{"title":"Trans-cinnamic acid coordinates PAL repression and C4H induction to modulate lignification in bamboo","authors":"Qingnan Wang, Hui Li, Xiaolin Di, Xiaoming Zou, Zhimin Gao, Huayu Sun","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf472","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf472","url":null,"abstract":"Lignin deposition in rapidly elongating bamboo culm requires precise metabolic coordination; however, regulatory mechanisms balancing phenylpropanoid precursor supply and demand remain unclear. Here, we identify a self-regulating PAL-C4H module in bamboo where the pathway intermediate trans-cinnamic acid (t-CA) acts bidirectionally. Transcriptomic and biochemical analyses revealed that t-CA simultaneously activates downstream lignin biosynthesis by upregulating cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (PeC4H1/2) gene expression and enzymatic activity, and suppresses upstream phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) through both transcriptional (PePAL10/11 repression) and post-translational (PeKFB9-mediated ubiquitination) controls. This feedback loop ensures resource prioritization for secondary cell wall formation during culm maturation, as evidenced by increased lignin content in t-CA-treated seedlings. Evolutionary analyses further suggest bamboo-specific optimization of this regulatory paradigm to support bamboo’s unique growth kinetics. Our findings redefine flux control mechanisms in bamboo lignification and provide actionable targets for precision breeding of bamboo as a substitute for plastic.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145181139","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 : 2025-09-27DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf450
Anna Moseler
{"title":"Holding all the CARDs: quinone-induced oxidation and phosphorylation of GRXC1 impacts root growth.","authors":"Anna Moseler","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf450","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf450","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145182723","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 : 2025-09-26DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf456
Xiaoling Wen,Mingfeng Du,Tai Li,Fang Cheng,Shalan Li,Zhe Zhu,Wenting Liu,Xueting Gu,Lili Feng,Yupeng Geng,Houping Wang,Leonard Krall,Xiaofeng Fang,Xu Na Wu,Zuhua He,Junzhong Liu
{"title":"The HSFA1B-HSP70-3 module regulates transgenerational thermomemory by modulating SGS3 stability in Arabidopsis.","authors":"Xiaoling Wen,Mingfeng Du,Tai Li,Fang Cheng,Shalan Li,Zhe Zhu,Wenting Liu,Xueting Gu,Lili Feng,Yupeng Geng,Houping Wang,Leonard Krall,Xiaofeng Fang,Xu Na Wu,Zuhua He,Junzhong Liu","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf456","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf456","url":null,"abstract":"Heat waves triggered by a warming climate profoundly affect plant development and immunity. To ensure successful reproduction and transgenerational adaptation to stress, plants have evolved a sophisticated machinery to deploy transgenerational thermomemory of early flowering and attenuated immunity; this is associated with the induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs), which act as molecular chaperones to stabilize proteins under heat stress. However, how HSPs regulate plant transgenerational thermomemory remains largely elusive. Here, we show that HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 70-3 (HSP70-3) interacts with SUPPRESSOR OF GENE SILENCING 3 (SGS3), a plant-specific RNA binding protein whose transgenerational degradation is critical for transgenerational thermomemory in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). HSP70-3 competes with E3 ubiquitin ligase SGIP1 for SGS3 binding. Furthermore, HSP70-3 is directly targeted and activated by the heat-responsive transcription factor HSFA1B. The down-regulation of HSFA1B in plants under long-term heat stress and their unstressed progeny contributes to the thermomemory repression of HSP70-3 expression. Consequently, diminished HSP70-3-mediated protection results in heat-induced SGS3 degradation by the E3 ligase SGIP1. Our results thus reveal an important regulatory module, HSFA1B-HSP70-3-SGS3, in transgenerational thermomemory, shedding light on the essential function of HSP molecular chaperones in the establishment of thermomemory in plants.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145153319","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 heat stress-responsive epigenome defines the dynamic 3D chromatin structure in Chinese cabbage.","authors":"Qihang Yang,Xiaoxue Sun,Mengyang Liu,Xiaomeng Zhang,Hao Liang,Xiaocong Chang,Daling Feng,Yin Lu,Yiguo Hong,Jianjun Zhao,Wei Ma","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf449","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf449","url":null,"abstract":"Plants have evolved genome plasticity to adapt to fluctuating environments. However, how environmental cues induce dynamic chromatin remodeling in plants remains largely unclear. Here, we report a close relationship between the epigenome and the 3D chromatin structure in the plant response to heat stress. Through Hi-C, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, and transcriptome analyses in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa), we found that heat stress rapidly induces chromatin compaction and aggregation predominantly in centromeric and telomeric regions. Heat stress also markedly altered A/B compartment transitions and the number and length of TAD-like domains and loops, as well as genome-wide DNA methylation profiles that were linked to the maintenance of chromatin stability and transcription levels. We simulated and inferred an unexpected \"Rabl\" model for chromatin distribution in leaf cell nuclei of Chinese cabbage seedlings. Furthermore, CHH methylation (mCHH) was associated with morphological fluctuations in chromatin under heat stress. Thus, the heat stress-responsive epigenome might be involved in defining the dynamic 3D chromatin structure through mCHH-directed changes in DNA-DNA and/or DNA-protein interactions within centromeric regions. Such chromatin structural dynamics may also have a feedback influence on epigenome establishment under heat stress in Chinese cabbage.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145153322","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 : 2025-09-26DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf448
James M Bradley
{"title":"An unknown apocarotenoid signal alters plant development by modulating shoot and root apical meristem activities.","authors":"James M Bradley","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf448","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145140191","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 : 2025-09-26DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf441
Nilesh D Gawande
{"title":"Battling Herbivores: The Volatile Story of Tea.","authors":"Nilesh D Gawande","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf441","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf441","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"76 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145153389","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":"Illuminating Growth: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. Joanne Chory.","authors":"Judy Brusslan,Jitesh Kumar,Neeta Lohani,Pei Qin Ng,Meenu Singla-Rastogi,Andrew Willoughby,Avilash Singh Yadav","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf455","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf455","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145153315","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":"Integrating 3D imaging, GWAS and single-cell transcriptome approaches to elucidate root system architecture in Populus.","authors":"Jingjing Li,Wenhao Bo,Chenhao Bu,Jiaxuan Zhou,Peng Li,Menglei Wang,Yuepeng Song,Qing Liu,Yousry A El-Kassaby,Deqiang Zhang","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf432","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf432","url":null,"abstract":"Roots are essential for nutrient uptake and structural stability in trees. Despite their critical role, the genetic determinants underlying root system architecture (RSA) remain poorly understood. In this study, we employed an integrated approach combining automated three-dimensional (3D) spatial imaging, multi-omics analyses, genetic transformation, and molecular experiments to investigate the genetic architecture and regulatory networks governing RSA in Simon poplar (Populus simonii). Here, using a panel of 303 P. simonii accessions collected from different geographical regions in China, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 96 RSA traits and identified S-phase kinase-associated protein 2B (PsiSKP2B) as a candidate gene co-localized by six traits. By integrating the findings from GWAS, transcriptome, and single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) analyses, we identified PsiSKP2B as a key regulator of meristematic tissue cells involved in lateral root (LR) development. Overexpression of PsiSKP2B in 84k (Populus alba × Populus glandulosa) had a substantial effect on RSA traits, increasing the number and density of LRs by 65.9% and 98.6%, respectively, compared with wild-type plants. Our in vitro and in vivo assays revealed that PsiSKP2B modulates LR development by interacting with WUSCHEL RELATED HOMEOBOX 4 (PsiWOX4) or ZINC FINGER HOMEODOMAIN 9 (PsiZHD9), both of which are specifically expressed in atrichoblast cells, thereby activating a regulatory feedback loop. These findings highlight an atrichoblast-dependent regulatory mechanism through which PsiSKP2B governs LR development. Our study not only introduces an advanced image recognition methodology for quantifying RSA traits in P. simonii but also provides a comprehensive multi-omics framework for elucidating the genetic and molecular basis of RSA.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145153323","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 effects of metabolic and functional traits on bud opening: comparing warming and defoliation in conifers.","authors":"Annie Deslauriers,Pascale Benoit,Lorena Balducci,Valérie Néron,Rosario Guzman Marin,Sergio Rossi,Serge Lavoie,Nathalie Isabel","doi":"10.1093/plphys/kiaf435","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf435","url":null,"abstract":"Developing buds are crucial carbon sinks that require non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) for growth. However, the trade-off between carbon production in the older internodes and the demand in the growing internodes for bud opening remains unknown. Here, we determined how NSCs and functional traits influence bud phenology in the saplings of two conifer species. To manipulate both source and sink, saplings of balsam fir (Abies Balsamea, L. Mill) and black spruce (Picea mariana B.S.P. (Mill.) were exposed to two simultaneous treatments: warming (+2 °C) and defoliation. Balsam fir, the species with earlier phenology, exhibited greater shoot volume and specific leaf area, promoting water and carbon acquisition for primary growth. Heating led to an earlier phenology but did not affect the leaf traits for both species. Defoliation also led to an earlier phenology, mostly because of the decreased growing sink, with fewer needles and smaller specific leaf area needed for growth. Starch and sucrose levels in older needles and growing buds decreased under defoliation, but the sugar alcohol d-pinitol remained unchanged. Heating increased the d-pinitol concentration in the growing buds (+17%) compared to ambient conditions. Under warming, a high d-pinitol concentration in buds can act as a carbon sink in the vacuole, maintaining or increasing water absorption, and thus, resulting in faster needle expansion and bud opening. These data demonstrate that different physiological mechanisms explain earlier bud opening under defoliation and warming. Additional studies are needed to disentangle the roles of leaf traits and carbon allocation in regulating phenology.","PeriodicalId":20101,"journal":{"name":"Plant Physiology","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145153395","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}