The Plant Journal最新文献

{"title":"Rapid degradation of ACLA, a subunit of ATP citrate lyase, via autophagy and 26S proteasome pathways to promote pepper growth-to-tolerance transition under heat stress","authors":"Kang Yong,&nbsp;Jie Yang,&nbsp;Xinran Li,&nbsp;Haiyan Li,&nbsp;Guohong Huang,&nbsp;Tao Chen,&nbsp;Minghui Lu","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70212","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70212","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Citric acid in plant cells is crucial for growth as it serves as a precursor to multiple essential compounds. It also helps plants tolerate high temperatures. However, the mechanisms remain unclear regarding how citric acid balances its role in promoting growth and protecting against stress. We identified an ACLA protein, a subunit of ATP citrate lyase (ACL) in pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i>), that converts cytosolic citric acid into acetyl-CoA. Silencing ACLA reduced citric acid metabolites, leading to stunted growth and decreased heat tolerance. Conversely, ACLA-2 overexpression increased acetyl-CoA metabolites but reduced citric acid levels, which also led to reduced heat tolerance. However, applying exogenous citrate significantly improved the heat tolerance of ACLA-overexpressing plants compared with wild-types. This suggests that citric acid plays a dual role in the synthesis of structural components and in enhancing heat stress resistance. When plants are subjected to heat stress, ACL is rapidly degraded within 1 min. Treatments with E64d and MG132 demonstrated that autophagy and the 26S proteasome pathway contribute to this degradation. This dynamic degradation precisely regulates the dual role of ACL in growth and stress responses, indicating a novel mechanism by which plant cells rapidly adapt to environmental changes through the degradation of key enzymes.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"122 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143944619","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":"Comprehensive identification of ripening-related RNA-binding proteins in tomatoes using improved plant phase extraction","authors":"Yao Lu,&nbsp;Liqun Ma,&nbsp;Ke Cheng,&nbsp;Jinyan Li,&nbsp;Hui Tang,&nbsp;Guoning Zhu,&nbsp;Hongyi Wen,&nbsp;Benzhong Zhu,&nbsp;Daqi Fu,&nbsp;Guiqin Qu,&nbsp;Yunbo Luo,&nbsp;Hongliang Zhu","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70215","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70215","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have emerged as key players in posttranscriptional gene regulation, yet their full scale role in fruit ripening remains to be fully elucidated. However, due to the complex structure and composition of fruit tissue, exploring RBPs in fruits still faces many challenges. Here, we optimized the plant phase extraction method and successfully applied it to tomato fruits for the unbiased excavation of RBPs in fruits, this method were named as “plant phase extraction in tomato fruit” (termed tfPPE). We yielded a comprehensive candidate RNA-binding proteome (RBPome) composed of 230 proteins and disclosed that approximately 66% of them were unconventional RBPs. Validation of the RNA-binding activities of six candidate RBPs unveiled that metabolic enzymes function as moonlighting RBPs. Furthermore, combined with transcriptome analysis, we identified 41 candidate RBPs associated with fruit ripening. Remarkably, we proposed that <i>SlER21</i> and <i>SlFER1</i> play significant roles in fruit coloring and ripening process. Taken together, these results demonstrate that tfPPE was an impactful approach for unbiased excavation RBPs in fruits and pave the way for investigating RBP functions in fruit-ripening regulatory network.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"122 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143944620","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":"Functional analysis and molecular characterization of UGT95A2, a specialized glycosyltransferase for flavonoid 3′-O-glycosylation in Carthamus tinctorius L.","authors":"Ziqing Xi,&nbsp;Yuhang Li,&nbsp;Siyu Liu,&nbsp;Di Wang,&nbsp;Jinxin Guo,&nbsp;Bin Xian,&nbsp;Ke Rao,&nbsp;Chao Chen,&nbsp;Yanni Peng,&nbsp;Yanxun Zhou,&nbsp;Jiang Chen,&nbsp;Jin Pei,&nbsp;Chaoxiang Ren","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70213","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Safflower, a traditional Chinese medicine, is renowned for its efficacy in promoting blood circulation and alleviating blood stasis. Its principal bioactive components are flavonoids, which predominantly exist as flavonoid glycosides. Glycosyltransferases, as downstream post-modification enzymes in the biosynthesis of these active glycosides, are of considerable research interest. This study leverages transcriptome data from safflower to identify a glycosyltransferase gene, UGT95A2, which was subjected to comprehensive bioinformatics and enzymatic property analyses. <i>In vitro</i> enzymatic assays demonstrated that UGT95A2 catalyzes the glycosylation of flavonoids with an ortho hydroxyl group on the B-ring, generating 3′-OH glycosylated products, such as luteolin, taxifolin, catechin, butin, and eriodictyol. When the ortho hydroxyl groups are located on the A-ring, UGT95A2 instead catalyzes the formation of 6-<i>O</i>-glucosides, as observed for baicalein and 6,7,4′-trihydroxyisoflavone. Validation of <i>in vitro</i> activity showed that overexpression of UGT95A2 enhances the luteolin-3′-<i>O</i>-glucoside content in safflower protoplasts and tobacco leaves. Molecular modeling and site-directed mutagenesis studies indicated that E328 is a critical active site for 3′-hydroxyl glycosylation, while D444 is essential for the enzyme's catalytic activity in generating disaccharides. The identification of the novel glycosyltransferase UGT95A2 provides a foundation for further elucidation of the glycosylation processes of flavonoid glycosides and offers a new biotechnological approach for the production of flavonoid 3′-<i>O</i>-glucosides. This advancement has significant implications for expanding the repertoire of glycosylation enzymes and offers valuable insights for the directed modification of engineering enzymes.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"122 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143939237","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":"Three ARID proteins involved in chromatin remodeling PEAT complexes are targeted by the Ralstonia solanacearum effector PopP2 and contribute to bacterial wilt disease","authors":"Léa Monge-Waleryszak,&nbsp;Maxime Girard,&nbsp;Mélanie Carcagno,&nbsp;Raphaël Culerrier,&nbsp;Céline Vicédo,&nbsp;Yves Martinez,&nbsp;Claire Vérin,&nbsp;Yohann Couté,&nbsp;Valérie Pacquit,&nbsp;Laurent Deslandes","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70205","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Like many gram-negative phytopathogenic bacteria, <i>Ralstonia solanacearum</i> uses a type III secretion system to deliver into host cells a cocktail of effector proteins that can interfere with plant defenses and promote infection. One of these effectors, the nuclear-targeted PopP2 acetyltransferase, was reported to inhibit many defensive WRKY transcription factors through acetylation. To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which PopP2 might exert its virulence functions, we searched for other PopP2-interacting partners. Here we report the identification of the <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> AT-Rich Interaction Domain protein 3 (ARID3) and its close homologs, ARID2 and ARID4, as additional targets of PopP2. These ARID proteins are core components of the chromatin remodeling PEAT complexes that regulate gene expression through histone (de)acetylation and deubiquitination. In yeast, PopP2 binds the conserved C-terminal part of ARID2/3/4, which contains an α-crystallin domain putatively involved in their homo-oligomerization. ARID2/3/4 behave as substrates of PopP2 acetyltransferase activity, which causes the acetylation of several lysine residues conserved between these three proteins and located near their α-crystallin domain. Interestingly, while PopP2 negatively affects ARID3 and ARID4 self-interactions <i>in planta</i>, it promotes the interaction of ARID3 and ARID4 with PWWP1, another component of PEAT complexes, with which PopP2 can also interact. This study also reveals that disruption of <i>ARID2/3/4</i> results in reduced growth of <i>R. solanacearum</i>. Overall, our data are consistent with a model in which PopP2 targets several components of PEAT complexes to interfere with their epigenetic regulatory functions and promote <i>Ralstonia</i> infection in Arabidopsis.</p>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"122 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tpj.70205","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143939236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Remote precursor elements can modulate RNA induced silencing complex-loading efficiency of miR168 in Arabidopsis","authors":"Ágnes Dalmadi,&nbsp;Fabio Miloro,&nbsp;Auwalu Abdu,&nbsp;András Kis,&nbsp;Zoltán Havelda","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70195","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70195","url":null,"abstract":"<p>RNA interference mediated via the action of micro RNAs (miRNAs) plays a pivotal role in developmental and stress response pathways. In the nucleus, plant miRNAs are generated by subsequent enzymatic cuts of the <i>MIRNA</i> precursors, having specific hairpin-like secondary structures, to liberate the miRNA/miRNA* duplex. The mature miRNA strands are then loaded mostly into the ARGONAUTE 1-containing RNA induced silencing complex (RISC) with various efficiencies and trigger the down-regulation of the expression of the target mRNAs, while the miRNA* strands are eliminated. Here we revealed that <i>MIRNA</i> precursor structural elements, not overlapping with the miRNA/miRNA* duplex part, can have an influence on the AGO-loading efficiency of the produced miRNAs. Using transient and transgenic expression studies, we revealed that a chimeric <i>MIR168</i> precursor hairpin structure containing the stem region of a <i>hvu-MIR171</i> precursor can induce the enhancement of AGO-loading efficiency of the produced miR168, resulting in increased target down-regulation and in developmental defects of the transgenic plants. This effect was the most pronounced when the orientation of the wild-type miR168/miR168* duplex was inverted in the chimeric precursor, implying the cooperative action of the structural elements. In transient studies, we also showed that precursor elements of <i>MIR168a</i> can reduce AGO-loading efficiency of miR171. The discovery of signals on remote structures of the miRNA precursor suggests that miRNA biogenesis and AGO-loading can be spatially more connected in the nucleus and/or signalization events mediated by these non-duplex structural features during miRNA biogenesis can determine the fate of the miRNA/miRNA* duplexes in separated AGO-loading processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"122 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tpj.70195","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143938954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shining light on Arabidopsis regulatory networks integrating nitrogen use and photosynthesis","authors":"Kithmee de Silva,&nbsp;Camila Coelho,&nbsp;Jenny Gao,&nbsp;Matthew D. Brooks","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70211","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Nitrogen and light availability are well-known to influence photosynthesis, having both individual and synergistic effects. However, the regulatory interactions between these signaling pathways, especially the transcription factors (TFs) that perceive and integrate these cues, remain to be elucidated. Arabidopsis grown in a matrix of nitrogen and light treatments exhibited distinct physiological and transcriptomic responses. Notably, the effect of nitrogen dose on biomass, nitrogen use efficiency, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, and gene expression was highly dependent on light intensity. Genes differentially expressed across the treatments were enriched for photosynthetic processes, including the pentose-phosphate cycle, light-harvesting, and chlorophyll biosynthesis. TFs coordinating photosynthesis, carbon-to-nitrogen balance, and nitrogen uptake were identified based on motif enrichment, validated binding data, and gene regulatory network analysis. Dynamic light-by-nitrogen responses were found for TFs previously linked to either nitrogen or light signaling, which now emerge as regulatory hubs that integrate these signals. Among these TFs, we identified bZIP and MYB-related family transcription factors as pivotal players in harmonizing photosynthesis, nitrogen assimilation, and light responses. The transcription factors unveiled in this study have the potential to unlock new strategies for optimizing photosynthetic activity and nutrient-use efficiency in plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"122 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tpj.70211","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143938973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Accumulation of numerous cellular T-DNA sequences in the genus Diospyros by multiple rounds of natural transformation","authors":"Léon Otten,&nbsp;Hai Liu,&nbsp;Nattanon Meeprom,&nbsp;Alexander Linan,&nbsp;Carmen Puglisi,&nbsp;Ke Chen","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70202","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important phenomenon in the evolutionary history of plants. Natural transformation by <i>Agrobacterium</i> is a special case of HGT and leads to the insertion of cellular T-DNA (cT-DNA) sequences, for example, in <i>Diospyros lotus</i>. The genus <i>Diospyros</i> contains about 795 species with economically important members, like different types of persimmon (<i>D. kaki</i>, <i>D. lotus</i>, and <i>D. virginiana</i>) and ebony (e.g., <i>D. ebenum</i>). Whole genome sequences (WGS) from <i>D. kaki</i>, <i>D. oleifera</i>, <i>D. lotus</i>, and <i>D. virginiana</i> were investigated for cT-DNAs. These four species belong to one clade and contain 15 different cT-DNAs (DiTA to DiTO). The hexaploid species <i>D. kaki</i> cv. “Xiaoguo-tianshi” contains seven types of cT-DNA (DiTA to DiTG) on 27 of 42 homeologs, adding up to 628 kb of cT-DNA. Five of these seven cT-DNAs are non-fixed, as shown by empty chromosomal insertion sites. The evolutionary history of the <i>Diospyros</i> cT-DNAs was reconstructed using the divergence of their inverted repeats. Insert age varied from 3 to 12 million years. Partial cT-DNA sequences were detected in 35 additional species from five <i>Diospyros</i> clades. Our data highlight the unexpectedly large scale of natural <i>Agrobacterium</i> transformation in <i>Diospyros</i> and demonstrate the necessity of whole genome approaches for studies on the origin and evolution of cT-DNAs.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"122 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143944905","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":"CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockout of OsKCS11 in rice reveals potential crosstalk between very-long-chain fatty acids and cytokinin","authors":"Jianping Zhou,&nbsp;Rui Pang,&nbsp;Yangshuo Han,&nbsp;Yachong Guo,&nbsp;Yibo Wang,&nbsp;Hongjun Yang,&nbsp;Wei Wang,&nbsp;Xinxuan Fu,&nbsp;Rui Zhang,&nbsp;Xuelian Zheng,&nbsp;Tao Zhang,&nbsp;Yong Zhang,&nbsp;Quan Wang","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70208","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70208","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) play crucial roles in various physiological processes in plants. Through our investigation using a CRISPR-Cas9 knockout mutant library in rice, we identified a semi-dwarf rice mutant named <i>CRISPR-Cas-based dwarf-1</i> (<i>csd-1</i>). This mutant displayed multiple developmental defects, such as decreased plant height, panicle length, seed size, and seed-setting rate. Whole-genome resequencing analysis revealed that a T-nucleotide insertion in β-ketoacyl-CoA synthase 11 (KCS11), responsible for the initial step in fatty acid elongation, was responsible for the observed defects in <i>csd-1</i>. The identity of <i>csd-1</i> was confirmed through genetic complementation and CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockout. Expression analysis indicated that <i>OsKCS11</i> was present in various tissues, with differential abundance observed through RT-qPCR and promoter GUS staining, and strong localization at the node position by RNA <i>in situ</i> hybridization; furthermore, OsKCS11 protein was confirmed to be in the endoplasmic reticulum. Furthermore, <i>csd-1</i> exhibited significantly reduced levels of linolenic acid (18:3), C24:0-OH, C28:0-alkanes, C29:0-alkanes, alpha-tocopherol, and C33:0-alkanes, while <i>trans</i>-nonadecenoic acid and behenic acid levels were increased. Cytokinin analysis revealed significant increases in isopentenyladenine (IPA) and <i>cis</i>-zeatin (cZ) levels in <i>csd-1</i>. Molecular investigations indicated upregulation of genes involved in cytokinin biosynthesis or signaling, suggesting a potential link between VLCFAs and cytokinin synthesis through acetyl-CoA. This study not only proposed an alternative gene mapping method based on whole-genome resequencing but also elucidated the mechanism by which VLCFAs influence cytokinin synthesis and signaling.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"122 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143944912","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":"Genetic effect of the Ph1 locus on transcriptome atlas of anther development-related genes, meiotic chromosome behavior and agronomic traits in bread wheat","authors":"Rongguang Zhou,&nbsp;Guo Li,&nbsp;Tong Feng,&nbsp;Zesheng Liu,&nbsp;Junzhi Fu,&nbsp;Deshi Zhang,&nbsp;Han Wang,&nbsp;Ruisi Wang,&nbsp;Tingting Yu,&nbsp;Yao Bian,&nbsp;Lei Gong,&nbsp;Huakun Zhang,&nbsp;Bao Liu,&nbsp;Zhibin Zhang","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70203","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Proper spatiotemporal expression of meiosis-related genes (MRGs) and other male-microsporogenesis/microgametogenesis-related genes (MMRGs) is crucial for normal anther development, yet their expression patterns remain largely unknown in wheat. The <i>Ph1</i> locus in wheat is known to contain the <i>Ph1</i> gene that plays a dual role in promoting pairing between homologous chromosomes but repressing pairing between homoeologous chromosomes, but its genetic function is still unclear. Here, we investigated these issues by conducting a comprehensive transcriptome analysis during wheat anther development in Chinese Spring (CS) and its <i>ph1b</i> deletion mutant under greenhouse and field conditions. Our results revealed that MRGs and MMRGs are predominantly expressed during pre-meiosis stages, with MMRGs also being highly expressed in meiotic-II. Gene co-expression analysis showed that C2H2 and B3 transcriptional factors (TFs) are associated with MRGs, and MYB regulators interacted mainly with MMRGs during microgametogenesis. Deletion of genes within the <i>Ph1</i> locus failed to induce compensatory transcriptional activation of their homoeologous counterparts, while genes outside the <i>Ph1</i> locus showed environmental-specific responses, especially during meiotic-II and mature pollen stages. Notably, early disjunction of bivalent chromosomes is a primary factor leading to defective meiocytes during metaphase I. Furthermore, the <i>ph1b</i> deletion mutant exhibited a substantially delayed heading date, potentially contributing to environment-stable and environment-specific alterations in fertility and grain-related traits. Our study highlights the significant impact of the <i>Ph1</i> locus on the transcriptome during anther development, and a previously unheeded effect on meiotic chromosome pairing and agronomic traits, suggesting potential for genetic manipulations within the <i>Ph1</i> locus for wheat improvement.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"122 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143938765","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 pectin acetyl-transferase facilitates secondary plasmodesmata formation and RNA silencing movement between plant cells","authors":"Florence Jay,&nbsp;Florian Brioudes,&nbsp;Lazar Novaković,&nbsp;André Imboden,&nbsp;Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso,&nbsp;Olivier Voinnet","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70194","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70194","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Some silencing small (s)RNAs, comprising micro (mi)RNAs and small-interfering (si)RNAs, move between plant cells to orchestrate gene expression and defense. Besides possible redundancy or embryo lethality, a prevalent challenge in genetic studies of mobile silencing is to discriminate <i>bona fide</i> alterations to sRNA movement from impaired cell-autonomous sRNA activity within silencing-recipient cells. Without such clarifications, cell-to-cell mobility factors are yet to be unequivocally identified. Consequently, known properties of sRNA movement, including contextuality and directionality, remain poorly explained. Circumstantial evidence and synthetic biology pinpoint plasmodesmata (PDs) – the pores traversing plant cell walls (CWs) – as the likely channels involved. Yet, how plants control the number of primary and secondary PDs developing respectively before and after CW formation remains largely unknown. Here, we address these intertwined issues in Arabidopsis using a forward screen for compromised epidermis-to-mesophyll movement of an artificial (a)miRNA. We identify a pectin acetyl-transferase mutation that, we demonstrate, reduces amiRNA physical trafficking but also impedes siRNA, GFP, and viral movement by decreasing the frequency of leaf secondary PDs. sRNA movement at leaf interfaces involving primary PDs remains unaffected, however, as does miRNA and GFP cell-to-cell mobility in roots, hinting at how movement's contextuality and directionality might be achieved. We also show that reducing de-esterified pectin depolymerization decreases leaves' symplasmic connectivity, whereas defective pectin biogenesis increases PD number. Combining genetics with antibody-based pectin probing and atomic force microscopy helps delineate a mechanistically coherent framework whereby pectin esterification and/or abundance impact CW loosening, a process required for CW extension during which secondary PDs form to enable macromolecular trafficking.</p>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"122 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tpj.70194","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143938766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}