Yu Wang, Yue Yang, Mingkun Chen, Chenqi Huang, Yujie Qi, Hong An, Jun Wei, Zhuanxia Xin, Houhua Li
{"title":"The MpbZIP46-MpERF105 Module Responds to ABA and Ethylene Signalling to Promote Anthocyanin Synthesis in Malus 'Profusion' Under Rust Stress.","authors":"Yu Wang, Yue Yang, Mingkun Chen, Chenqi Huang, Yujie Qi, Hong An, Jun Wei, Zhuanxia Xin, Houhua Li","doi":"10.1111/pce.70209","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70209","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Malus 'Profusion' synthesizes anthocyanins at the spots as a defence mechanism against rust fungi. While ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA) are known to synergistically regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis via transcription factors (TFs) in plants, their regulatory roles in M. 'Profusion' under rust stress remain elusive. In this study, we found that the release of ABA and ethylene significantly increased during rust infection. Crucially, we identified MpbZIP46, a novel ABA-responsive bZIP TF, as playing a key role in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Overexpression of MpbZIP46 significantly promoted anthocyanin synthesis, while CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockdown of MpbZIP46 significantly reduced anthocyanin content. Further studies showed that under rust conditions, the release of ABA and ethylene synergistically promoted the accumulation of anthocyanins in M. 'Profusion' rust spots. Mechanistically, MpbZIP46 physically interacts with the ethylene-responsive TF MpERF105, forming a functional complex that synergistically transactivates the promoter of MpMYB10b-the core regulator of anthocyanin synthesis, thereby driving anthocyanin production in rust-stressed leaves. In conclusion, this study established the molecular mechanism by which ABA and ethylene regulate anthocyanin synthesis in M. 'Profusion' leaves under rust stress through the MpbZIP46-MpERF105-MpMYB10b module.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145147217","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}
Jesús Pérez-López, Clara de la Osa, Jacinto Gandullo, Nora Gigli-Bisceglia, Inmaculada Coleto, Ana Belén Feria, Cristina Echevarría, Christa Testerink, Daniel Marino, Sofía García-Mauriño, José A Monreal
{"title":"Unravelling the Significance of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase in Phosphate Starvation Responses.","authors":"Jesús Pérez-López, Clara de la Osa, Jacinto Gandullo, Nora Gigli-Bisceglia, Inmaculada Coleto, Ana Belén Feria, Cristina Echevarría, Christa Testerink, Daniel Marino, Sofía García-Mauriño, José A Monreal","doi":"10.1111/pce.70204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70204","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Low phosphate availability is a major concern for agriculture. Plants develop a plethora of responses to improve phosphate acquisition, known as phosphate starvation responses (PSR). Among them, the induction of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) has been described in many plants. However, most studies have been conducted in the absence of phosphate, thus the real impact of PEPC in PSR is missing as there is no phosphate to take up. In this study, we used modified sorghum plants silenced in the main PEPC isozyme in roots, SbPPC3, and analyzed the role of PEPC in the presence of insoluble calcium phosphate (PCa), showing a phosphate starvation phenotype in silenced but not in WT plants. Interestingly, root exudation of citrate was not reduced in silenced plants, probably due to a higher citrate synthase activity, but it was reduced for succinate, another compound with phosphate solubilisation capacity. Finally, silenced plants accumulated less P in roots with PCa, leading to a reduced phosphate acquisition efficiency (PAE). Our results show, for the first time, the actual role of PEPC in phosphate solubilisation through succinate exudation, proposing PPC3 as a specific target to improve PAE in plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145136172","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}
Xuewen Wang, Hongjin Wei, Jiaojiao Lei, Zhibing Rui, Cun Yu
{"title":"Trichoderma koningiopsis Induced Changes in Root Exudates of Masson Pine Seedlings Alter Rhizosphere Microbiome to Enhance Damping-Off Disease Resistance.","authors":"Xuewen Wang, Hongjin Wei, Jiaojiao Lei, Zhibing Rui, Cun Yu","doi":"10.1111/pce.70203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70203","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Damping-off disease, primarily caused by Fusarium oxysporum, poses a significant challenge to the cultivation of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) seedlings. Although Trichoderma koningiopsis improves damping-off disease resistance in Masson pine by regulating the rhizosphere microbial community, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Metabolomic analysis showed that T. koningiopsis altered Masson pine root exudates, especially plant organic acids such as capric acid (CA), lauric acid (LA) and pelargonic acid (PA). Co-culturing rhizosphere microbes with 0.1 mM CA, LA, PA and a combination of the three (1:1:1, CDNs1) significantly inhibited F. oxysporum and promoted the growth of rhizosphere biocontrol strains (Trichoderma, Penicillium and Bacillus), with CDNs1 exerting a superior effect. Amplicon sequencing and RT-qPCR showed that CDNs1 significantly altered the microbial community composition in the rhizosphere, especially inhibited the growth of Fusarium and enriched beneficial microbes (Trichoderma and Penicillium). CDNs1 effectively decreased the incidence and severity index of damping-off disease in Masson pine seedlings by 73.33% and 41.67%, respectively. Mechanistically, CDNs1 enhanced resistance to damping-off disease by modulating plant hormones, oxidative stress defences and the photosynthesis pathway. Collectively, this study provides insight into the mechanism by which T. koningiopsis enhances damping-off disease resistance by regulating the rhizosphere microbial community.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145129725","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":"Symbiotic Nodulation Enhances Legume Tolerance to Abiotic Stresses: Mechanisms and Perspectives.","authors":"Ting Wang, Fang Wu, Hanwen Liu, Xuanyu Zhang, Yunhao Zhou, Senlei Zhang, Peizhi Yang","doi":"10.1111/pce.70207","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70207","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, heavy metal contamination and cold, pose significant challenges to global agriculture, reducing crop productivity and threatening food security. Legume-rhizobium symbiosis not only facilitates biological nitrogen fixation but also improves plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. Nodulated leguminous plants exhibit better growth and improved productivity under abiotic stress conditions. In this review, we highlight recent advances in understanding how symbiotic nodulation mitigates abiotic stresses, focusing on physiological and biochemical responses, as well as molecular pathways. We then discuss future research directions to optimise rhizobial applications for stress-tolerant and climate-adaptive farming systems. Rhizobial inoculation is presented as a promising, sustainable and eco-friendly strategy for mitigating abiotic stresses, offering significant potential for stressed agricultural systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145136159","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}
Anna Golisz-Mocydlarz, Monika Zakrzewska-Placzek, Michal Krzyszton, Nataliia Diachenko, Justyna Piotrowska, Wiktoria Kalbarczyk, Agnieszka Marasek-Ciolakowska, Joanna Kufel
{"title":"The Arabidopsis deNADding Enzyme DXO1 Modulates the Plant Immunity Response.","authors":"Anna Golisz-Mocydlarz, Monika Zakrzewska-Placzek, Michal Krzyszton, Nataliia Diachenko, Justyna Piotrowska, Wiktoria Kalbarczyk, Agnieszka Marasek-Ciolakowska, Joanna Kufel","doi":"10.1111/pce.70199","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70199","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>DXO1, the only DXO homolog in Arabidopsis, due to its plant-specific features, exhibits strong deNADding enzymatic activity but has no apparent role in 5' QC. Despite its important contribution to plant RNA metabolism, the direct impact of DXO1 enzymatic activity on cellular processes appears surprisingly limited. Notably, most molecular and morphological changes observed so far in dxo1 mutant plants depended on the plant-specific N-terminal domain of the protein. Our investigation into the role of DXO1 in response to biotic stress, specifically its susceptibility to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 infection, unexpectedly revealed the importance of DXO1 enzymatic activity in the plant immune response. We observed that dxo1-2 knockout mutant and transgenic dxo1-2 lines expressing a DXO1 variant either catalytically inactive or lacking the N-terminal domain exhibited enhanced resistance to Pst, accompanied by marked changes in the expression of key pathogenesis markers. Also, other markers of plant immunity, such as callose deposition and production of reactive oxygen species, were strongly induced by PAMPs elf18 and flg22. These results strongly suggest that both DXO1 features, the N-terminal domain and its catalytic site, contribute to the regulation of plant immunity. This is the first observation revealing the involvement of DXO1 enzymatic activity in plant physiology. Moreover, our analyses showed that dxo1-2 mutation altered the expression of a large group of defense-related genes, affected the stability of mRNAs, and delayed the activation of MAP kinases. Therefore, we postulate that DXO1 protein deregulates defense against Pst infection at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145129755","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}
Yi Yang, Jian Luo, Jingyi Feng, Huihui Hu, Jianke Xiao, Chengqiang Ding, Vinay Nangia, Yang Liu
{"title":"Root-Derived Trans-Zeatin-Type Cytokinins Increase Cold Tolerance in Rice Seedlings by Regulating Energy Metabolism.","authors":"Yi Yang, Jian Luo, Jingyi Feng, Huihui Hu, Jianke Xiao, Chengqiang Ding, Vinay Nangia, Yang Liu","doi":"10.1111/pce.70190","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70190","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rice seedlings are highly sensitive to low-temperature stress. Cytokinins are important endogenous signalling molecules in plants and play a critical role in regulating stress responses. However, the mechanism by which cytokinins mediate cold stress responses in rice seedlings remains unclear. In this study, we employed cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive rice cultivars, cytokinin-defective mutants and exogenous cytokinin supplementation to elucidate the mechanisms underlying cytokinin-mediated chilling adaptation. First, we compared the transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles of a cold-tolerant cultivar (HY73) and a cold-sensitive cultivar (WFY286) under low-temperature treatment (11°C for 8 h). The results revealed that cytokinins, along with energy metabolic pathways such as glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle, are closely associated with cold tolerance in rice seedlings. Compared with WFY286, HY73 presented higher levels of root-derived trans-zeatin (tZ)-type cytokinins in leaves, increased energy metabolism, elevated ATP content and increased energy charge. Furthermore, the tZ-type cytokinins transport-deficient mutant abcg18 presented reduced cold tolerance, lower energy metabolic activity and decreased ATP and energy charge levels, indicating that the transport of tZ-type cytokinins is crucial for cold stress responses. Leaf spraying with tZ significantly improved the energy metabolism and cold tolerance of WFY286 and abcg18. Taken together, our findings suggest that root-derived tZ-type cytokinins enhance low-temperature adaptation in rice seedlings by promoting energy metabolism and maintaining cellular energy homoeostasis. This study provides a theoretical basis for improving cold resistance in rice through manipulation of cytokinin signalling pathways.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145129669","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":"Microbial Memory of Drought Reshapes Root-Associated Communities to Enhance Plant Resilience.","authors":"Hongyin Qi, Xin Wen, Ziyue Wang, Shuxia Yin","doi":"10.1111/pce.70200","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70200","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Global climate change has increased the frequency and severity of droughts, posing significant threats to grassland ecosystems. As a dominant species in meadow steppe in northern China's grasslands, Leymus chinensis exhibits excellent drought resistance, yet the interaction mechanisms between its drought resistance and rhizosphere microbial communities remain unclear. This study simulated short-term drought cycles (0-3) and combined high-throughput sequencing with microbial transplantation experiments to investigate rhizosphere and bulk soil microbial responses to drought and their regulatory effects on host drought resistance. Key findings include: (1) Rhizosphere microbial network connectivity decreased by 63.3% at 3 drought cycles (R3) versus control (R0), while bulk soil only decreased by 11.6%, showing niche-specific adaptation; (2) fungal communities responded rapidly to short-term drought stress, while bacterial (e.g., Proteobacteria) taxa exhibited delayed yet specific recruitment patterns across successive drought cycles, suggesting a time-resolved functional synergy; (3) transplanting R3 rhizosphere soil increased L. chinensis the content of relative water, proline, chlorophyll and soluble sugar, while reducing the relative conductivity and malondialdehyde content, validating the microbial-mediated 'stress memory' effect. These findings reveal that L. chinensis enhances drought adaptation by targeting the recruitment of rhizosphere microbes, providing valuable insights into the ecological resilience and restoration of grasslands.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145129744","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":"Integrated Multiscale Imaging and Noninvasive Micro-Sensing Decipher Spatiotemporal Calcium Dynamics in Thermogenic Tissue of Magnolia Flower.","authors":"Siqin Wang, Miao Yu, Zhang Wang, Jiying Li, Chang Liu, Dongye Liu, Jing Li, Ruohan Wang","doi":"10.1111/pce.70196","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70196","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Magnolia denudata is characterized by floral thermogenesis and blooms in the cold early spring. However, the specific thermogenic tissues and molecular signals that modulate thermogenesis remain elusive. Here, we categorized the developmental process of M. denudata into five stages with stage 2 being the thermogenic peak stage, and identified the thermogenic region as the lateral tissue of gynoecium by integrating infrared (IR) imaging and multispectral imaging (MSI). The optimized integration of these imaging techniques not only distinguished the gynoecium of the non-thermogenic and thermogenic stages but also revealed compound differences between the lateral and central tissues at the thermogenic stage. Moreover, we unveiled the in situ distribution of calcium in thermogenic organs using micro X-ray fluorescence imaging (μ-XRF), and its distribution pattern closely matched the heat distribution. The increased rate of Ca<sup>2+</sup> influx both into the cytosol and mitochondria aligns with the upregulation of genes related to mitochondrial Ca<sup>2+</sup> transport at the thermogenic stage. Additionally, changes in respiratory capacity caused by altering cytosolic Ca<sup>2+</sup> concentration further demonstrated that Ca<sup>2+</sup> regulates mitochondrial respiratory metabolism. This study comprehensively utilized multiscale imaging to distinguish the thermogenic tissue within the complex-structured thermogenic organ of M. denudata, revealing the close relationship between Ca<sup>2+</sup> and thermogenesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145129703","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":"Climate and Soil Factors Shape Microbial Diversity and Key Taxa Influencing Poplar Growth in Plantations.","authors":"Mingzhen Xu, Qiqi Yang, Xiaolei Shen, Dingyi Yu, Zelin Zhao, Zimo Wang, Jinghan Wang, Pingdong Zhang, Changjun Ding, Changxiong Zhu, Hui Guo, Yinglong Chen","doi":"10.1111/pce.70197","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.70197","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the poplar plantations, soil microorganisms-particularly key microbial taxa-can have a profound impact on plant growth through their responses to environmental changes. However, there remains a lack of understanding of how environmental factors drive microbial diversity and key taxa, and how these, in turn, affect poplar growth. This study investigated 6-year-old poplar plantations across three regions of the North China Plain (Beijing, Hebei, and Henan). Combined with high-throughput cultivation and pot experiments, the growth-promoting effects of culturable key microbial strains on poplars were assessed. The results showed significant differences in climate indices, poplar growth traits, soil physicochemical properties, and soil microbial communities among the plantation regions (p < 0.05). A synthetic community comprising key strains (Acinetobacter-Aa20, Bacillus-Aa15, Bacillus-Ba9, and Bacillus-Ab26) significantly promoted poplar seedling growth. The results indicated that mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature influence soil nutrient availability, thereby affecting poplar growth. Key taxa may indirectly promote poplar growth by being recruited through soil nutrient dynamics. This study provides important ecological insights into the interaction mechanisms among environmental factors, plants, soil, and microorganisms in poplar plantation ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":222,"journal":{"name":"Plant, Cell & Environment","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145129752","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}