The Plant CellPub Date : 2025-06-27DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf150
Thomas Dresselhaus, Martina Balboni, Lea Berg, Anika Dolata, Frank Hochholdinger, Yongyu Huang, Guojing Jiang, Maria von Korff, Jia-Chi Ku, Karina van der Linde, Jan Maika, Cecilia Lara Mondragon, Michael Raissig, Arp Schnittger, Thorsten Schnurbusch, Rüdiger Simon, Yvonne Stahl, Marja Timmermans, Venkatasubbu Thirulogachandar, Shuangshuang Zhao, Yaping Zhou
{"title":"How meristems shape plant architecture in cereals","authors":"Thomas Dresselhaus, Martina Balboni, Lea Berg, Anika Dolata, Frank Hochholdinger, Yongyu Huang, Guojing Jiang, Maria von Korff, Jia-Chi Ku, Karina van der Linde, Jan Maika, Cecilia Lara Mondragon, Michael Raissig, Arp Schnittger, Thorsten Schnurbusch, Rüdiger Simon, Yvonne Stahl, Marja Timmermans, Venkatasubbu Thirulogachandar, Shuangshuang Zhao, Yaping Zhou","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf150","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf150","url":null,"abstract":"Meristems are major determinants of plant architecture, plant diversification and acclimation to environmental stresses. Moreover, meristems play also a major role during crop domestication and are fundamentally important for the productivity of crop plants as they directly determine biomass and grain yield. While vegetative meristems shape the basic plant body plan and produce all above- and below-ground parts of plants, some vegetative meristems transit to reproductive meristems forming sexual organs and germ cells. Most knowledge about plant meristems was generated using the model Arabidopsis. Compared to Arabidopsis, architecture of grasses or cereals including crops like maize, wheat, barley, rice and sorghum is more complex: cereals produce additional organs like a coleoptile, seminal roots originating from the scutellar nodes in the embryo and shoot-borne crown roots as well as highly complex inflorescence meristems with meristem types absent in eudicots. Moreover, studies in cereals indicated that paradigms based on studies using Arabidopsis are not universally applicable. This review therefore aims to provide a comprehensive overview about the initiation, establishment, maintenance and function of the various cereal meristems and their stem cell niches that shape our most important crop plants. Stem cell-like systems involved in leaf pattering and germline formation are also considered. A focus is also on the significant progress that has been made recently using novel tools to elucidate the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) underlying the development and function of the various cereal meristems.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144503732","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 : 2025-06-27DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf166
Gabrielle C Buck, Ashley D Weeks, Niamh E Ordner, Bonnie Bartel
{"title":"Identifying and characterizing a missing peroxin—PEX8—in Arabidopsis thaliana","authors":"Gabrielle C Buck, Ashley D Weeks, Niamh E Ordner, Bonnie Bartel","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf166","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf166","url":null,"abstract":"Peroxisomes are dynamic organelles that contribute to diverse metabolic functions, including β-oxidation, photorespiration, and phytohormone biosynthesis. Peroxisomes import proteins from the cytosol through the action of peroxins (PEX proteins), many of which are conserved among fungi, plants, and animals. An apparent exception is Pex8, which is essential for lumenal protein import in several yeast species but has not been reported outside of fungi. Here, we identified an uncharacterized Arabidopsis thaliana protein with predicted structural similarity to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pex8. Like yeast Pex8, Arabidopsis PEX8 is primarily composed of predicted HEAT repeats and has two predicted peroxisome-targeting signals. pex8 insertional and frameshift mutations were lethal, whereas expressing an artificial microRNA targeting PEX8 impaired lumenal protein import into peroxisomes and conferred physiological defects indicative of peroxisome dysfunction. Fluorescent reporters fused to the N terminus of PEX8 localized within peroxisomes in puncta associated with peroxisomal membranes. Our data show that Arabidopsis PEX8 is functionally equivalent to yeast Pex8, revealing the conservation of peroxisomal protein import machinery across eukaryotes and raising the intriguing possibility that other “yeast-specific” peroxins have eluded discovery in plants and mammals because of low primary sequence conservation.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"70 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144503731","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 bifunctional transcription factor DEAR1 oppositely regulates chlorophyll biosynthesis and degradation in tomato fruits","authors":"Yangang Pei, Xiaoqing He, Qihan Xue, Heng Deng, Weijie Xu, Chengpeng Yang, Mengbo Wu, Weihao Wang, Wanjia Tang, Wenyi Niu, Yidi Huang, Ronggao Gong, Mondher Bouzayen, Yiguo Hong, Mingchun Liu","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf167","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf167","url":null,"abstract":"Chlorophyll metabolism plays a key role in fruit development and ripening in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). In immature fruits, chlorophyll facilitates photosynthesis, thereby supplying energy for growth. In contrast, chlorophyll degradation is an integral feature of ripening in most tomato varieties. Understanding how developing tomato fruit balances chlorophyll levels provides important information for crop improvement. Here, we report that the APETALA2/Ethylene Response Factor (AP2/ERF) family transcription factor SlDEAR1 is a key bifunctional regulator that activates chlorophyll biosynthesis and represses chlorophyll degradation in tomato fruits. Knocking out SlDEAR1 reduced chlorophyll accumulation compared to wild type, downregulated the chlorophyll biosynthesis gene Protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase 1 (SlPOR1), and upregulated the chlorophyll degradation gene Stay-green 1 (SlSGR1). SlDEAR1 overexpression led to the opposite results. Moreover, SlDEAR1 recruits the TOPLESS 2 (TPL2)–Histone deacetylase 1(HDA1)/HDA3 complex through its C-terminal EAR motif to decrease histone acetylation along the SlSGR1 promoter, leading to transcriptional repression. Simultaneously, SlDEAR1 upregulates SlPOR1 via a previously unidentified RKK motif. Furthermore, we showed that SlDEAR1 expression is light-regulated and mediated by the upstream transcriptional activator ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (SlHY5). Thus, the SlHY5–SlDEAR1–SlPOR1/SlSGR1 module regulates chlorophyll accumulation during tomato fruit development. This study sheds light on the regulatory network controlling chlorophyll metabolism in tomato.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144503761","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 : 2025-06-25DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf164
Manikandan Kalidass,Venkata Ganesh Jarubula,Maryia Ratnikava,Jothipriya Ramakrishnan Chandra,Samuel Le Goff,Aline V Probst,Silvia Esposito,Klaus D Grasser,Astrid Bruckmann,Jérôme F Gagneux,Reinier F Prosée,Twan Rutten,Veit Schubert,Dmitri Demidov,Esther Lechner,Florian A Steiner,Pascal Genschik,Inna Lermontova
{"title":"Ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of KNL2 driven by APC/CCDC20 is critical for centromere integrity and mitotic fidelity.","authors":"Manikandan Kalidass,Venkata Ganesh Jarubula,Maryia Ratnikava,Jothipriya Ramakrishnan Chandra,Samuel Le Goff,Aline V Probst,Silvia Esposito,Klaus D Grasser,Astrid Bruckmann,Jérôme F Gagneux,Reinier F Prosée,Twan Rutten,Veit Schubert,Dmitri Demidov,Esther Lechner,Florian A Steiner,Pascal Genschik,Inna Lermontova","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf164","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf164","url":null,"abstract":"Kinetochores are large protein complexes that serve as attachment sites for spindle microtubules, ensuring proper chromosome segregation during cell division. KINETOCHORE NULL2 (αKNL2) is a key kinetochore protein required for the incorporation of the centromeric histone variant CENH3. The precise regulation of αKNL2 levels is crucial, but the molecular mechanisms controlling this process remain largely unexplored. In this study, we demonstrated that the Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) mediates the ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of αKNL2 during mitosis. Our findings revealed that αKNL2 accumulates in the presence of 26S proteasome inhibitors, and our yeast two-hybrid and proteomic screens showed that proteins from the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway interact with KNL2 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans). Arabidopsis αKNL2 directly interacts with Anaphase-Promoting Complex subunit 10 (APC10) and Cell Division Cycle 20.1 (CDC20.1), two substrate recognition components of the APC/C. RNAi-mediated depletion of APC/C resulted in the accumulation and mislocalization of endogenous αKNL2. Additionally, mutation or deletion of the D-box1 region, or substitution of residues K336 and K339, impaired αKNL2 degradation. The expression of a proteasome-resistant αKNL2 variant in planta caused severe defects in growth, fertility, and mitotic division. These findings show that APC/CCDC20-mediated degradation of αKNL2 is critical for proper kinetochore function and centromere integrity.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144488027","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":"Brassinosteroid signaling mediated by the OsIAA7-OsGSK2-OsBZR1 module regulates seed size in rice.","authors":"Ronghua Qiu,Jin Yang,Jiaqi Hou,Peng Yao,Huangzhuo Xiao,Yequn Wu,Daoyi Tu,Shiqi Ye,Xin Zhao,Xiaoci Ma,Yating Zhao,Tingyu Chen,Lijia Li","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf165","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf165","url":null,"abstract":"Grain size profoundly influences crop yield. Therefore, elucidating the molecular mechanisms controlling crop grain size is of great importance. Here, we report that the early auxin-responsive gene AUXIN or INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID 7 (OsIAA7) negatively regulates grain size in rice (Oryza sativa L.), as loss of OsIAA7 function leads to the development of larger and heavier grains. OsIAA7 is highly expressed in developing panicles and grains, and the eGFP-OsIAA7 fusion protein is localized to the nuclei. The OsIAA7-mediated regulation of grain size involves constraining cell division and elongation in the longitudinal direction, as well as cell elongation in the transverse direction of spikelet hull cells. Biochemical analyses demonstrate a physical interaction between OsIAA7 and GLYCOGEN SYNTHASE KINASE 3 (GSK3)/SHAGGY-LIKE KINASE 2 (OsGSK2), which enhances the OsGSK2-BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT 1 (OsBZR1) interaction, resulting in OsBZR1 phosphorylation and degradation. Functional loss of OsIAA7 increases 24-epibrassionolide (BL) sensitivity, while BL treatment reduces OsIAA7-HA stability, indicating its involvement in BR signaling. Genetic analyses support a strong genetic interaction between OsIAA7 and OsGSK2, with OsIAA7 acting upstream of OsGSK2. In summary, our findings reveal the OsIAA7-OsGSK2-OsBZR1 regulatory module as a mechanism controlling grain size in rice.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"635 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144488026","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 : 2025-06-13DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf151
María Verónica Arana, F Xavier Picó
{"title":"Advancing ecological and evolutionary research in Arabidopsis: extending insights into model and non-model plants","authors":"María Verónica Arana, F Xavier Picó","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf151","url":null,"abstract":"Arabidopsis is regarded as the gold standard among plant systems because it has generated knowledge with translational potential across various disciplines. Nevertheless, the influence of less-explored fields within the Arabidopsis community, such as ecology and evolutionary ecology, has yet to be synthesized to emphasize their contributions to other plant disciplines. This essay summarizes current eco-evolutionary knowledge in Arabidopsis and highlights its potential to enrich the insights made by the Arabidopsis community as well as others working with other plant model and non-model systems. We underline the value of accession-based approaches but also highlight the importance for developing population-based approaches to understand how and where evolutionary change begins. Furthermore, we focus on the evolutionary value of phenotypic plasticity as necessary to comprehend the response of organisms to environmental changes. We also elaborate on conceptual and technical challenges to transcriptomic studies conducted in field conditions that evaluate gene function and gene effect on integrated phenotypes in natural environments. Overall, we believe that the development of joint eco-evolutionary and genetic research in Arabidopsis can help other plant species to develop as model systems, but the Arabidopsis community should also look at the advances of other emerging plant model systems.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"221 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144278237","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 : 2025-06-13DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf148
Naseem Samo, María Guadalupe Trejo-Arellano, Lenka Gahurová, Alexander Erban, Alina Ebert, Quentin Rivière, Jiří Kubásek, Fatemeh Aflaki, Helena Hönig Mondeková, Armin Schlereth, Annick Dubois, Mingxi Zhou, Ondřej Novák, Jiří Šantrůček, Daniel Bouyer, Francois Roudier, Joachim Kopka, Iva Mozgová
{"title":"Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 facilitates the transition from heterotrophy to photoautotrophy during seedling emergence","authors":"Naseem Samo, María Guadalupe Trejo-Arellano, Lenka Gahurová, Alexander Erban, Alina Ebert, Quentin Rivière, Jiří Kubásek, Fatemeh Aflaki, Helena Hönig Mondeková, Armin Schlereth, Annick Dubois, Mingxi Zhou, Ondřej Novák, Jiří Šantrůček, Daniel Bouyer, Francois Roudier, Joachim Kopka, Iva Mozgová","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf148","url":null,"abstract":"The seed-to-seedling transition represents a key developmental and metabolic switch in plants. Catabolism of seed storage reserves fuels germination and early seedling emergence until photosynthesis is established. The seed-to-seedling developmental transition is controlled by Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). However, the coordination of PRC2 activity and its contribution to transcriptional reprogramming during seedling establishment remain unknown. By analyzing H3K27me3 re-distribution and changes in gene transcription in the shoot and root tissues of heterotrophic and photoautotrophic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings, we reveal two phases of PRC2-mediated gene repression. The first phase is independent of light and photosynthesis and results in the irreversible repression of the embryo maturation program, marked by heterotrophy and reserve storage molecule biosynthesis. The second phase is associated with the repression of metabolic pathways related to germination and early seedling emergence, and H3K27me3 deposition in this phase is sensitive to photosynthesis inhibition. We show that preventing the transcription of the PRC2-repressed glyoxylate cycle gene ISOCITRATE LYASE promotes the vegetative phase transition in PRC2-depleted plants. Our findings underscore a key role of PRC2-mediated transcriptional repression in the coordinated metabolic and developmental switches that occur during seedling emergence and emphasizes the close connection between metabolic and developmental identities.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144288258","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":"Pancentromere analysis of Allium species reveals diverse centromere positions in onion and gigantic centromeres in garlic","authors":"Kiyotaka Nagaki, Koichiro Ushijima, Takashi Akagi, Keisuke Tanaka, Hisato Kobayashi","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf142","url":null,"abstract":"In eukaryotes, centromeres interact with the kinetochore for distribution of genetic information in cell division, yet their sequence and size are diverse among species. However, their position on chromosomes is considered to be conserved within a species. In this study, we analyzed the centromeres of three Allium species, namely, Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum), onion (Allium cepa), and garlic (Allium sativum) via pancentromere analysis and repetitive sequence analysis of centromeres and their neighborhoods and revealed their mobility, sequence organization, and size. Among the three species, Welsh onion and garlic had stable centromeres, but the onion centromere appeared to be polymorphic and frequently differed in position by up to 28.0 Mb among cultivars and between multiple individuals of the same cultivar. This mobility was stabilized by hybridization with Welsh onions. Furthermore, these three species have very different centromere sequence organization, including differences in the existence and maturity of centromeric satellites, and differences in centromere size, with Welsh onion having a centromere of 1.9 Mb, and garlic having a centromere of approximately 10.6 Mb, the largest of any organism with monocentric chromosomes analyzed to date. Our pancentromere analysis of these Allium species reveals the variation in sequence organization, size and position of this important chromosomal region.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144260006","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 : 2025-06-06DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf141
Lucia C Strader, Tianyuan Chen, Xinnian Dong, David Edwards, Sridevi Sureshkumar, Sureshkumar Balasubramanian, Mauricio S Antunes, Lili Zebluim, Patarasuda Chaisupa, R Clay Wright
{"title":"Core biological principles and tools stemming from basic Arabidopsis research","authors":"Lucia C Strader, Tianyuan Chen, Xinnian Dong, David Edwards, Sridevi Sureshkumar, Sureshkumar Balasubramanian, Mauricio S Antunes, Lili Zebluim, Patarasuda Chaisupa, R Clay Wright","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf141","url":null,"abstract":"The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has been a cornerstone of research in plant biology, contributing transformative insights into fundamental biological processes across eukaryotes. In this vignette, we explore the role of Arabidopsis in elucidating immune mechanisms, where plant studies have informed mammalian immunity and translational regulation. We discuss how Arabidopsis-driven advancements in pangenomics and repeat expansions have reshaped our understanding of genomic variability and its implications for diseases like Friedreich's ataxia. Breakthroughs in synthetic biology and bioproduction underscore Arabidopsis’ role as a testbed for engineering specialized metabolites and advancing biotechnological applications. Finally, we examine how the development of tools like Auxin-Inducible Degradation (AID) has extended beyond plant research, providing critical methodologies to study protein function and develop novel therapeutics.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"85 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144236948","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 : 2025-06-06DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaf138
Bao Yang, Yan Peng, Guo Zhang, Ruifan Liu, Simin Hao, Yi Ren, Shaoping Lu, Xuemin Wang, Liang Guo
{"title":"Regulation of glucosylceramide synthase and sphingolipid remodeling in the plant response to phosphate deficiency","authors":"Bao Yang, Yan Peng, Guo Zhang, Ruifan Liu, Simin Hao, Yi Ren, Shaoping Lu, Xuemin Wang, Liang Guo","doi":"10.1093/plcell/koaf138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf138","url":null,"abstract":"Sphingolipids are important and abundant lipids in the plasma membrane, and their homeostasis plays a key role in plant growth, development, and stress responses. We previously found that non-specific phospholipase C4 (NPC4) hydrolyzes sphingophospholipids upon phosphate starvation. Here, we defined the downstream steps of sphingolipid remodeling by identifying glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) and its regulatory mechanisms in Arabidopsis thaliana. Phosphate deficiency induces the expression of GCS, and the encoded GCS enzyme mediates glucosylceramide biosynthesis. Down-regulation of GCS severely affects sphingolipid homeostasis and hinders plant growth under phosphate starvation. Accordingly, GCS over-expression promotes sphingolipid remodeling to maintain plant growth. In addition, PHOSPHATE STARVATION RESPONSE1 (PHR1), a key regulator of phosphate homeostasis, directly affects the expression of NPC4 and GCS to regulate sphingolipid remodeling during phosphate starvation. Together, these results identify the PHR1–NPC4–GCS module as a regulatory mechanism that fine-tunes sphingolipid homeostasis and reveal the importance of sphingolipid homeostasis in the plant response to phosphate deficiency.","PeriodicalId":501012,"journal":{"name":"The Plant Cell","volume":"770 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144236947","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}