Plant PhysiologyPub Date : 2025-07-17DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf311
Li Guo,Serena Rosignoli,Magnus Wohlfahrt Rasmussen,Kiran Suresh,Giuseppe Sangiorgi,Francesco Camerlengo,Viktoria V Zeisler-Diehl,Lukas Schreiber,Christoph Dockter,Markus Pauly,Roberto Tuberosa,Frank Hochholdinger,Silvio Salvi
{"title":"The putative endo-1,4-β-D-glucanase GLU3 regulates cellulose biosynthesis in barley roots.","authors":"Li Guo,Serena Rosignoli,Magnus Wohlfahrt Rasmussen,Kiran Suresh,Giuseppe Sangiorgi,Francesco Camerlengo,Viktoria V Zeisler-Diehl,Lukas Schreiber,Christoph Dockter,Markus Pauly,Roberto Tuberosa,Frank Hochholdinger,Silvio Salvi","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf311","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf311","url":null,"abstract":"The plant cell wall is a crucial structure that ensures plant cell integrity and facilitates environmental adaptation. Cellulose is the primary component of the plant cell wall. Its biosynthesis is orchestrated through the plasma membrane-localized multiprotein cellulose synthase complex, which includes a membrane-anchored endo-1,4-ß-glucanase. Here, we identified a barley (Hordeum vulgare) mutant with short roots resulting from repressed cell division and elongation, which we designated hordeum vulgare endo-β-1,4-D-glucanase 3-1 (hvglu3-1). HvGLU3 encodes a putative membrane-anchored endo-1,4-ß-glucanase that is highly conserved across plant species. The hvglu3-1 mutant exhibited a 60% reduction in cellulose content, accompanied by changes in hemicellulose and suberin levels and an altered lignin structure in the roots. Subcellular localization analyses and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays suggested a direct interaction between HvGLU3 and primary cellulose synthases. We investigated the reprogramming of the tissue-specific transcriptome in hvglu3-1 root tips using a combination of laser capture microdissection (LCM) and RNA sequencing. This approach revealed that 74% of all genes that are actively expressed in the elongation zone are influenced by root cellulose biosynthesis. Gene co-expression analyses highlighted the essential role of cellulose biosynthesis in diverse biological processes, including cell wall organization, phytohormone signaling, and stress responses, to regulate root tissue development. Overall, our study demonstrates the partially conserved role of HvGLU3 in controlling cellulose biosynthesis in roots and provides valuable transcriptomic resources for future studies.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"109 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144652899","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}
Plant PhysiologyPub Date : 2025-07-17DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf309
T Winkelmolen,P Colleoni,M J Moscou,P Hoseinzadeh,K Oldach,R C Schmidt,R G H Immink,G W van Esse
{"title":"VULGARE ROW-TYPE SIX 5 binds to the promoter of tillering and floral homeotic genes to regulate their expression.","authors":"T Winkelmolen,P Colleoni,M J Moscou,P Hoseinzadeh,K Oldach,R C Schmidt,R G H Immink,G W van Esse","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf309","url":null,"abstract":"Variation in shoot architecture, or tillering, is an important adaptive trait targeted during the domestication of crops. A well-known regulatory factor in shoot architecture is TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1 (TB1). TB1 and its orthologs have a conserved function in integrating environmental signals to regulate axillary branching or tillering in cereals. The barley (Hordeum vulgare) ortholog of TB1, VULGARE ROW-TYPE SIX 5 (VRS5), regulates tillering and is involved in regulating row-type by inhibiting lateral spikelet development. These discoveries predominantly come from genetic studies; however, how VRS5 regulates these processes on a molecular level remains largely unknown. By combining transcriptome analysis between the vrs5 mutant and the wild type at different developmental stages and DAP-sequencing to locate the genome-wide DNA binding sites of VRS5, we identified bona fide targets of VRS5. We found that VRS5 targets abscisic acid-related genes, potentially to inhibit tillering in a conserved way. Later in inflorescence development, VRS5 also targets row-type gene VRS1 and several known floral development genes, such as MIKCc-type MADS-box genes. This study identifies several genes for mutational analysis, representing a selection of bona fide targets that will contribute to a deeper understanding of the VRS5 network and its role in shaping barley development.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144646017","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":"Never-Germinating Arabidopsis Seeds with LbCas12a-Induced Mutations in Six Clade A Type 2C Protein Phosphatase Genes.","authors":"Cuiping Xin,Yu Lu,Syeda Leeda Gul,Wei Sun,Zhenghong Cao,Xiangchao Kong,Kexin Fan,Siyun Li,Xiaohan Liu,Xue-Chen Wang,Qi-Jun Chen","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf315","url":null,"abstract":"Cas12 nucleases, such as Cas12a, Cas12i, and Cas12f, are genome-editing tools that possess several unique attributes. However, the potential of various Cas12 variants for multiplex genome editing in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) remains insufficiently characterized. In this report, we systematically evaluated 18 additional targets and demonstrated that the LbCas12a variant carrying D156R and E795L mutations exhibits minimal target bias. Furthermore, we achieved an editing efficiency of at least 73.8% (45/61) in generating T1 homozygous sextuple mutants, with more than half of these mutants exhibiting a complete seed germination arrest phenotype. Comparative analysis of seven LbCas12a variants revealed that the optimization of nuclear localization sequences, rather than codon usage, is fundamental for improved editing efficiency, and that the E795L mutation had synergistic effects with other mutations in highly efficient LbCas12a variants. Further investigation into one Cas12i3 and two AsCas12f variants showed that the Cas12i3 variant also exhibits sufficiently high editing efficiency in Arabidopsis, although additional refinements were required to mitigate its target bias. Collectively, in this study, we developed the most efficient CRISPR/Cas tool for multiplex genome editing in Arabidopsis, as demonstrated by the highly efficient generation of never-germinating seeds harboring mutations in six clade A type 2C protein phosphatase genes.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144652863","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}
Plant PhysiologyPub Date : 2025-07-16DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf224
Daijing Zhang, Min Fan, Tian Li, Yahya Rauf, Yongjie Liu, Xinkai Zhu, Haiyan Jia, Wenxuan Zhai, Juan C Luzuriaga, Brett F Carver, Liuling Yan
{"title":"A natural allele of the transcription factor gene TaMYB-D7b is a genetic signature for phosphorus deficiency in wheat","authors":"Daijing Zhang, Min Fan, Tian Li, Yahya Rauf, Yongjie Liu, Xinkai Zhu, Haiyan Jia, Wenxuan Zhai, Juan C Luzuriaga, Brett F Carver, Liuling Yan","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf224","url":null,"abstract":"Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) deficiencies are major yield-limiting factors for wheat (Triticum aestivum) production worldwide, particularly in the acidic soils of the southern Great Plains of North America. In this study, we report that the transcription factor gene TaMYB-D7 is responsible for a major quantitative trait locus controlling purple leaf color. The wheat cultivar ‘2174’ showed purple coleoptiles regardless of P status, whereas ‘Jagger’ did not, even under P limitation. The two cultivars differed by one amino acid in TaMYB-D7: Gly-50 in TaMYB-D7b (encoded by the 2174 allele) and Ser-50 in TaMYB-D7a (encoded by the Jagger allele). We used genome editing to inactivate all three TaMYB7 homoeologs in cv. 2174. The resulting edited wheat plants did not accumulate purple pigments throughout their life cycle, validating the functions of TaMYB-7Db associated with the purple phenotype. In the TaMYB7-edited plants, chalcone synthase 2-like (TaCHSL2), which may be involved in anthocyanidin biosynthesis and metabolism, was dramatically downregulated, suggesting that TaMYB7 induces its transcription. We also discovered that the expression of TaMYB7 and TaCHSL2 was upregulated by P but downregulated by N. Lastly, we developed a Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) marker to facilitate the genotyping of TaMYB-D7b, which can be used for marker-assisted breeding. Our results provide insight into nutrient use efficiency in wheat.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144639751","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}
Plant PhysiologyPub Date : 2025-07-16DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf310
Avilash Singh Yadav
{"title":"Time to bloom: GmREM16a promotes flowering time in soybeans.","authors":"Avilash Singh Yadav","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf310","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf310","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144645996","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}
Plant PhysiologyPub Date : 2025-07-16DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf313
Mamoona Khan
{"title":"Belowground podcast: Digital droplet PCR to estimate root biomass and species profiling from soil samples.","authors":"Mamoona Khan","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf313","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf313","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144645998","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}
Plant PhysiologyPub Date : 2025-07-11DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf306
Ziyao Wang, Yizhi Huang, Xiaojing Bi, Tingting Wang, Yunwei Zhang, Weiyue Zhao, Tianzuo Wang, Jianghua Chen, Million Tadege, Hui Wang
{"title":"HEADLESS represses a CYP735 monooxygenase gene and promotes iP-type cytokinin accumulation in the Medicago truncatula shoot apex","authors":"Ziyao Wang, Yizhi Huang, Xiaojing Bi, Tingting Wang, Yunwei Zhang, Weiyue Zhao, Tianzuo Wang, Jianghua Chen, Million Tadege, Hui Wang","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf306","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf306","url":null,"abstract":"Cytokinins comprise a class of phytohormones that promote cell division and participate in diverse developmental processes. Cytokinin activity and steady-state levels in tissues are maintained through biosynthesis, signaling, degradation, side-chain modification, transport, and storage. Mutating HEADLESS (HDL), a Medicago truncatula homolog of Arabidopsis WUSCHEL (WUS), terminates the shoot apical meristem (SAM); thus, hdl mutants continuously generate leaves. In this study, we isolated a direct target of HDL [(HDL Target 1, HDT1)] based on RNA-seq transcriptome analyses using inducible HDL overexpression lines and the hdl mutant. HDT1 encodes a putative cytokinin hydroxylase homologous to Arabidopsis Cytochrome P450 monooxygenase CYP735A1 and CYP735A2. HDT1 trans-hydroxylates the prenyl side chain of cytokinins, converting the iP-type into tZ-type cytokinins. We show that HDL directly binds to the HDT1 promoter and represses its transcription, promoting the preferential accumulation of iP-type cytokinins. Overexpressing HDT1 slowed plant growth, leading to shorter plants caused by inhibited internode elongation, which is reminiscent of the hdl mutant phenotype albeit less severe. Both the hdl mutant and HDT1 overexpression lines accumulated lower levels of the iP-type but higher levels of the tZ-type cytokinins in shoots, indicating that HDT1 promotes tZ-type cytokinin biosynthesis and that HDL represses this process. Overall, this study uncovers the role of HDL in cytokinin biosynthesis and suggests that iP is preferred over tZ for SAM function in M. truncatula, opening avenues of research to better understand HDL function and the molecular mechanisms that regulate cytokinin biosynthesis.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144610961","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 trehalose 6-phosphate pathway coordinates dynamic changes at the shoot apical meristem in Arabidopsis thaliana","authors":"Magdalena Musialak-Lange, Katharina Fiddeke, Annika Franke, Friedrich Kragler, Christin Abel, Vanessa Wahl","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf300","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf300","url":null,"abstract":"A plant’s stem cell population in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) is maintained by WUSCHEL (WUS) and CLAVATA3 (CLV3). SAM size is dynamic and undergoes a more than 2-fold expansion upon transition to reproductive growth. The mechanism controlling this doming is largely unknown; however, coinciding increased trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) levels suggest a participation of the T6P pathway in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Moreover, lines misexpressing or with reduced expression of TREHALOSE PHOSPHATE SYNTHASE1 (TPS1) have smaller and larger SAMs, respectively. Here, we show that TREHALOSE PHOSPHATE PHOSPHATASEJ (TPPJ) is directly regulated by WUS. Changing TPPJ transcript levels in the outer layer affects SAM size and flowering time, and its reduction in the late-flowering clv3 mutant restores wild-type flowering. This is associated with altered mature miR156 abundance and expression of the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE genes SPL3, SPL4, SPL5, and SPL9. Furthermore, SPL4 is controlled by WUS, whilst SPL4 directly represses WUS, establishing negative feedback regulation. This feedback loop is important for age pathway-induced flowering involving the T6P pathway and suggests dynamic feedback regulations between central meristem maintenance and flowering time regulators with sugar signaling throughout development.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144603409","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}
Plant PhysiologyPub Date : 2025-07-10DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf217
Bridget K Murphy, Sara Lorusso, Nathalie Isabel, Ingo Ensminger
{"title":"Contrasting effects of warming and drought on autumn phenology of photosynthesis and growth in white spruce","authors":"Bridget K Murphy, Sara Lorusso, Nathalie Isabel, Ingo Ensminger","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf217","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf217","url":null,"abstract":"Evergreen conifers rely on photoperiod and temperature cues to regulate autumn phenology. Climate change delays autumn cooling, whereas photoperiod remains unaffected, and this mismatch might have consequences for the timing of autumn phenology. Climatic stresses, such as drought and heat during summer, might also impact the timing of phenological events, including photosynthetic downregulation and growth cessation. We investigated the single and combined impacts of summer drought and autumn warming on photosynthetic downregulation and growth cessation in a northern and southern family of white spruce (Picea glauca). In a Temperature Free-Air Controlled Experiment (T-FACE) combined with rainout structures, we exposed white spruce seedlings to ambient temperature and rainfall, summer drought, autumn warming, or a combination of summer drought followed by autumn warming. Warming delayed the downregulation of photosynthesis in both families compared to the control seedlings, with the southern family showing increased photosynthetic activity compared to the northern family. Despite extended photosynthetic activity, secondary growth cessation was not delayed by warming and did not vary between families. Warming affected latewood xylem development, an important component of secondary growth, by increasing and decreasing lumen area in the northern family and southern family, respectively, indicating the northern family may have been more cold-limited under past selective pressures. Summer drought had minimal impacts on photosynthetic downregulation and growth cessation in either family. We conclude that warming-induced extension of photosynthetic activity in autumn may not translate into increased growth and carbon sequestration due to strong photoperiodic and genetic constraints on growth cessation in white spruce.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144602903","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}
Plant PhysiologyPub Date : 2025-07-08DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf305
María Flores-Tornero
{"title":"Epigenetics, flavor, and tomatoes: a love triangle based on a stable relationship.","authors":"María Flores-Tornero","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf305","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf305","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144578792","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}