Plant Cell Reports最新文献

{"title":"Genetic transformation of forage crops: comparative barriers, evidence, and emerging strategies.","authors":"Tian Yaoyu, Xu Xiang, Yang Peizhi, Shen Xiaoxia","doi":"10.1007/s00299-026-03963-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00299-026-03963-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Forage crops include phylogenetically and biologically distinct legumes and grasses, and their genetic transformation is constrained by different combinations of host response, DNA-delivery efficiency, regeneration competence, genotype dependence, and genome stability. This review critically compares evidence from forage legumes and forage grasses rather than treating these groups as a single transformation category. We evaluate Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, protoplast-based delivery, particle bombardment, CRISPR/Cas-enabled applications, developmental regulators (DRs), viral vectors, and nanomaterial-mediated delivery according to four practical outcomes: reproducibility across genotypes, recovery of regenerated plants, heritable transmission, and genetic stability. Direct evidence in forage crops shows that protocol performance is strongly species-, genotype-, explant-, and endpoint-dependent; efficiencies based on transient reporters or resistant callus therefore cannot be directly equated with stable, fertile events. DR-assisted regeneration has direct proof of concept in recalcitrant forage grasses, whereas stable nanomaterial-mediated transformation and virus-induced heritable editing remain unvalidated in forage crops. We conclude that current progress is best interpreted as the engineering of interacting delivery and regeneration constraints, not as a universal transition to genotype-independent transformation. Priority should be given to standardized outcome reporting, multi-genotype and inter-laboratory validation, controlled DR expression, and rigorous molecular and phenotypic assessment of regenerated plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":20204,"journal":{"name":"Plant Cell Reports","volume":"45 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148920547","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":"Transcriptomics and overexpression analyses reveal StERF87 confers resistance to Ralstonia solanacearum in potato.","authors":"Ru Yu, Min Gao, Lin Cai, Shuoxuan Wang, Qingshuai Chen, Peiyan Guan, Caicai Lin, Xia Zhang, Shuangshuang Zheng, Lingling Jiang, Jihua Wang, Linshuang Hu","doi":"10.1007/s00299-026-03967-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00299-026-03967-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Key message: </strong>StERF87 directly activates StPR1a via GCC-box binding and integrates SA/ET signaling to enhance bacterial wilt resistance. Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is an important food crop worldwide, yet its yield is severely constrained by bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. We used RNA-Seq to study gene expression in 'Z1076-1' at 0, 1, and 2 days post-inoculation (dpi) with R. solanacearum (10⁶ CFU mL⁻¹). We identified 6663 differentially expressed genes at 1 dpi and 7390 at 2 dpi. Calcium signaling and MAPK cascade genes were upregulated at 1 dpi. PR protein and ROS-related genes showed stronger induction at 2 dpi. The ethylene-responsive transcription factor StERF87 was continuously upregulated. Its expression increased 4.7-fold at 2 dpi, with FPKM values over 100. We selected this gene for functional analysis. Transgenic potato plants overexpressing StERF87 showed lower disease severity and reduced bacterial growth in both whole plants and tuber slices. StERF87 is a transcriptional activator that directly binds the GCC-box in the StPR1a promoter to activate its transcription. After R. solanacearum inoculation, StERF87 overexpression also increased PR1b1 expression, elevated salicylic acid and ethylene levels, reduced jasmonic acid accumulation, and altered the activities of ROS-scavenging enzymes including SOD, POD, and CAT. These results show that StERF87 regulates potato defense against R. solanacearum and may be useful for breeding bacterial wilt-resistant varieties.</p>","PeriodicalId":20204,"journal":{"name":"Plant Cell Reports","volume":"45 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13553665/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148913163","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":"The bp-miR156c-BpSPL2 module positively regulates drought tolerance by mediating lateral root development and reactive oxygen species scavenging in Betula platyphylla.","authors":"Huang Peng, Zhang Hongrui, An Jiaqian, Yuan Zhongjia, Duan Huilei, Zhang Huihui, Liu Xuemei","doi":"10.1007/s00299-026-03924-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00299-026-03924-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Key message: </strong>The miR156/SPL module via BpSPL2 activates BpGSTF3 and BpASA1 to enhance drought tolerance in birch through ROS scavenging and auxin-induced lateral root growth. Drought is one of the major abiotic stress factors affecting plant growth and productivity. The miR156/SPL module plays a crucial role in plant growth, development, and responses to abiotic stress; however, its regulatory mechanism in mediating drought adaptation in woody plants such as birch remains incompletely understood. In this study, we used transgenic plants overexpressing bp-miR156c and BpSPL2 as experimental materials and employed GUS staining, RNA-seq, yeast one-hybrid assay, ChIP-PCR and dual-luciferase reporter assays to investigate the mechanism by which the miR156/SPL module regulates drought tolerance in birch. GUS staining results indicated that BpSPL2 is a target gene of bp-miR156c and subject to its cleavage. Compared with wild-type plants, bp-miR156c overexpressing transgenic plants exhibited reduced drought tolerance under drought stress, whereas plants overexpressing its target gene BpSPL2 showed enhanced drought resistance. Specifically, BpSPL2-OE lines under drought stress displayed alleviated photodamage in both PSII and PSI, along with reduced oxidative damage. Moreover, overexpression of BpSPL2 significantly promoted root system development, particularly lateral root growth, in birch. RNA-seq analysis revealed that, compared with the wild type, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in BpSPL2-OE plants under drought stress were significantly enriched not only in photosynthesis-related pathways but also in tryptophan metabolism, redox processes, and glutathione metabolism. We speculate that the alleviation of photosynthetic inhibition and oxidative damage in birch leaves under drought stress by BpSPL2 may be related to its regulation of ROS metabolism, while the promotion of lateral root development may be associated with activation of the tryptophan metabolic pathway and subsequent accumulation of IAA. Further studies demonstrated that the BpSPL2 transcription factor recognizes the GTAC motif and binds to the promoters of glutathione-S-transferase BpGSTF3 and the key rate-limiting enzyme in tryptophan synthesis gene BpASA1, thereby enhancing their transcription. On one hand, this upregulates GST and antioxidant enzyme activities, mitigating drought-induced photodamage and oxidative injury; on the other hand, it promotes IAA accumulation, stimulating lateral root formation and ultimately improving drought tolerance in birch. In summary, our findings demonstrate that the miR156/SPL module enhances drought tolerance in birch by modulating ROS homeostasis and lateral root development, providing novel molecular insights and a theoretical foundation for drought resistance research in birch trees.</p>","PeriodicalId":20204,"journal":{"name":"Plant Cell Reports","volume":"45 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148913153","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":"H₂S-dependent trehalose-induced salt tolerance in tomato involves phenylpropanoid and cyanoamino acid pathways.","authors":"Jin Qi, Zhang Zhang, Shaoxia Li, Jun Su, Yishuai Tian, Wenjin Yu, Changxia Li","doi":"10.1007/s00299-026-03969-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00299-026-03969-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soil salinity limits tomato growth. Trehalose (Tre) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) individually enhance salt tolerance, but their combined effect is unknown. Here, we investigated seedling physiological and transcriptomic responses to exogenous Tre and the H₂S donor sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), alone or in combination, under salt stress. Our results demonstrated that both Tre and NaHS significantly alleviated salt-induced growth inhibition, with the combined treatment showing the most pronounced effects. Pharmacological experiments using the Tre inhibitor validamycin A (VA) and the H₂S scavenger hypotaurine (HT) revealed that the protective effect of Tre was largely dependent on H₂S, whereas NaHS efficacy was independent of Tre. RNA-seq analysis indicated that Tre modulated the salt stress response of tomato at the transcriptional level via H₂S, with the phenylalanine biosynthesis as a core metabolic target and cyanogenic amino acid metabolism pathway also annotated as a potential output. Compared with the NaCl+Tre treatment, the addition of HT significantly reversed the induced accumulation of protective metabolites, including p-coumaryl alcohol, coniferyl alcohol in the phenylpropanoid pathway and amygdalin and prunasin in the cyanogenic amino acid metabolism pathway. Consistent with the metabolite profiles, the NaCl+Tre treatment significantly elevated the activities of enzymes in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway (4CL, CCoAOMT, POD) and the cyanoamino acid metabolism pathway (MDL, bglX), as well as the transcript levels of their corresponding encoding genes (4CL1, CCoAOMT, POD9, POD43, MDL3 and bglX1). By contrast, the NaCl+Tre+HT treatment significantly reversed the Tre-induced enhancement of both enzyme activities and gene expression, thereby confirming at the molecular level that H₂S serves as a central mediator in Tre during salt stress alleviation. This study shows that exogenous Tre improves salt tolerance in tomato seedlings, and that inhibition of H₂S attenuates this effect. The transcriptomic, metabolomic, and enzyme activity data indicate that H₂S is involved in Tre-induced regulation of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and cyanoamino acid metabolism under salt stress. However, based on the current dataset, our results mainly support a requirement for H₂S in Tre action, rather than demonstrating that H₂S alone is sufficient to reproduce the full Tre response. Further transcriptomic and functional analyses will be necessary to clarify the precise hierarchical relationship between Tre and H₂S.</p>","PeriodicalId":20204,"journal":{"name":"Plant Cell Reports","volume":"45 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148913126","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":"ASP1-mediated deSUMOylation of AL6 controls seed dormancy in Arabidopsis.","authors":"Hua Jing, Chao Li, Yingli Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s00299-026-03964-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00299-026-03964-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Key message: </strong>ASP1‑mediated deSUMOylation promotes AL6 degradation and reduces its association with the DOG1 locus, thereby regulating DOG1 expression and primary seed dormancy in Arabidopsis. In our previous study, we found that SAP AND MIZ1 DOMAIN-CONTAINING LIGASE1 (SIZ1)-mediated SUMOylation of ALFIN1-LIKE 6 (AL6) was involved in regulating seed dormancy. However, the SUMO protease that mediates AL6 deSUMOylation to control seed dormancy remains unknown. Here, we show that ARABIDOPSIS SUMO PROTEASE 1 (ASP1) regulates seed dormancy and that its SUMO protease activity is required for this function. ASP1 interacts with AL6 and mediates its deSUMOylation. ASP1-mediated deSUMOylation promotes AL6 degradation and reduces its association with the DELAY OF GERMINATION 1 (DOG1) locus, thereby modulating DOG1 expression and seed dormancy. Together, these findings identify ASP1-mediated deSUMOylation of AL6 as an important post-translational regulatory mechanism linking AL6 protein stability and chromatin association to DOG1 expression and the establishment of primary seed dormancy in Arabidopsis thaliana.</p>","PeriodicalId":20204,"journal":{"name":"Plant Cell Reports","volume":"45 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148907039","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":"Polyglutamic acid-functionalized carbon dots enhance cadmium tolerance in Houttuynia cordata through coordinated regulation of physiological responses, gene expression and the rhizosphere microbiome.","authors":"Beibei Zhao, Mei Li, Dan Liu, Chuanhuan Liu, Jie Jiang, Xiao Han, Chuankui Song, Yingzhu Liu","doi":"10.1007/s00299-026-03959-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00299-026-03959-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Key message: </strong>polyglutamic acid-functionalized carbon dots improve Cadmium tolerance in Houttuynia cordata by reducing Cadmium accumulation, restoring physiological functions, and reshaping rhizosphere microbial communities. Cadmium (Cd) pollution significantly inhibits the growth and development of H. cordata and poses a serious threat to the safe production of this medicinal plant. In this study, polyglutamic acid-functionalized carbon dots (PGA-CDs) were synthesized by the hydrothermal method, and the mechanism of their role in alleviating Cd stress in H. cordata was systematically investigated. The results showed that compared with the Cd group, the biomass of H. cordata in the Cd+PGA-CDs group significantly increased, and the Cd²⁺ concentration in the plant decreased. At the same time, PGA-CDs effectively removed reactive oxygen species and regulated the activity of related antioxidant enzymes to alleviate oxidative damage. Moreover, PGA-CDs significantly alleviated the damage to the ultrastructure of chloroplasts caused by Cd stress and enhanced the photosynthetic capacity of the plants. Transcriptome analysis indicated that PGA-CDs treatment significantly changed the expression patterns of genes related to photosynthesis, secondary metabolism, lipid metabolism, and signal response, and regulated the expression of multiple transcription factors and genes related to metal ion homeostasis and transport. Additionally, PGA-CDs increased the α diversity of the rhizosphere microbial community and promoted the enrichment of microbial groups related to plant symbiosis or environmental adaptation, such as the Pseudomonadota, Bacteroidota and Verrucomicrobiota. Through integrated analysis, it further revealed the potential synergistic relationship between gene expression changes, rhizosphere microbial composition, and plant physiological indicators. This study provides new insights into the use of nanomaterials to enhance the adaptability of plants to heavy metals stress.</p>","PeriodicalId":20204,"journal":{"name":"Plant Cell Reports","volume":"45 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148900927","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":"DNA aptamers selected against potato spindle tuber viroid bind the viroid and differentially modulate infection.","authors":"Takashi Naoi, Maria S Kaponi, Rino Hashimoto, Shoya Kitabayashi, Akiko Kashiwagi, Teruo Sano","doi":"10.1007/s00299-026-03955-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00299-026-03955-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Key message: </strong>DNA aptamers selected against PSTVd inhibited or promoted PSTVd infection in co-inoculated assays, correlating with their specific binding sites predicted in silico. Viroids are noncoding plant pathogens consisting of highly structured, single-stranded, circular RNA approximately 230-430 nucleotides. To develop DNA aptamers that specifically bind to potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd), a systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) was performed from a random population of 30-nucleotide single-stranded DNAs. Amplicon analysis by next-generation sequencing of every five rounds up to 15 SELEX rounds revealed that the random DNA population became progressively enriched and less diverse at each sampling point; that is, the number of unique sequences detected in the 15th round was 1/18th of that in the 5th round. Sixteen sequences ranked high in 5th, 10th, and 15th rounds, as well as two low abundance sequences in 5th round, were selected to analyze the affinities to PSTVd by pull-down assay. Among them, seven bound either in vitro-transcribed or native PSTVd. The strongest binder was the one from low abundance in 5th round, while five were those ranked high in 15th round. Four sequences, including the one previously reported, were selected and further analyzed for their affinities to PSTVd by co-inoculation assay on tomato plants with infectious PSTVd transcripts. Some significantly inhibited PSTVd infection, whereas others promoted it, suggesting that aptamers may affect viroid infectivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":20204,"journal":{"name":"Plant Cell Reports","volume":"45 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148897840","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":"Advances in CRISPR multiplex gene editing to map and modify stress-responsive transcription factor networks for crop improvement.","authors":"Nitya Nandan Sharma, Anjali Kumari, Ira Vashisht, Manoj Kumar Sharma","doi":"10.1007/s00299-026-03956-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00299-026-03956-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The development of CRISPR multiplex genome-editing (MGE) tools is rapidly transforming plant functional genomics and accelerating crop improvements. By simultaneously targeting two or more DNA loci, it allows scientists to precisely edit multiple genes at the single-nucleotide level, within the target genome. Simultaneous manipulation of multiple targets has revolutionized the functional elucidation studies, particularly the dissection of complex genetic pathways. Due to its superior precision and feasibility, CRISPR-MGE is widely accepted and has largely replaced alternative editing tools such as TALENs and ZFNs. Several CRISPR-MGE strategies, including the use of individual expression cassettes, tRNA-processing enzymes, Csy4 or ribozymes, have been successfully deployed in plants. Recent advancements, such as Cpf1, transgene-free methods, or ultra-multiplexing approaches, have further refined the technology into a powerful, efficient, and robust toolkit. MGE enables complex genome editing, including multiple-gene knockouts, base alterations, transcriptional regulation, metabolic engineering, or their combinations. Consequently, it is ideal for elucidating the function of transcription factors that are key molecular players in regulating diverse plant responses, especially in stress pathways. Several stress-responsive TFs have been functionally characterized via CRISPR-MGE, and more advanced tools are being employed. This review evaluates multiplexing tools, their diverse applications, and the current progress toward developing advanced MGE tools. Ultimately, we provide evidence to encourage the use of advanced MGE tools for functional characterization studies of stress-responsive TFs, thereby highlighting their potential to accelerate crop improvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":20204,"journal":{"name":"Plant Cell Reports","volume":"45 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148892287","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 chromosome 2 locus controls transient Agrobacterium-mediated GFP expression in rose petals.","authors":"Ninh Hai Ho, Marcus Linde, Thomas Debener","doi":"10.1007/s00299-026-03961-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00299-026-03961-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Key message: </strong>A major chromosome 2 region is associated with the genotype-dependent transient GFP expression after Agrobacterium infiltration of rose petals and provides markers for selecting permissive genotypes. Transient expression assays are valuable for testing gene function in rose, where stable transformation remains laborious and genotype-dependent. We evaluated Agrobacterium-mediated transient green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression in the petals of 96 rose genotypes and used genome-wide association analysis to identify associated host genomic regions. GFP expression was scored semiquantitatively on a scale from 0 to 4 at 3 and 5 days post-infiltration (dpi). The genotypes differed strongly in expression at both time points, and the 3- and 5-dpi scores were strongly correlated (r = 0.90, p < 0.001). At 5 dpi, the mean scores ranged from 0 to 3.98, with the cultivars Sebastian Kneipp, Friesia and Comtessa AL among the most permissive genotypes. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 37,161 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) revealed a major association on chromosome 2 at 69-73 Mbp and a second peak on unanchored chromosome 0 contigs that may correspond to the same region. The top SNPs reached -log10(P) = 7.85. This identified interval represents a high-priority candidate region containing multiple potential host factors. Candidate annotations within the region include genes related to auxin transport, ubiquitin-mediated protein turnover, ribonucleic acid (RNA) metabolism, membrane-associated defence responses and nuclear transport. The results identify useful rose genotypes for petal transient assays and provide a genetic entry point for dissecting host control of Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression.</p>","PeriodicalId":20204,"journal":{"name":"Plant Cell Reports","volume":"45 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13545033/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148892241","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":"CgMYC2 directly activates jasmonate-induced naringin biosynthesis in Citrus grandis 'Tomentosa'.","authors":"Genlin Mao, Diyang Qiu, Ruiyi Fan","doi":"10.1007/s00299-026-03960-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00299-026-03960-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Key message: </strong>CgMYC2 links jasmonate signaling to naringin biosynthesis by binding G-box motifs and activating flavonoid-pathway promoters in Citrus grandis 'Tomentosa' Naringin, the predominant bitter-flavanone glycoside in Citrus grandis 'Tomentosa', has well-characterized biosynthetic enzymes, yet the transcriptional regulators coupling hormonal signals to pathway activation remain poorly understood. We demonstrate that CgMYC2, a jasmonate-responsive bHLH transcription factor, functions as a central activator of naringin biosynthesis. Exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment increased naringin content 3.45-fold in seedlings, coinciding with a rapid 6.6-fold induction of CgMYC2 that preceded the peak transcription of five core biosynthetic genes (CgPAL5, CgCHS, CgFNS, Cg7GlcT, and Cg1,2RhaT). Physical interaction between CgMYC2 and the JAZ protein CgJAZ3 was confirmed by pull-down and Co-IP assays, placing CgMYC2 within the canonical jasmonate signaling cascade. Y1H confirmed CgMYC2 binding to the Cg1,2RhaT promoter, EMSA demonstrated direct G-box-dependent binding to all five pathway promoters, and dual-luciferase assays showed transactivation of all five promoters, with the strongest activation for CgCHS. As complementary chromatin-level support, a single-sample CUT&Tag profile revealed G-box-enriched CgMYC2-associated chromatin regions across jasmonate-responsive and secondary-metabolic loci. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of CgMYC2 reduced naringin content by ~21% and suppressed biosynthetic gene expression, supporting its positive contribution. Furthermore, heterologous overexpression in tomato activated the flavonoid pathway and elevated 16 flavonoid compounds, consistent with evolutionary conservation of the MYC2-G-box regulatory logic. These findings establish CgMYC2 as a central, JA-responsive activator bridging jasmonate perception and naringin biosynthesis, providing a molecular framework for the targeted improvement of bitter-flavonoid traits in citrus.</p>","PeriodicalId":20204,"journal":{"name":"Plant Cell Reports","volume":"45 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2026-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148881535","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}