{"title":"Emerging Viral Threats in Rice: A Decade of Discovery and Implications for Crop Protection.","authors":"Xinlun Ding, Feng Wang, Pingping Liu, Jie Zhang, Zujian Wu, Yan-Hong Han, Jianguo Wu","doi":"10.1111/pce.70156","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pce.70156","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rice viral diseases pose severe threats to global food security, with over 20 viruses identified in China alone. The advent of high-throughput sequencing has accelerated the discovery of novel viruses in cultivated and wild rice, unveiling previously undetected threats. This review systematically summarises newly discovered rice viruses over the past decade, analyzing their genomic characteristics, transmission modes, and pathogenic mechanisms. Key findings include the identification of rice stripe mosaic virus, rice tiller inhibition virus (RTIV), RTIV2 and rice curl dwarf-associated virus, among others, highlighting their interactions with host immunity and insect vectors. Notably, emerging viruses exhibit novel infection strategies, including interference with RNA silencing, hormone signalling, and autophagy pathways. Moreover, mixed infections and cross-species transmission raise concerns about evolving disease dynamics. Understanding these viral threats is crucial for developing integrated disease management strategies, including resistant cultivars and vector control measures. This review provides a comprehensive resource for advancing rice virology research and guiding future efforts in monitoring and mitigating viral diseases affecting global rice production.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937542","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":"SOBIR1 Links Potato Responses to Potato Tuber Moth Attack and High Temperature Stress.","authors":"Chuzhen Chen, Ricardo A R Machado, Jian Zhong, Yadong Zhang, Wenjing He, Xiaoli He, Zhiyao Mao, Asim Munawar, Zengrong Zhu, Wenwu Zhou","doi":"10.1111/pce.70158","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70158","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Herbivory and high temperature stress affect plant performance and frequently co-occur under natural conditions. The molecular mechanisms by which plants coordinate responses to these two stresses deserve more attention. Here, we explored how StSOBIR1, a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase gene, modulates plant responses to herbivory and high temperature stress using genetic, molecular, biological, and chemical analysis approaches. StSOBIR1 encodes a plasma membrane-localized protein and its expression is rapidly induced upon herbivore attack. StSOBIR1 negatively regulates jasmonic acid (JA) signaling and JA-mediated defenses, thereby hindering herbivore resistance to potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella) at a normal temperature (22°C). In contrast, the transcripts of StSOBIR1 were suppressed by high temperature (32°C). StSOBIR1 positively regulates plant responses to high temperature stress, including the accumulation of sucrose, proline and chlorophylls. Moreover, at high temperature, both the StSOBIR1-knock down and overexpression plants exhibited similar JA signaling and herbivore resistance to wild-type plants. Transcriptome analysis revealed that high temperature interferes with StSOBIR1-mediated defensive responses to herbivory by disrupting herbivory-associated gene co-expression networks and reprioritizing its functions. Taken together, these results show that StSOBIR1-mediated fine-tune plant responses to herbivory and high temperature, while under combined stresses, its negative regulatory function over herbivore defense is lost.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937522","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 miR444f Regulates Root Development via Gibberellin Metabolic Pathway in Rice.","authors":"Sheng Huang, Yuqi Liu, Jiyuan Li, Pedro García, Chanjuan Mao, Jinshan Zhang, Xiaoguo Zhu","doi":"10.1111/pce.70148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70148","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators of root development, further impacting plant growth and environmental adaptability. As an important miRNA family, the role of MIR444 in the root development of rice remains largely unknown. Here, we observed that loss of miR444f, which belongs to the MIR444 family, exhibited significant developmental defects in primary and lateral roots during early growth stages. Cellular and molecular analyses revealed that miR444f affected growth activity, cell division, and elongation in the root apical meristem. This effect was mediated through its targeting of the MADS-box transcription factors OsMADS27 and OsMADS57, which are key regulators of the gibberellin (GA) metabolic pathway. Subsequently, the expression of GA metabolic genes and GA accumulation were significantly altered. Furthermore, exogenous GA restores root growth defects in miR444f mutants, confirming the central role of the GA signalling pathway in miR444f-regulated root growth. These findings offer strategic insights for optimizing crop root architecture and function through genetic engineering, aimed at enhancing productivity and environmental resilience.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937564","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":"Bacterial Acetyltransferase Effector AopP2 Primes Effector-Triggered Immunity in Watermelon by Acetylating a Conserved Transcription Factor.","authors":"Jingjing Huang, Peimin He, Chen Zhong, Tong Qin, Hao Wang, Jiahuan Shi, Senyi Wei, Dong Chen, Jianlong Zhao, Ali Chai, Yumin Kan, Shanshan Yang, Xiaoxiao Zhang","doi":"10.1111/pce.70162","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70162","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB), caused by Paracidovorax citrulli (Pc), threatens global watermelon production, yet genetic resistance remains scarce. This study investigates the potential of non-adapted interaction triggered by Paracidovorax avenae (Pa), a maize pathogen, to combat BFB in watermelon. We demonstrate that Pa strain ATCC 19860 elicits a hypersensitive response (HR) in watermelon via its type III secretion system (T3SS), inducing effector-triggered immunity (ETI). To rapidly screen for Pa type III effectors (T3Es) related to ETI, the nonpathogenic Pseudomonas fluorescens Effector-to-Host Analyzer (EtHAn) strain was used for transient expression of T3Es in watermelon. Among 13 candidate T3Es, the acetyltransferase AopP2 emerged as a potent inducer of programmed cell death (PCD) in watermelon, dependent on its enzymatic activity. AopP2 suppresses reactive oxygen species (ROS) bursts, salicylic acid (SA) signalling, while stabilizing the transcription factor ClTFIIB2 via acetylation, thereby activating ETI. Silencing ClTFIIB2 compromised both basal resistance to Pc and AopP2-induced PCD, whereas transient ClTFIIB2 expression via the EtHAn system enhanced resistance to Pc and AopP2-induced PCD. Notably, pretreatment with low-dose AopP2 primed watermelon defences, significantly reducing Pc proliferation. This study demonstrates that AopP2 suppresses pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) via CITFIIB2 acetylation while triggering ETI, revealing a conserved immune node exploitable for engineering resistance in watermelon. Our findings highlight the potential of non-adapted pathogen effectors as tools for activating ETI to identify disease resistance genes, and provide the first evidence of ClTFIIB2's critical role in watermelon immunity, offering novel strategies for BFB management.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937579","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}
Tianhao Wang, Miao Miao, Jinfeng Zhao, Ashmit Kumar, Xueyong Li
{"title":"Sugars Integrate External and Internal Signals in Regulating Shoot Branching.","authors":"Tianhao Wang, Miao Miao, Jinfeng Zhao, Ashmit Kumar, Xueyong Li","doi":"10.1111/pce.70163","DOIUrl":"10.1111/pce.70163","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant phenotypes exhibit high plasticity, with shoot branching as a prime example and a key factor influencing yield in many species. The availability of photosynthates is a critical determinant of shoot branching (or tillering in monocots). Carbohydrates, primarily in the form of sucrose, are synthesised in actively photosynthetic leaves (sources) and transported to non-photosynthetic tissues (sinks), such as tiller buds. Glucose, fructose, sucrose and their intermediates, including trehalose-6-phosphate (Tre6P), function both as energy sources and signalling molecules. Once sucrose is transported from source to sink tissues, it is rapidly hydrolysed into hexoses, which support starch accumulation, and the formation and elongation of tiller buds (outgrowth into a branch or tiller). This review aims to summarise recent discoveries with the focus on (i) sugar synthesis, metabolism, loading and unloading; (ii) sugars as crucial signals in regulating branching; (iii) roles of sugars in mediating the environment-modulated branching; (iv) the interactions between sugars and phytohormonal pathways that influence bud outgrowth and branching. A comprehensive understanding of sugar synthesis, transport, metabolism and signalling in relation to shoot branching will aid in optimising plant architecture and ultimately contribute to enhanced crop yield.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937515","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}
Liang Fang, Paul C Struik, Xinyou Yin, Pierre Martre
{"title":"Canopy Carbon- and Water-Use Efficiencies in Response to Temperature and Water Deficit for Wheat.","authors":"Liang Fang, Paul C Struik, Xinyou Yin, Pierre Martre","doi":"10.1111/pce.70147","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70147","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events increase the complexity in assessing climate change impacts on (agro)ecosystem functions and crop production. A better understanding of carbon and water fluxes for crop plants under climate change requires research based on direct canopy-scale measurements. By analysing a canopy gas exchange data set synthesised from 8 years' experimentation under semi-field conditions for the post-anthesis period of five wheat genotypes, we examined canopy carbon and water fluxes as well as carbon use efficiency (CUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) under varying environmental conditions. CUE was variable, and was negatively affected by high temperatures. Moreover, CUE responded differently to daily, daytime, and nighttime temperatures, and was most sensitive to nighttime temperatures. The response of WUE to increasing temperatures was dominated by the response of carbon fluxes, while the relative contribution of water fluxes to WUE responses increased under water deficit. WUE based on gross and net photosynthesis responded differently to environmental variables, primarily due to the differences in CUE. The findings increase our understanding of canopy carbon and water fluxes under various environmental conditions and highlight the necessity for future efforts to improve crop CUE and WUE under climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937528","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}
Peiyuan Zhu, Baris Weber, Maaria Rosenkranz, Andrea Polle, Andrea Ghirardo, Jan Muhr, A Corina Vlot, Jörg-Peter Schnitzler
{"title":"Volatile-Mediated Plant Defense Networks: Field Evidence for Isoprene as a Short-Distance Immune Signal.","authors":"Peiyuan Zhu, Baris Weber, Maaria Rosenkranz, Andrea Polle, Andrea Ghirardo, Jan Muhr, A Corina Vlot, Jörg-Peter Schnitzler","doi":"10.1111/pce.70153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70153","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Isoprene, the most abundant biogenic hydrocarbon in the atmosphere, is known to protect photosynthesis from abiotic stress and significantly impact atmospheric chemistry. While laboratory studies show that isoprene can enhance plant immunity, its role in plant-plant communication under natural field conditions remains unclear. In a 2-year field experiment, we used wild-type and transgenic silver birch (Betula pendula) lines with enhanced isoprene emission levels to examine their impact on neighboring Arabidopsis thaliana, including wild-type and immune signaling mutants (llp1: legume lectin-like protein 1; jar1: jasmonate resistant 1). Receiver plants exposed to higher isoprene levels showed increased resistance to Pseudomonas syringae, independent of jasmonate signaling but dependent on LLP1, a protein essential for systemic acquired resistance. Volatile analysis indicated isoprene as an airborne molecule that can also trigger an immune response in neighboring plants along with other terpenoids. Our study using transgenic birches in a complex environment provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying plant volatile perception and expands our understanding of plant chemical communication in terrestrial ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937562","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":"GsSnRK1.1 Kinase Positively Regulates the Glycine soja Nitrate Transporter GsNRT2.4a in Response to Nitrogen Starvation.","authors":"Minglong Li, Hongguang You, Wenya Jiang, Shixi Lu, Yuechuan Hou, Jialei Xiao, Weizhong Zeng, Pengfei Xu, Xiaodong Ding, Xiuju Wu, Shuzhen Zhang, Qiang Li","doi":"10.1111/pce.70152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70152","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Wild soybean (Glycine soja) is a leguminous species known for its ability to thrive in challenging and barren environments. It has been reported that the nitrate transporters (NRTs) play critical roles for plants to survive in the nutrient-poor soils. However, the molecular mechanisms of GsNRTs in governing nitrogen (N) uptake remain largely elusive. In the present study, we identified a NRT2.4-like protein (GsNRT2.4a) as an interactor of GsSnRK1.1 kinase. Our biophysical and physiological analyses indicate that GsNRT2.4a functions as an active NRT, and GsSnRK1.1 kinase phosphorylates the Ser518 residue at the carboxyl region of GsNRT2.4a. Under N starvation conditions, the double mutant nrt2.1/nrt2.2 (2nrtm) and the quadruple mutant nrt2.1/nrt2.2/kin10/kin11 (2kinm/2nrtm) exhibited compromised growth of Arabidopsis. However, introduction of GsNRT2.4a or GsSnRK1.1/GsNRT2.4a genes into the mutants rescued their defective growth to different extent. Furthermore, we determined that GsSnRK1.1 plays a pivotal role in modulating GsNRT2.4a activity in planta by phosphorylating GsNRT2.4a at the Ser518 site, thereby collaboratively modulating plant growth under N starvation. Our findings suggest that GsNRT2.4a is essential for optimising nitrate uptake in plants, and it also elucidates a novel regulatory mechanism of GsSnRK1.1-GsNRT2.4a module for potential enhancement of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937575","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}