The Plant CellPub Date : 2025-08-26DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf213
Renuka Kolli
{"title":"Seasons change and so do trees: Expression profiling of aspen reveals season-specific gene hubs.","authors":"Renuka Kolli","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf213","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144960039","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":"The barley m6A demethylase HvALKBH1B undergoes phase separation to enhance immunity to a plant rhabdovirus","authors":"Ying Zang, Ji-Hui Qiao, De-Shui Liu, Dong-Min Gao, Xin-Wen Zhang, Tian-Tian Pan, Yi-Zhou Yang, Xian-Bing Wang, Qiang Gao","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf210","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf210","url":null,"abstract":"N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most abundant RNA modifications and plays important roles in plant development and stress responses. However, how m6A affects the infection cycles of plant viruses, especially plant negative-stranded RNA (NSR) viruses, remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the accessory gene P6 mRNA of the insect-borne plant rhabdovirus barley yellow striate mosaic virus (BYSMV) harbors a high level of m6A modification. The m6A-mutated P6 mRNA is less stable than the wild-type P6 mRNA, and the corresponding mutant virus exhibits reduced infectivity. Additionally, we identified HvALKBH1B, a m6A demethylase from barley (Hordeum vulgare) that displays strong antiviral activity through m6A removal from viral mRNA. Furthermore, HvALKBH1B undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and binds P6 mRNA into cytoplasmic condensates. Deletion assays indicated that the intrinsically disordered region 3 (IDR3) of HvALKBH1B is required for its LLPS capacity and antiviral function. Overexpression of a truncated HvALKBH1B variant (HvALKBH1BT) in transgenic barley confers enhanced resistance to BYSMV, whereas CRISPR knockout lines exhibit increased susceptibility. Altogether, our results reveal that plant rhabdoviruses exploit m6A modification to promote viral mRNA stability and infection, which is counteracted by the host demethylase HvALKBH1B in barley to improve antiviral immunity.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144906032","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}
The Plant CellPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf195
Lee Mariault, Camille Puginier, Jean Keller, Moaine El Baidouri, Pierre-Marc Delaux
{"title":"Mechanisms, Detection, and Impact of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Plant Functional Evolution","authors":"Lee Mariault, Camille Puginier, Jean Keller, Moaine El Baidouri, Pierre-Marc Delaux","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf195","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf195","url":null,"abstract":"Horizontal gene transfers (HGT) have been observed across the tree of life. While their adaptive importance in bacteria is conspicuous, the occurrence of HGT and their evolutionary significance in Eukaryotes has only recently started to be considered. In this review, we explore the extent of HGT in the plant kingdom, indicating the widespread occurrence of microbe – plant HGT and Plant – Plant HGT. We propose mechanisms that mediate these transfers, and detail the methods available to identify and test the robustness of putative HGT using both sequence-based and phylogenomic approaches. Exploring recently sequenced plant genomes across the green lineage has revealed hundreds of such HGT. We discuss the impact of these transfers on plant adaptation and functional diversification. In the future, expanding the phylogenomic scrutinization of the plant kingdom should reveal the full extent of HGT. In situ sequencing and combinations of synthetic biology and experimental evolution may allow catching ongoing HGT and testing the functional relevance of such events.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"96 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144900084","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}
The Plant CellPub Date : 2025-08-20DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf208
Alice Marcon, Laura García Romañach, Domenique André, Jihua Ding, Bo Zhang, Torgeir R Hvidsten, Ove Nilsson
{"title":"A transcriptional roadmap of the yearly growth cycle in Populus trees","authors":"Alice Marcon, Laura García Romañach, Domenique André, Jihua Ding, Bo Zhang, Torgeir R Hvidsten, Ove Nilsson","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf208","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf208","url":null,"abstract":"Populus species have adapted to many different boreal environments, characterized by fluctuating seasons. The environmental shifts throughout the year trigger molecular responses in trees, regulating crucial developmental processes. To study these molecular responses, we performed RNA sequencing on 207 samples from European aspen (Populus tremula) trees grown outdoors during different stages of their annual growth cycle, together with samples from hybrid aspen (Populus tremula x tremuloides hybrid T89) trees grown in controlled conditions mimicking seasonal changes in day length and temperature. This created a complete transcriptional roadmap of the yearly growth cycle of Populus trees. Co-expression network analyses produced 46 modules, 36 of which show a seasonal expression profile where many aspects were mimicked by indoor samples. However, several modules differed between outdoor and indoor conditions, indicating that important aspects of growth regulation are missed in experiments conducted under controlled conditions. The module networks identify gene hubs involved in season-specific molecular processes of Populus trees during the year. To make the dataset easily accessible, we developed POPUL-R (https://lauragarciaromanach.shinyapps.io/popul_r_mini/), a Shiny app enabling users to visualize gene expression data and create interactive networks. POPUL-R will be a valuable tool for the scientific community to explore the role of specific genes in the annual growth cycle of trees.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144900276","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}
The Plant CellPub Date : 2025-08-16DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf203
Regina Mencia
{"title":"Blue Light Calling: ZmFKF1a and ZmGI1 Team Up to Trigger Maize Flowering.","authors":"Regina Mencia","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf203","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf203","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144857747","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}
The Plant CellPub Date : 2025-08-16DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf200
Kasper van Gelderen,Kyra van der Velde,Chia-Kai Kang,Jessy Hollander,Alicia Koppenol,Orfeas Petropoulos,Putri Prasetyaningrum,Tuğba Akyüz,Ronald Pierik
{"title":"Gibberellin transport affects lateral root growth through HY5 in response to far-red light.","authors":"Kasper van Gelderen,Kyra van der Velde,Chia-Kai Kang,Jessy Hollander,Alicia Koppenol,Orfeas Petropoulos,Putri Prasetyaningrum,Tuğba Akyüz,Ronald Pierik","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf200","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf200","url":null,"abstract":"Plants compete for light by growing taller than their nearest competitors. This is part of the shade avoidance syndrome and is a response to an increase in far-red light (FR) reflected from neighboring leaves. The root responds to this shoot-sensed FR cue by reducing lateral root emergence. It is well established that the phytohormone gibberellic acid (GA) is involved in supplemental FR-induced shoot elongation. Although GA is transported from shoot to root, its role in regulating lateral root growth is unclear. Here, we chemically and genetically manipulated GA and showed that GA modulates the lateral root reduction induced by shoot-sensed FR enrichment in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Using the FRET-based GA biosensor GPS1 (GIBBERELLIN PERCEPTION SENSOR 1), we observed detailed GA changes in the root upon shoot exposure to FR enrichment and upon GA application to the shoot. Supplying GA to the shoot mitigated the FR-enrichment-induced root phenotype, indicating a functional link between GA and changes in root development in response to shoot-sensed FR. The regulatory role of GA in root growth appears to be partially dependent on ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5), a light-responsive transcription factor that regulates root growth. Shoot-to-root transported GA4 led to increased HY5 protein levels in the lateral root primordia. HY5 then repressed auxin signaling, which inhibited lateral root growth. Our data reveal a gibberellin-dependent mechanism through which above-ground FR light signals modulate lateral root growth, whereby phytohormone and light signaling coordinate development across spatial scales.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144857746","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":"The receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase AeRLCK2 mediates Nod-independent rhizobial symbiosis in Aeschynomene legumes.","authors":"Natasha Horta Araújo,David Landry,Johan Quilbé,Marjorie Pervent,Nico Nouwen,Christophe Klopp,Julie Cullimore,Djamel Gully,Céline Vicedo,Virginie Gasciolli,Laurent Brottier,Carole Pichereaux,Martin Racoupeau,Maëlle Rios,Frédéric Gressent,Clémence Chaintreuil,Clare Gough,Eric Giraud,Benoit Lefebvre,Jean-François Arrighi","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf201","url":null,"abstract":"Many plants interact symbiotically with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to enhance inorganic phosphorus uptake, and legumes also develop a nodule symbiosis with rhizobia for nitrogen acquisition. The establishment and functioning of both symbioses rely on a common plant signaling pathway activated by structurally related Myc and Nod factors. Recently, a SPARK receptor-like kinase (RLK)/receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase (RLCK) complex was shown to be essential for arbuscular mycorrhiza formation in both monocot and dicot plants. Here, we show that in Aeschynomene legumes, the RLCK component of this receptor complex has undergone a gene duplication event and mediates a unique nodule symbiosis that is independent of rhizobial Nod factors. In Aeschynomene evenia, AeRLCK2 is crucial for nodule initiation but not for arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis. Additionally, AeRLCK2 physically interacts with and is phosphorylated by the cysteine-rich RLK, AeCRK, which is also required for nodulation. This finding uncovers an important molecular mechanism that controls the establishment of nodulation and is associated with Nod-independent symbiosis.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"750 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144851053","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":"The blue light receptor ZmFKF1a recruits ZmGI1 to the nucleus to accelerate shoot apex development and flowering in maize.","authors":"Fengkai Wu,Yan Kang,Ling Liu,Jingxin Lei,Bing He,Yafeng He,Jing Li,Fangyuan Liu,Qingguo Du,Xuecai Zhang,Jie Xu,Zhanmei Zhou,Yaxi Liu,Yanli Lu","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf199","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf199","url":null,"abstract":"Photoperiod sensitivity poses a major obstacle to the expansion, breeding, and production of maize (Zea mays) in temperate regions. While the photoperiod-dependent FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)/ZCNs pathway modulates floral development, the mechanism by which crops perceive specific light wavelengths and regulate flowering remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that the rhythmic expression of the blue light receptor FLAVIN-BINDING KELCH REPEAT F-BOX 1a (ZmFKF1a) is finely controlled by the Evening Complex (EC) components of LUX ARRHYTHMO 2 (ZmLUX2). ZmFKF1a interacts with GIGANTEA 1 (ZmGI1), stabilizing it and promoting its nuclear localization via a blue light-dependent mechanism. In the nucleus, ZmGI1 directly binds and activates Zea mays MADS-box 4 (ZMM4), a MADS-box gene specifically expressed in the shoot apical meristem, which drives floral transition. Genetic analyses revealed that ZmFKF1a is epistatic to ZmGI1 in promoting shoot apex development and accelerating flowering in maize. Our findings elucidate a ZmLUX2-ZmFKF1a-ZmGI1-ZMM4 regulatory module that fine-tunes photoperiodic flowering of day-neutral temperate maize lines, functioning independently of ZEA CENTRORADIALISs (ZCNs). Furthermore, transgenic maize overexpressing ZmFKF1a exhibited accelerated flowering and enhanced yield specifically in photoperiod-sensitive tropical maize lines under extreme natural long-day conditions, underscoring its potential application in improving maize production through precise manipulation of flowering traits. These insights advance our understanding of how blue light signaling orchestrates flowering time in maize and offer a promising strategy for optimizing crop performance in diverse environments.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144850833","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}
The Plant CellPub Date : 2025-08-09DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf197
Andrea Gómez-Felipe
{"title":"Deciphering the Tomato Phosphate Starvation Response: Functional and Transcriptional Roles of SlPHR3 and SlPHR4.","authors":"Andrea Gómez-Felipe","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf197","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf197","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144825910","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}