakanth","doi":"10.1007/s11103-026-01724-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-026-01724-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change-induced abiotic stress, including heat, cold, salinity, and drought, increasingly threaten global crop productivity. These challenges highlight the need for complementary strategies alongside conventional genetic improvement. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) act both as cytotoxic molecules causing oxidative damage and as essential signaling regulators controlling redox homeostasis and stress adaptation. This review examines recent advances in engineering nanozymes (NZs) for targeted regulation of plant ROS networks. NZs exhibit dual functions as antioxidant ROS scavengers, and modulators of redox signaling, with nanoceria (CeO₂), serving as key example due to its enzyme-mimetic antioxidant activity. Beyond ROS scavenging, emerging evidence suggests that nanoceria can modulate molecular stress signaling pathways, including Ca²⁺ fluxes and phytohormone interactions involving auxin (IAA), abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid. Such ROS reprogramming may trigger hormetic responses that enhance plant tolerance to environmental stress. We further discuss design of smart nanocarriers for targeted and stress-responsive modulation of plant defense pathways. Finally, we highlight future research directions, including experimental standardization and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to predict NZ-plant interactions based on physicochemical properties. Together, these advances position CeO₂ NZs as a promising tool for molecular reprogramming of oxidative homeostasis toward improved climate resilience.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"116 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148150955","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":"Genome-wide association studies reveal a functional SNP and candidate genes associated with alkali tolerance in alfalfa.","authors":"Chunxia Zhang, Jinhuan Sun, Zhibin Fan, Qixiumei He, Yuci Hu, Kezhen Yang, Jie Le","doi":"10.1007/s11103-026-01728-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-026-01728-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), the world's most widely cultivated perennial forage crop, is valued for its high-quality feed and broad environmental adaptability. However, soil alkalization poses a major constraint to its productivity in marginal lands, with the genetic basis of alkali tolerance remaining largely unexplored. This study identified a lead SNP (Chr7-16,804,032) via a genome-wide association study (GWAS), where the T/T genotype was strongly associated with enhanced alkali tolerance. Physiological analyses revealed that lines carrying the T/T genotype maintained higher chlorophyll and soluble protein content, lower malondialdehyde levels, elevated antioxidant enzyme activities, and better Na⁺/K⁺ homeostasis under alkali stress. Functional validation across five alfalfa cultivars, supported by field trials in natural saline-alkali soils, confirmed that the T/T genotype consistently promoted biomass accumulation. Within a 14.4 Kb region flanking Chr7-16,804,032, we identified MsFAI (F-box Associated Interaction domain), a gene specifically induced under alkali stress. Overexpression of MsFAI in Arabidopsis thaliana significantly improved alkali tolerance. Further transcriptomic profiling highlighted MsCDPK (Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase) and MsPCO (Plant Cysteine Oxidase) as alkali-responsive genes, and their heterologous expression in A. thaliana likewise conferred alkali tolerance. Taken together, our work delineates a major genetic locus (Chr7-16,804,032) and key candidate genes (MsFAI, MsCDPK, and MsPCO) governing alkali tolerance in alfalfa. These findings provide important candidate loci and genes for future research on alkali tolerance mechanisms and may facilitate molecular breeding of alfalfa after further functional validation.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"116 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148143848","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 synthetic expression system for orthogonal gene expression in Nicotiana benthamiana.","authors":"Dominik Mojzita, Anssi Rantasalo, Markus Laurel, Hannu Hotti, Kirsi-Marja Oksman-Caldentey, Heiko Rischer","doi":"10.1007/s11103-026-01725-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-026-01725-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plants represent commercially relevant production systems for recombinant proteins and chemical compounds. Effective genetic engineering depends on precise control of heterologous gene expression, which remains challenging due to complex transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, endogenous gene silencing mechanisms, and notably because of limited number of tools for allowing robust, fine-tuned control of expression levels across different systems/organisms. Some of the most common issues associated with plant expression systems are addressed with our plant-optimized version of a previously developed fungal universal synthetic expression system (SES). Plant SES demonstrates several favorable characteristics for robust heterologous gene expression, including highly constitutive function with apparently reduced sensitivity to endogenous silencing in transient assays, without requiring p19 co‑expression under the tested conditions. These together provide simple, predictable tuning of gene expression levels, and the potential for very high expression levels of the target genes. In all these features, SES shows higher and more stable transcript levels than Cauliflower Mosaic Virus (CaMV) 35 S promoter-based constructs in our experimental setups. The functionality of plant SES was tested by expressing mCherry and three commercially relevant proteins: fungal glucose oxidase (GOX), protein A and human vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF16) from diverse organisms, supporting high-level accumulation of recombinant proteins. In addition, plant SES retains full functionality in both plant and fungal hosts, which makes this expression system a useful tool for a multitude of genetic engineering applications in other eukaryotic organisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"116 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13230335/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148150873","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":"Plant viruses as next-generation vectors for transgene-free genome editing, gene regulation, and rapid crop improvement.","authors":"Abdul Ali Azam, Muhammad Salman Iqbal, Huma Saleem, Revocatus Bahitwa, Hai Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11103-026-01729-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-026-01729-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant viruses, which were previously considered only as agricultural threats, are becoming programmable vectors of transgene-free, tissue culture-independent genome editing. Engineered viral vectors can be used to precisely deliver genome-editing reagents far more expeditiously than classical techniques by harnessing their inherent ability to replicate and disseminate throughout the systemic space. These systems are 5-10 times faster to accomplish trait validation and overcome the tissue culture bottleneck, which continues to inhibit genome editing in more than 80% of crop species today. Viruses have now been used for gene engineering in the new forms of Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS), Virus-Induced Genome Editing (VIGE), and Virus-Induced Flowering (VIF) to achieve extraordinary efficiency in a broad spectrum of crops, including wheat, maize, rice, barley, potato, and tomato. Virus-based methods are often transgene-free and are usually faster and more versatile than traditional methods of gene editing, and do not require tissue culture. They can be used to improve yield, initiate flowering, enhance biotic and abiotic stress resistance, and enhance nutrition. Although there are some challenges that include limited cargo capacity, not being a Shoot apical meristem (SAM), host specificity, and biosafety concerns. The continuous advances in the design of viral vectors, their combination with miniature genome editors, and technologies of transgene-free editing are enlarging their applications. Collectively, these novel technologies reinvent plant viruses as versatile biotechnological systems to achieve rapid, scalable, and eco-friendly improvements in crops, which can offer a way of agriculture free of transgenes and able to be delivered worldwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"116 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148056180","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":"Exl1 from Pectobacterium activates a jasmonate-dependent immune network in Arabidopsis thaliana.","authors":"Everardo Jair Flores-Cuevas, Martha Torres, Damien Formey, Claudia Martinez-Anaya, Mario Serrano, Delia A Narváez-Barragán","doi":"10.1007/s11103-026-01723-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-026-01723-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacterial expansins contribute to the virulence of diverse plant pathogens, yet their biological activity and molecular roles during host interactions remain to be elucidated. Expansin-like protein, Exl1, from phytopathogens from the genus Pectobacterium, activates defense responses in Arabidopsis thaliana involving production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene (ET), and salicylic acid (SA) pathways, ultimately reducing disease symptoms upon subsequent infections with P. brasiliense and the fungus Botrytis cinerea. However, the target of Exl1 within the plant cell wall and the downstream pathways associated with these responses are yet to be identified. Here, we analyzed the transcriptomic profile of A. thaliana leaves treated with Exl1 protein to provide a genome-wide transcriptional framework associated with Exl1-triggered immunity. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 and JA-impaired mutant jar1-1 revealed distinct transcriptional patterns associated with JA-dependent responses at early time points. Abscisic acid (ABA)-related signaling was associated with later stages of the response, supported by the increased expression of the ABA-responsive gene CRK45 six hours after Exl1 treatment, and increased susceptibility of an ABA-impaired mutant. These findings suggest the involvement of multiple phytohormone-related pathways following Exl1 treatment. In parallel, extensive transcriptional reprogramming was observed, across diverse functional categories, reflecting a broad host response associated to the presence of Exl1. Together, these findings suggest that Exl1 induces an integrated signaling network that coordinates immune responses to strengthen plant defense, providing new insight for future functional studies on how bacterial expansins modulate plant-microbe interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"116 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13221334/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148056194","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":"Modular control of orchid beauty: co-expression networks orchestrate organ development and evolution in Phalaenopsis flower.","authors":"Francesca Lucibelli, Angela Carfora, Marianna Varone, Gennaro Volpe, Paola Di Lillo, Sarah Maria Mazzucchiello, Giuseppe Saccone, Marco Salvemini, Serena Aceto","doi":"10.1007/s11103-026-01711-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-026-01711-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Orchidaceae family is known for its extraordinary floral diversity and unique ecological adaptations. Beyond their scientific relevance, orchids represent a major component of the ornamental plant industry due to their high commercial value. Therefore, understanding the complex molecular networks that govern orchid flower development is a fascinating and relevant challenge. Despite extensive molecular knowledge, crucial gaps remain regarding the unique developmental programs of orchids. This work aims to present a transcriptomic analysis to investigate differential gene expression across floral tissues during the early stage of flower development in Phalaenopsis aphrodite, in order to uncover new orchid-specific patterns. The identification of co-expression networks, combined with Gene Ontology enrichment analysis, revealed key biological pathways active across distinct floral organs. We found tissue-specific enrichment of functions related to photosynthesis, lipid metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism. Particular emphasis was placed on genes associated with labellum traits, including pigmentation and morphology, features that are crucial for pollinator attraction and central to orchid floral evolution. The expression patterns of selected genes were validated by qPCR in both wild-type and peloric Phalaenopsis mutants at early developmental stages. Overall, our findings advance the understanding of the molecular regulation underlying orchid flower development and provide new insights into the evolutionary mechanisms shaping floral diversity in orchids.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"116 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13219088/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148043375","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":"Haplotype-based multi-locus genome-wide association study reveals genomic regions associated with reproductive stage high temperature stress tolerance in rice.","authors":"Adhip Das, Madan Pal, Adam H Price, Sukumar Taria, Ayushman Mallick, Megha Sharma, Sudhir Kumar, Ranjith Kumar Ellur, S Gopala Krishnan, Lekshmy Sathee, Pradeep Kumar Jain, Monika Dalal, Annamalai Anandan, Siddharth Panda, Anita Kumari, Manu Agarwal, Viswanathan Chinnusamy","doi":"10.1007/s11103-026-01716-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-026-01716-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High temperature causes harmful effects on growth, quality and yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Higher spikelet fertility is the most desirable trait for mitigating the effects of climate change, and thus need to develop rice varieties with climate resilience under future climate scenario for sustainable rice productivity. In our study, spikelet fertility and panicle weight were investigated under controlled environmental conditions in a set of 241 rice genotypes, which were sequenced in 3000 rice genomes project. High temperature significantly reduced the spikelet fertility and panicle wight by over 50% in this study. Genome wide association mapping was performed on spikelet fertility and panicle weight with 1 million SNPs using an efficient mixed model. Three promising MTAs viz., qHTSF19_5.2, qHTSF19_5.4 and qHTPW19_9.2 and haplotype variants of four putative candidate genes namely, LOC_Os05g15160 (a triose phosphate/phosphate translocator 2), LOC_Os05g16420 (SHR5-receptor-like kinase), LOC_Os09g15670 (an ABA-induced protein phosphatase 2Cs) and LOC_Os09g15700 (a receptor like protein kinase) were identified. The variations of non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) in the gene sequences were used to group the association panel and identify superior donors and haplotypes. IRIS 313-8704 and IRIS 313-11307 were identified as superior donors with higher spikelet fertility and panicle weight under HT stress. Moreover, both the identified donors were found to be in the same haplotype group, highlighting their significance in developing haplotype specific markers that could be beneficial for marker-assisted breeding and making reproductive stage high temperature stress tolerant rice globally.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"116 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148043374","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":"WUSCHEL in forest trees: evolutionary organizer, vascular architect, and totipotency switch.","authors":"Shanchen Zhong, Shasha Wang, Kai Cui","doi":"10.1007/s11103-026-01721-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11103-026-01721-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The WUSCHEL (WUS) transcription factor is the central organizer of shoot apical meristem (SAM) stem cells, yet its functions in woody plants remain poorly understood. This review synthesizes current knowledge of WUS and WUS-related homeobox (WOX) family genes in forest trees, spanning evolutionary genomics, vascular cambium regulation, somatic embryogenesis(SE), hormonal and environmental signal integration, and biotechnological applications. Comparative genomic analyses reveal \"transitional\" WUS genes in gymnosperms, illuminating the evolutionary trajectory from ancient to modern meristem regulation. In the vascular cambium unique to woody plants, WOX4 maintains cambial cell identity and prevents ectopic xylem differentiation, while contrasting CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION-related(CLE) peptide pathways-the CLAVATA3(CLV3)-WUS negative feedback in the SAM versus the TDIF-PXY-WOX4 positive axis in the cambium-highlight WUS/WOX functional diversification across meristems. We discuss how WUS and derived functional peptides overcome regeneration recalcitrance, a major bottleneck in forest tree genetic transformation, and examine how cytokinin(CK)-auxin cross-talk, light, nutrient, and abiotic stress signals modulate WUS/WOX expression. Finally, we outline strategies for deploying CRISPR-based WUS regulation to improve wood properties, plant architecture, and stress resilience in forest trees. This integrative perspective positions the WUS/WOX family as a central nexus linking stem cell biology, environmental adaptation, and applied tree breeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":20064,"journal":{"name":"Plant Molecular Biology","volume":"116 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147974549","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}