Plant Gene最新文献

{"title":"The effect of salicylic acid on the morpho-physio and yield traits of Brassica juncea and expression pattern of MYC gene family under drought stress","authors":"Arpit Raturi ,&nbsp;Shivam Shekhar ,&nbsp;Anurag Mishra ,&nbsp;Saurabh Pandey ,&nbsp;Ashutosh Singh","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100578","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100578","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Indian mustard is the most important oilseed crop. It plays a very important role in the energy requirements and food security of India. However, drought stress has become a significant threat affecting its productivity. One mitigating strategy for combating drought stress includes plant growth regulators. Salicylic acid (SA) is a widely accepted molecule that mitigates drought stress by modulating downstream transcription factors. Therefore, the present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of SA on the drought tolerance of mustard and its cross-talk with the <em>MYC</em> gene family in drought tolerance. Three contrasting varieties (Kranti, NRCBH-101, and Rajendra Anukul) were evaluated for drought tolerance at 50% and 30% field capacity at flowering stage. Further, SA was sprayed after 10 days of drought exposure. The result showed that drought stress caused a significant effect on all morphological, physiological, and yield-related traits of all three varieties. SA spray improved the performance of mustard varieties. These three varieties respond differently against drought stress and SA spray, and based on their performance, NRCBH-101 was selected as moderate drought-tolerant and Rajendra Anukul as drought-susceptible. Further, these contrasting varieties were used for the <em>MYC</em> family gene expression study. In silico study, 68 <em>MYC</em> genes were identified in <em>Brassica juncea</em>. The tissue-specific expression study showed that three genes of the <em>MYC</em> genes family were highly expressed in the leaves tissue. These three genes were validated in drought-stress-contrasting sets of mustard varieties. The results showed that <em>BjuB036713</em> was positively regulated, whereas <em>BjuA015755</em> was negatively regulated under drought stress. The result also suggested that there is cross-talk between SA and <em>MYC</em> genes under drought stress. Overall, our study results could be extended to confirm the cross-talk of SA and MYC transcription factors for drought tolerance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100578"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis reveals regulatory networks underlying flavonoid accumulation in developing seeds of vegetable- and grain-type faba bean (Vicia faba L.)","authors":"Na Zhao ,&nbsp;Dong Xue ,&nbsp;Yongqiang Wang ,&nbsp;Yamei Miao ,&nbsp;Chunyan Gu ,&nbsp;Kaihua Wang ,&nbsp;Libin Wei ,&nbsp;Linglong Zhu ,&nbsp;Xuejun Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100554","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100554","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Faba bean (<em>Vicia faba</em> L.) is a nutrient-rich legume crop valued for its high protein content and dietary benefits. However, the coordination between metabolic accumulation and gene regulatory networks during seed development remains insufficiently understood, particularly how dynamic changes in primary and secondary metabolites drive developmental transitions and influence final seed quality. In this study, we performed integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses at two developmental stages (30 and 45 days after anthesis, DAA) of two <em>V. faba</em> cultivars: the vegetable-type TongCanXian No.7 (TCX) and the grain-type QiDou No.2 (QD). A total of 868 metabolites were identified using widely targeted LC-MS/MS, of which 247 were differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs). Key enriched pathways included flavonoid biosynthesis, amino acid metabolism, and ABC transporters. RNA-seq profiling generated 37,457 unigenes, and 9862 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on the thresholds of |log₂FC| &gt; 1 and adjusted <em>p</em>-value &lt;0.05. Among these, 34 DEGs and 19 DAMs were co-enriched in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. Notably, genes such as <em>CHS</em>, <em>F3H</em>, and <em>DFR</em> showed cultivar-specific expression patterns associated with flavonoid accumulation. This work provides new insights into the molecular basis of metabolite accumulation in faba bean seeds and highlights 34 key candidate genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. These findings offer a foundation for targeted genetic improvement of nutritional quality traits in faba bean.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100554"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145691266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deciphering biotic stress tolerance in small millets using multi-omics approach","authors":"Varsha Rani ,&nbsp;Dinesh Yadav","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100577","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100577","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>By 2050, the global population is expected to reach ten billion, posing a significant challenge for agriculture to meet the growing demand for food. Enhancing agricultural productivity through improved crop yields is crucial; however, the impacts of global warming and climate change pose significant challenges. Advances in genomic and genome modification technologies are vital for developing climate-resilient crops that can sustain productivity. Despite this, research efforts predominantly focus on staple crops like rice, wheat, and maize, while climate-resilient crops such as small millets, which offer superior nutritional value compared to cereals, remain overlooked and underutilized. Small millets, despite their resilience to climate variability and nutritional superiority, are susceptible to severe biotic stresses, including fungi, bacteria, viruses, weeds, and insect pest infestations. As a result of these stresses, yield and quality are adversely affected. Recent advances in genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics have enabled the identification of pathways that respond to diverse stresses, candidate genes, and molecular markers associated with resistance. A variety of disease-resistant and pest-tolerant millet varieties have been developed utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 and high-throughput sequencing technologies. Several machine learning and next-generation tools are also available for developing precision breeding methods and real-time disease monitoring. This review aims to identify the major biotic constraints affecting small millets. Furthermore, the article emphasizes the importance of genomics in unravelling stress tolerance mechanisms and integrating biotechnology into breeding programs to increase resilience. With the aid of these advancements, small millets can be targeted as a sustainable solution for food security and agroecological stability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100577"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution of plant gene delivery: From biolistic to next-generation nanocarriers","authors":"Parnasri Ghosh ,&nbsp;Anamitra Goswami ,&nbsp;Prashant Ratnaparkhi ,&nbsp;Arunava Goswami ,&nbsp;Igor Polikarpov ,&nbsp;Moumita Sil","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100579","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100579","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Improvements in plant genetic engineering are required to fulfil world's food security, environmental stability, and biotechnological development needs. Classical transformation protocols like <em>Agrobacterium</em>-mediated transformation, gene gun, electroporation, and PEG-mediated delivery have allowed the introduction of transgenes but are restricted by their species specificity, poor efficiency, and tissue destruction. Nanotechnology has evolved as a revolutionary technology in plant genetic modification by facilitating effective, efficient, and species-unrestricted delivery of DNA, RNA, and protein cargo through the plant cell wall. This article discusses the current advancements in nanoparticle-based gene delivery systems, such as lipoplexes, polyplexes, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, magnetic and viral nanoparticles. These systems provide benefits like increased cellular uptake, resistance to enzymatic degradation, and controlled release, while facilitating delivery of genome-editing reagents like CRISPR/Cas9. Additionally, gene delivery systems are key to the facilitation of plant molecular genetics by allowing accurate control and manipulation of target genes. Their combination with genome editing platforms like CRISPR/Cas9 has increased trait improvement approaches in contemporary crop biotechnology. The review investigates the potential of nanomaterials to boost stress tolerance, nutrient uptake, and biosensing, their potential for phytopathogen control, and controlled release of agrochemicals. In spite of their potential, there are concerns over nanoparticle-caused toxicity and environmental burden. Future work will need to focus on creating biodegradable nanomaterials with low toxicity and establishing safety measures for their introduction into agriculture. This review gives a holistic view of the synergy between nanotechnology and plant genetic engineering, the opportunities, the limitations, and prospects for sustainable crop enhancement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100579"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrative omics-based biotechnological strategies for deciphering plant stress responses","authors":"Maahi Choure ,&nbsp;Piyush Kant Rai ,&nbsp;Kamlesh Kumar Soni ,&nbsp;P.S. Bisen ,&nbsp;V. Vivekanand ,&nbsp;Vishal Sharma ,&nbsp;Aradhana Mishra ,&nbsp;Piyush Pandey ,&nbsp;Kamlesh Choure","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100573","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100573","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Abiotic and biotic stresses have intensified in recent years, seriously threatening global food security and agricultural productivity. Recent developments in omics technologies, including genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, phenomics, and epigenomics, have greatly enhanced our understanding of plants' molecular mechanisms and physiological aspects under stress. Because of such technologies, researchers can now thoroughly profile genes, transcripts, proteins, metabolites, and epigenetic alterations with these high-throughput approaches. This shows us how complex regulatory networks control how plants adapt to environmental changes. Integrating multi-omics data has made finding important stress-responsive genes, regulatory elements, and metabolic pathways easier. This has made it possible to create crop varieties that are more resilient through marker-assisted selection, genome editing, and precision breeding. However, technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning made it easy to analyze the data by finding the hidden patterns and predicting plant responses to different stresses. The real challenges with such technologies are data integration, protocol standardization, and their integration for single and spatial omics. Future directions stress the importance of strong computational tools, research platforms that involve everyone, and climate-smart breeding pipelines that use integrated omics to support sustainable agriculture. Ultimately, the convergence of multi-omics and systems biology approaches offers unprecedented opportunities to accelerate crop improvement, ensuring food security and agricultural sustainability in the face of climate change. Here, we would briefly overview current omics-based research detailing how plants respond during abiotic and biotic stress. We would give a brief account of methods of analysis of data and applicability. Lastly, we would briefly consider possible future methods of employing multi-omics and computational resources in breeding stress-competent crops and ensuring sustainable agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100573"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic and phenotypic diversity in cannabis genotypes: insights from seed dimensions, mineral profiles, and Short Tandem Repeats (STR) markers","authors":"Sabeliwe Langa ,&nbsp;Lembe Samukelo Magwaza ,&nbsp;Asanda Mditshwa ,&nbsp;Samson Zeray Tesfay","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study characterized cannabis varieties based on seed physical properties, mineral composition, and Short Tandem Repeats (STR) markers. Eleven cannabis varieties were analyzed, including landraces Ladysmith Ugwayi wesiZulu (‘L1’) and Iswazi (‘L2’), Durban Poison (‘H1’), Bergville Ugwayi wesiZulu (‘B1’), Natal (‘B2’) and Iswazi (‘B3’), and Msinga Ugwayi wesiZulu (‘M1’) and Iswazi (‘M2’), and the commercially available ‘Hemp’, ‘Cherry bubble gum’ (‘High-CBD’) and ‘White Rhino’ (‘High-THC’) varieties. Physical traits measured included seed length, width, thickness, geometric mean diameter, surface area, aspect ratio, and sphericity. Genetic analysis was conducted using sixty-eight STR markers, while mineral composition was assessed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with an energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) detector. Significant differences (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) were found in seed dimensions and surface area, while aspect ratio and sphericity showed no significant variation (<em>p</em> &gt; 0.05). Elemental composition varied significantly (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), particularly for carbon, oxygen, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, iron, and silicon. Carbon was highest in ‘High-THC’ (75.10 %) and lowest in ‘H1’ (55.58 %), whereas oxygen showed an inverse trend. Variations in seed dimensions and mineral profiles highlight the diverse genetic and phenotypic landscape of the samples. Positive correlations (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) among varieties suggested similarities in physical traits, mineral composition, and STR markers. However, hierarchical clustering revealed distinct groupings, indicating complex diversity. Landraces could not be reliably classified as ‘High-CBD’, ‘High-THC’, or ‘Hemp’, reflecting STR marker neutrality. Integrating STRs with functional gene markers or metabolic profiling may improve chemotype discrimination and support development of cannabis-specific identification tools. These findings provide insights for breeding programs and optimization of desirable traits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100564"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145691275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resolving species delimitation in Terminalia L. (Combretaceae) using a multilocus DNA barcoding approach","authors":"Pramod Kumar,&nbsp;Vinod Kataria","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100574","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100574","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The genus <em>Terminalia</em> L. (Combretaceae) includes morphologically similar, ecologically significant, and pharmacologically valuable tree species distributed across tropical and subtropical regions. Taxonomic resolution within <em>Terminalia</em> remains challenging due to phenotypic plasticity, morphological convergence, and synonymy among closely related taxa. This study applied a multilocus DNA barcoding strategy to clarify species relationships and assess phylogenetic distinctness among five taxa <em>T. pendula</em>, <em>T. pendula</em> var. <em>pendula</em>, <em>T</em>. <em>anogeissiana</em>, <em>T. coronata</em>, <em>T. coronata</em> var. <em>parvifolia</em>, collected from Rajasthan, India. Four molecular loci, comprising nuclear <em>ITS</em> and plastid <em>matK</em>, <em>rbcL</em>, and <em>psbA-trnH</em>, were amplified and sequenced. Alignments and phylogenetic inferences were performed in MEGA v.12.0 using the Maximum Likelihood method under the Kimura 2-Parameter model with 1000 bootstrap replicates. Plastid regions exhibited AT-rich sequences, whereas nuclear <em>ITS</em> showed elevated GC content, reflecting distinct evolutionary constraints. The <em>matK</em> locus contained the highest number of parsimony-informative sites, providing superior species-level resolution. Concatenated multilocus phylogenies (bootstrap support &gt;85%) consistently separate <em>T. anogeissiana</em> from the remaining taxa, while different loci variously group <em>T. pendula</em>, <em>T. pendula</em> var. <em>pendula</em>, <em>T. coronata</em>, and <em>T. coronata</em> var. <em>parvifolia</em> into closely related clusters. This molecular framework offers a foundation for taxonomic clarification, biodiversity conservation, and pharmacognostic authentication, supporting <em>matK</em> as the core barcode marker, supplemented by <em>rbcL</em> and multilocus approaches in future <em>Terminalia</em> systematics and molecular ecology research. Among the four loci, <em>matK</em> showed the highest nucleotide diversity and parsimony-informative sites, whereas <em>ITS</em> displayed low variability in this dataset.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100574"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In silico retrieval of sulfiredoxin from Setaria italica, Panicum miliaceum, and Eleusine coracana: Sequence characterization, structural modeling, and protein–protein interaction analysis","authors":"Rahul Thakur ,&nbsp;Arvind Gupta ,&nbsp;Kanchan Rauthan ,&nbsp;Deepti Dixit ,&nbsp;Arzoo Choudhary ,&nbsp;Ashutosh Kumar Pandey ,&nbsp;Atul Krishna Dev ,&nbsp;Saurabh Yadav","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100570","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100570","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Millets such as <em>Eleusine coracana</em> (finger millet), <em>Panicum miliaceum</em> (proso millet), and <em>Setaria italica</em> (foxtail millet) are resilient, climate-adapted cereals of high nutritional and agronomic importance. Oxidative stress, often triggered by reactive oxygen species (ROS), is quenched by efficient antioxidant system comprising of enzymatic antioxidants of redoxin family viz. thioredoxins, glutaredoxins, peroxiredoxins, nucleoredoxins, sulfiredoxins etc. VOS viewer analysis showed less number of scholarly articles published on sulfiredoxin. Sulfiredoxin (SRX) is a thiol-specific oxidoredutase and in this study, sulfiredoxin protein sequences were retrieved in silico from <em>E. coracana</em>, <em>P. miliaceum</em>, and <em>S. italica</em>, followed by multiple sequence alignment, domain analysis, and phylogenetic analysis. A conserved FG/SGCHR signature motif, known to function as ADP-binding domain, was observed across all three species, along with extensive sequence conservation in several organisms and is indicative of evolutionary stability. Domain annotations confirmed the presence of the ParB/SRX superfamily across all species, affirming conserved structural and functional integrity within millets. Homology modeling of the SRX proteins revealed a conserved architecture, consistent with the canonical structure of sulfiredoxins. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis identified conserved interaction profiles among SRX proteins, notably with peroxiredoxins suggesting their role in ROS detoxification pathways. Furthermore, a SRX-PRX interaction was observed across the three millet species. These findings collectively underscore the conserved nature of SRX-mediated antioxidant defense in millets and provide a foundational framework for future biotechnological applications targeting redox balance and oxidative stress mitigation in plants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100570"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrative approaches of plant growth-promoting microbes, CRISPR/Cas gene editing, and AI/ML technologies for abiotic stress alleviation and support climate-resilient agriculture: A review","authors":"Aanand Kumar ,&nbsp;Mayank Bhaskar ,&nbsp;Anamika Kushwaha ,&nbsp;Anupam Rawat ,&nbsp;Radha Rani","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2026.100571","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intensive anthropogenic activities have led to climate change and increased environmental pollution, which have seriously disrupted global ecosystems and agricultural productivity. The sustainability of food production is threatened by abiotic challenges that are growing more common in today's agriculture, such as salt, drought, temperature extremes (heat and cold), heavy metal toxicity, and synthetic pollution. As a result, creating resilient and ecologically sustainable farming methods is now crucial. Plant Growth Promoting Microbes (PGPMs) offer a promising sustainable option for improved soil health and increased plant tolerance under stress through the synthesis of phytohormones, osmolyte buildup, antioxidant activity, and enhanced nutrient uptake. Recent developments in CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing have made it possible to precisely modify the genes of beneficial microorganisms and stress-responsive plants, greatly accelerating the development of climate-resilient cultivars. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are transforming precision agriculture by utilizing environmental, multi-omics, and imaging data for real-time stress monitoring, predictive modeling, and resource optimization. In light of the threat posed by climate change, PGPMs, CRISPR-driven genetic improvement, and AI-powered analytics offer comprehensive and long-term strategies to lessen abiotic stressors, improve the intricate relationships between soil, plants, and microbes below ground, and increase agricultural productivity. In addition to lessening ecological footprints, this integrated approach shows the way toward resilient agroecosystems and worldwide food security in an era of climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100571"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of ParALMT genes and their relationship with organic acid accumulation in apricot fruit","authors":"Chenjuan Jing ,&nbsp;Duan Wang ,&nbsp;Zhikun Liu ,&nbsp;Xuefeng Chen ,&nbsp;Yang Zhang ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100561","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.plgene.2025.100561","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High levels of organic acids in apricot fruit affect the flavor quality and market scale. Aluminum-activated malate transporters (ALMTs) are key proteins regulating organic acid accumulation in fruits, but their structure and functions in apricot remain understudied. Here, we identified 11 orthologous genes of the ALMT family in the genome of apricot (<em>Prunus armeniaca</em> L.), designated <em>ParALMT1–11</em>. These genes were classified into subfamilies I-V and unevenly distributed across linkage groups LG1/2/6/7/8. Each ParALMT protein contained 5–7 transmembrane domains. Some genes showed tissue-specific expression in apricot roots, stems, leaves, and seeds. The expression dynamics of <em>ParALMT10</em> and <em>ParALMT11</em> in apricot fruit were closely associated with organic acid metabolism. <em>ParALMT10</em> may be a key gene regulating the accumulation of organic acids, particularly malic acid in apricot fruit. This study paves the way for elucidating the metabolic mechanisms of organic acids and improving fruit quality in apricot.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":38041,"journal":{"name":"Plant Gene","volume":"45 ","pages":"Article 100561"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}