The Plant Journal最新文献

{"title":"Genetic effects on chromatin accessibility reveal the molecular mechanisms of complex traits in maize","authors":"Yongli Zhu,&nbsp;Heiyuen Ngan,&nbsp;Weilun Liu,&nbsp;Tao Zhu,&nbsp;Wenqiang Li,&nbsp;Yingjie Xiao,&nbsp;Lin Zhuo,&nbsp;Dijun Chen,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Tu,&nbsp;Kang Gao,&nbsp;Jianbing Yan,&nbsp;Silin Zhong,&nbsp;Ning Yang","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70437","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70437","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p><i>Cis</i>-regulatory elements (CREs) are critical for modulating gene expression and phenotypic diversity in maize. While genome-wide association study (GWAS) hits and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) are often enriched in CREs, their molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Characterizing CREs within accessible chromatin regions (ACRs) offers a powerful approach to link noncoding variants to chromatin structure alterations and phenotypic variation. Here, we generated ATAC-seq profiles from seedling leaves of 214 maize inbred lines, identifying 82 174 consensus ACRs. Notably, 39.55% of these ACRs exhibited significant population-wide chromatin accessibility variation. By mapping chromatin accessibility quantitative trait loci (caQTLs), we discovered 27 004 loci, including 1398 predicted to disrupt transcription factor (TF)-binding sites. Integration with multi-omics data revealed 7405 caACR-target gene pairs and linked 56 caACRs to GWAS signals for 51 agronomic traits, with significant enrichment in flowering-related pathways. Functional candidates such as <i>ZmZIM30</i> – putatively regulated by caACRs – emerged as key regulators of flowering time. At the <i>fad7</i> locus associated with linolenic acid content, allelic variants overlapping a caQTL showed differential chromatin accessibility. Our study provides a high-resolution <i>cis</i>-elements of maize leaves, deciphers the genetic basis of chromatin accessibility variation, and bridges noncoding caQTLs to molecular mechanisms underlying GWAS hits.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"123 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144869940","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 maize Ni2+/Co2+ transporter ZL1 maintains cobalt and nickel homeostasis and contributes to photosynthesis","authors":"Mixue Wang,&nbsp;Xuxu Huang,&nbsp;Qi Zheng,&nbsp;Bin Li,&nbsp;Chunhui Xu,&nbsp;Zhiming Zhang,&nbsp;Bao-Cai Tan,&nbsp;David Jackson,&nbsp;Fang Xu","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70422","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Transition metals play essential roles as coenzymes and catalysts in plants and are vital for chloroplast function and photosynthetic efficiency. Nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) are two important trace transition metals that are present in chloroplasts. However, the functions of Ni and Co in maize and the mechanisms regulating their homeostasis in chloroplasts remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified a maize zebra lesion (<i>zl1</i>) mutant characterized by leaf chlorosis, severe defects in chloroplast development, and reduced chlorophyll accumulation. Bulked segregant RNA-seq analysis and positional cloning revealed that <i>zl1</i> carries a non-synonymous mutation in <i>GRMZM2G141636</i>, which encodes a putative nickel/cobalt transporter. Two additional non-synonymous mutations in this gene exhibit similar phenotypes and failed to complement the <i>zl1</i> mutant. CRISPR-generated knockout mutants were albino and died at an early developmental stage, indicating that ZL1 is crucial for maize development. ZL1-eGFP fusion proteins localized to the chloroplasts and other plastids, and <i>zl1</i> chloroplasts had significantly reduced Ni and Co levels, while supplementation with Ni²⁺ or Co²⁺ partially rescued the chlorosis phenotype, suggesting the leaf chlorosis phenotype is caused by a deficiency of Ni²⁺ or Co²⁺ in chloroplasts. RNA profiling revealed widespread misregulation of photosynthesis-related genes in the <i>zl1</i> mutant. Taken together, these results highlight the crucial role of ZL1 in maize development and photosynthesis, likely through the regulation of cobalt and nickel homeostasis in chloroplasts.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"123 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144869990","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":"Genome sequencing and population genomics provide insights into the demographic history, genetic load, and local adaptation of an endangered Tertiary relict","authors":"Nan Lin,&nbsp;Yakun Wang,&nbsp;Jacob B. Landis,&nbsp;Xiankun Wang,&nbsp;Yuxuan He,&nbsp;Hengchang Wang,&nbsp;Xianhan Huang,&nbsp;Qun Liu,&nbsp;Jun Yang,&nbsp;Fude Shang,&nbsp;Tao Deng,&nbsp;Yanpei Liu","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70425","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Endangered Tertiary relict trees represent an exceptional evolutionary heritage with small and isolated populations, yet little is known about how demographic history, local adaptation, and genetic load have affected their long-term survival and extinction risk. We performed whole-genome sequencing and population genomic analyses on <i>Ulmus elongata</i> L. K. Fu &amp; C. S. Ding, an endangered Tertiary relict tree endemic to East Asia. By integrating genomes from <i>U. elongata</i> and seven other endangered trees from public databases, we identified rate-decelerated genes across endangered trees and genes under positive selection of <i>U. elongata</i> associated with tissue development, detoxification, and immune response, and signal transduction and regulation mechanisms potentially leading to endangered status. Demographic analyses revealed continuous population decline from the late Miocene to present, especially during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and last 10 000 years. Spearman correlation indicated a strong negative relationship between effective population size and human population density (<i>r</i>_{population density} = −0.90, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.001) as well as cropland use (<i>r</i>_{cropland use} = −0.89, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). Genotype–environment association (GEA) analyses identified a set of candidate genes associated with temperature and precipitation, supporting a polygenic adaptation model in <i>U. elongata</i>. Overall, our findings underscore the severe population bottlenecks that have led to the fixation of strongly deleterious mutations and inbreeding, further compromising the adaptive potential and long-term viability of <i>U. elongata</i>. Furthermore, assessments of genomic vulnerability under future climate scenarios revealed higher genetic offsets in northern region of Fujian and Jiangxi populations, suggesting these regions require prioritized conservation efforts due to reduced adaptive capacity.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"123 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144869991","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":"It does not hurt to double up: the role of translation in inter-subspecific hybrid rice","authors":"Gwendolyn K. Kirschner","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70431","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70431","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Early plant breeders thought that self-pollination and inbreeding would eventually lead to ‘pure’ and superior plants (Curry, &lt;span&gt;2023&lt;/span&gt;). So, they inbred maize generation after generation, but against their expectations the plants became smaller and smaller, and the yield decreased. In the early 20th century, the plant geneticist George Harrison Shull crossed two maize inbred lines to create F1 hybrids (Crow, &lt;span&gt;1998&lt;/span&gt;). Their yield exceeded the ones of the lines they were derived from. Shull named this phenomenon ‘heterosis’, as shorthand for ‘stimulation of heterozygosis’. Nowadays, nearly all maize production in the United States relies on hybrids (Duvick, &lt;span&gt;2005&lt;/span&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In contrast to maize, rice is a self-pollinating crop. Only the discovery of a naturally pollen-aborting wild rice in the 1970s promoted the commercial development of hybrid rice breeding because the pollen-aborting variety could be used as female in the cross (Gu &amp; Han, &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). Hybrid rice has significantly contributed to addressing global food security. For Jianbo Wang, professor at the State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice in Wuhan, this has always been the driving force behind his dedication to hybrid rice research.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Heterosis has been explored from different angles, but its genetic foundation remains poorly understood. Because translational regulation is important for different abiotic stresses, such as chilling, drought and salinity (Lei et al., &lt;span&gt;2015&lt;/span&gt;), the group decided to analyse whether translation might be important for heterosis. Therefore, for the highlighted study, the PhD student in Wang's group, Zengde Xi, and the team set out to examine genome-wide translational dynamics in the hybrid rice line ZY19 (Xi et al., &lt;span&gt;2025&lt;/span&gt;). ZY19 is a cross between parents of the two subspecies &lt;i&gt;indica&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;japonica&lt;/i&gt; (Z04A and ZHF1015), which generally shows higher yield than intra-subspecific hybrids (&lt;i&gt;indica&lt;/i&gt; × &lt;i&gt;indica&lt;/i&gt; or &lt;i&gt;japonica&lt;/i&gt; × &lt;i&gt;japonica&lt;/i&gt;), making it particularly interesting for the study.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The authors sampled flag leaves of ZY19 and its parental lines and subjected them to RNAseq and ribosome profiling (Ribo-seq) (Figure 1a). Ribo-seq is a deep sequencing technology that captures ribosome-protected mRNA fragments and thereby actively translated mRNA (Ingolia et al., &lt;span&gt;2009&lt;/span&gt;). They found that around 80% of genes were expressed in all three lines at both the transcriptome and translatome levels (Figure 1b). The authors then identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ZY19 and its parents by comparing gene expression at the transcriptional level. Of those DEGs, over 60% were more highly expressed in ZY19. However, fewer than 10% of the DEGs overlapped between the transcriptome and translatome, suggesting discrepancies between transcription and translation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The translation efficiency (TE), that is the ratio of normalized Ribo-seq read abunda","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"123 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tpj.70431","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144861813","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":"Ethylene antagonizes ABA responses in stomatal movement and seed germination by upregulating ABI1 and ABI2 at both the transcript and protein levels","authors":"Yuyan An,&nbsp;Jun Zhang,&nbsp;Zhimao Sun,&nbsp;Yanling Gan,&nbsp;Xiaomin Ge,&nbsp;Xiaoting Wang,&nbsp;Meixiang Zhang,&nbsp;Junmin He","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70423","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The intricate interplay among plant hormones is crucial for the fine-tuning of stomatal movements, which are vital for plant growth and stress responses. While it is well documented that ethylene inhibits abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closure, the detailed interactions between their core signaling pathways remain elusive. In this study, we discovered that ethylene is dependent on the canonical EIN2-EIN3 signaling pathway to suppress ABA-induced stomatal closure by enhancing the activity of protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C), the key negative regulator of ABA signaling, and consequently reducing the phosphorylation levels of SnRK2.6/OST1, a core positive regulator of ABA signaling. Our findings in loss-of-function mutants for ABA-INSENSITIVE1 (ABI1) and ABI2 demonstrate that these proteins are the principal PP2Cs mediating the interaction between ethylene and ABA-induced stomatal movement. Moreover, we demonstrated that ethylene significantly upregulates the gene expression and protein accumulation of ABI1 and ABI2 in the presence of ABA. Using genetic and molecular assays, we further uncovered that ethylene directly regulates <i>ABI1</i> and <i>ABI2</i> transcription through ethylene-responsive factors. Additionally, we found that ethylene enhances the stability of ABI1 and ABI2 proteins by inhibiting their ABA-induced degradation. Collectively, our research elucidates how ethylene, through the EIN2-EIN3 signaling pathway, upregulates PP2Cs to inhibit ABA-induced stomatal closure, with effects contingent on ABA presence. These findings reveal a novel negative feedback regulatory mechanism in ABA guard cell signaling. Additionally, during seed germination, ethylene also upregulates ABI1 and ABI2 to counteract ABA's effects, aligning with the mechanism observed in stomatal closure. These results collectively suggest a general model for ethylene's antagonism of ABA responses, thereby advancing our understanding of how plants precisely regulate multiple processes through hormonal crosstalk.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"123 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144843664","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":"MaUGT79 confers drought tolerance by regulating scopolin biosynthesis in plants","authors":"Zhen Duan,&nbsp;Fan Wu,&nbsp;Qi Yan,&nbsp;Shengsheng Wang,&nbsp;Yimeng Wang,&nbsp;Zhenjie Xie,&nbsp;Meiao Li,&nbsp;Chris Stephen Jones,&nbsp;Pei Zhou,&nbsp;Caibin Zhang,&nbsp;Jiyu Zhang","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70404","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70404","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The coumarin scopoletin and its glycosylated form scopolin constitute a vast class of natural products that are considered to be high-value compounds, distributed widely in the plant kingdom; they help plants adapt to environmental stresses. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of how scopolin is involved in the regulation of plant drought tolerance remains largely unexplored. Here, UDP-glycosyltransferase 79 (MaUGT79) was genetically mapped as the target gene by bulk segregant analysis sequencing (BSA-seq) from two <i>Melilotus albus</i> near-isogenic lines (NILs). MaUGT79 exhibits glucosyltransferase activity toward scopoletin. The expression of <i>MaUGT79</i> is induced by drought stress, and it was found to mediate scopolin accumulation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging under drought stress. Moreover, MaMYB4 transcriptionally upregulated <i>MaUGT79</i> was also verified to be involved in modulating scopolin biosynthesis and improving plant drought tolerance. Collectively, this study demonstrates that MaMYB4 enhances drought tolerance through activating <i>MaUGT79</i> expression and promoting scopolin biosynthesis. While <i>MaUGT79</i> represents a key target of MaMYB4-mediated scopolin biosynthesis and drought adaptation, the potential involvement of additional regulatory pathways warrants further investigation. These findings provide important insights into how scopolin accumulation may contribute to plant adaptation to environmental stresses.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"123 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144843663","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":"Warm temperatures regulate andrographolide biosynthesis through jasmonic acid signaling mediated by the ApMYC2–ApHSFB2b module in Andrographis paniculata","authors":"Huiling Huang,&nbsp;Qi Qi,&nbsp;Zhenluan Yang,&nbsp;Zhirong Chen,&nbsp;Mingxi Zhong,&nbsp;Haisheng Zeng,&nbsp;Bingding Lv,&nbsp;Chaoqing Yang,&nbsp;Hong-Lei Jin,&nbsp;Hong-Bin Wang","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70419","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p><i>Andrographis paniculata</i> (<i>Acanthaceae</i>) produces andrographolide (AD), a diterpene compound with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. <i>A. paniculata</i> primarily occurs in tropical and subtropical regions characterized by high temperatures. However, the effects of temperature on <i>A. paniculata</i> development and metabolism, and the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that warm temperature promotes plant growth and AD accumulation in <i>A. paniculata</i>. Metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that the transcription factors ApMYC2 and ApHSFB2b are strongly associated with AD production, and these transcription factors form a complex to regulate gene expression. Warm temperatures enhance jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation, which activates expression of the copalyl-diphosphate synthase gene <i>ApCPS1</i>, encoding a key enzyme in AD biosynthesis, through the ApMYC2–ApHSFB2b regulatory module. Furthermore, the jasmonate ZIM domain (JAZ) JA signaling repressors ApJAZ1 and ApJAZ9 interact with ApMYC2, thereby inhibiting activation of <i>ApCPS1</i> mediated by ApMYC2 and ApHSFB2b. Our findings elucidate a temperature-dependent mechanism regulating AD biosynthesis in <i>A. paniculata</i>, mediated by JA signaling through the ApMYC2–ApHSFB2b module, providing critical insights into how temperature regulates terpenoid metabolism in plants.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"123 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144833276","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":"From aerial drone to quantitative trait locus: leveraging next-generation phenotyping to reveal the genetics of color and height in field-grown Lactuca sativa","authors":"Rens Dijkhuizen,&nbsp;Abraham L. van Eijnatten,&nbsp;Sarah L. Mehrem,&nbsp;Esther van den Bergh,&nbsp;Jelmer van Lieshout,&nbsp;Kiki Spaninks,&nbsp;Steven Kaandorp,&nbsp;Remko Offringa,&nbsp;Marcel Proveniers,&nbsp;Guido van den Ackerveken,&nbsp;Basten L. Snoek","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70405","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70405","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In recent years, accurate and low-cost variant calling has enabled the genotyping of large diversity panels for genome-wide association studies. As a result, phenotyping rather than genotyping is now the rate-limiting step, especially in field experiments. This has created a strong need for high-throughput, accurate, and low-cost in-field phenotyping. Here, we present a genome-wide association study (GWAS) study on 194 field-grown accessions of lettuce (<i>Lactuca sativa</i>). These accessions were non-destructively phenotyped at two time points 15 days apart using a drone equipped with an RGB and multispectral (MSP) camera. Our high-throughput phenotyping approach integrates an RGB- and MSP camera to measure the color and height of lettuce in this large-scale field experiment. We used the mean and other summary statistics, such as median, quantiles, skewness, kurtosis, minimum, and maximum to quantify different aspects of color and height variation in lettuce from the drone images. Using these summary statistics as traits for GWAS, we confirm several previously described genetic associations, now under field conditions, and identify additional novel associations for color and height traits in lettuce.</p>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"123 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tpj.70405","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832415","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":"The OsCaM1-OsCAMTA1 module confers salinity tolerance by enhancing transcripts of the targets OsDREB1B and OsCML16 in rice","authors":"Shuang Liu,&nbsp;Shoumin Wang,&nbsp;Yuying Zheng,&nbsp;Panpan Zhao,&nbsp;Hongpei Jin,&nbsp;Guosheng Xie","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70420","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70420","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Salt stress induces cytoplasmic calcium (Ca²⁺) ion spikes and activates Ca²⁺/ calmodulin (CaM) signaling in plant cells. Calmodulin-binding transcription activators (CAMTAs) are pivotal components of Ca²⁺/CaM-mediated abiotic stress responses. Nevertheless, how Ca²⁺/CaM specifically interacts with the OsCAMTAs family members to modulate salinity tolerance is largely undetermined in rice. Through integrated molecular genetics, biochemical, and physiological analyses, we demonstrated that OsCaM1/2/3 interacted specifically with OsCAMTA1/2/4/6 in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner. Transgenics showed <i>OsCaM1-1</i> and <i>OsCAMTA1</i> enhanced salinity tolerance in rice. RNA-sequence (RNA-seq) profiling of <i>oscamta1</i> lines suggested that <i>OsCAMTA1</i> positively regulates salinity tolerance by orchestrating downstream targets involved in Ca²⁺ binding, hormonal responses, transcriptional regulation, and salt stress pathways. The dual-luciferase (LUC) assays identified that OsCaM1 activates the transcriptional activity of OsCAMTA1 to the targets <i>OsDREB1B</i> and <i>OsCML16</i>, respectively, both of which positively regulate the salinity tolerance in rice seedlings. Transcriptomic screening revealed that <i>OsCAMTA1</i> and <i>OsDREB1B</i> co-regulated the genes <i>OsZFP179</i>, <i>OsMST4</i>, and <i>Oshox22</i>, while <i>OsCAMTA1</i> and <i>OsCML16</i> co-regulated the genes <i>OsP5CS</i>, <i>OsABI5-1</i>, and <i>OsHAK24</i> under salt stress. Our study reveals a novel OsCaM1-OsCAMTA1 module to regulate the <i>OsDREB1B/OsCML16</i> transcriptional cascade under salt stress, providing candidate genes for breeding salt-adapted rice varieties in the future.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"123 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832414","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":"OsIDD6, an INDETERMINATE DOMAIN containing transcription factor in rice, plays an essential role in reproductive development","authors":"Ting Yang,&nbsp;Xiaowen Shi,&nbsp;Fei Ma,&nbsp;Xinglin Zhang,&nbsp;Shuang Li,&nbsp;Jing Fu,&nbsp;Shuang Wu,&nbsp;Hongchang Cui","doi":"10.1111/tpj.70408","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.70408","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>INDETERMINATE DOMAIN containing proteins (IDD) are plant-specific transcriptional factors with a diverse range of roles in plants. Among the 15 <i>IDD</i> genes in rice, a staple food crop for the world, only about half have been functionally characterized. To elucidate the function of the remaining members, we created loss-of-function mutants using the CRISPR genome editing technique. Although no mutant exhibited obvious growth phenotypes, the <i>Osidd6</i> mutant was completely sterile. By genetic crossing, we showed that both the male and female gametophytes were defective in the mutant. Histochemical staining and thin sectioning revealed that microspore development was compromised, likely due to a delay in tapetum degeneration. We also showed that meiosis was impaired in the mutant, resulting in defective megaspore development. Through a series of experiments, including transcriptome analysis, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), <i>in situ</i> hybridization, β-glucuronidase (GUS) staining with promoter-GUS transgenic plants, yeast one-hybrid method, a dual-visible reporter assay, and transcriptional activity assay, we demonstrated that <i>OsIDD6</i> is expressed in all cell types in the male and female reproductive organs and that the OsIDD6 protein directly regulates genes potentially having a role in meiosis and tapetum development. Since reproductive development is directly related to crop yield, <i>OsIDD6</i> could be an important target for genetic manipulation in rice breeding.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":233,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Journal","volume":"123 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144832721","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}