Jiaqing Wu, Yixiang Liu, Huanjie Yu, Fuyuan Fan, Xiahong He, Youyong Zhu, Yang Dong, Min Yang, Shusheng Zhu
{"title":"An altruistic rhizo-microbiome strategy in crop-rotation systems for sustainable management of soil-borne diseases.","authors":"Jiaqing Wu, Yixiang Liu, Huanjie Yu, Fuyuan Fan, Xiahong He, Youyong Zhu, Yang Dong, Min Yang, Shusheng Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101502","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101502","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Crops leave a soil legacy with altruistic effects for subsequent crops but not for themselves. While research has focused on improvements in soil physicochemical properties and the suppression of non-host pathogens, the altruistic microbiome and its assembly mechanism driven by root exudates remain largely unknown. Here, we identified altruistic but self-detrimental phenomena when garlic was rotated with other crops based on meta-analysis and in vivo experiments. Studies utilizing a globally adopted garlic-pepper rotation system demonstrated density-dependent enrichment of key microbial taxa, especially the Penicillium genus, which supports the healthy growth of non-Allium plants but exhibits pathogenicity toward garlic. Furthermore, we found that garlic roots stably secrete diallyl disulfide (DADS) into soil, imposing reactive oxygen species (ROS) stress in the rhizosphere and reshaping the microbial community, particularly suppressing ROS-sensitive pathogens while enriching ROS-tolerant beneficial microorganisms. As a result, Penicillium allii, with strong oxidative stress tolerance, survives and accumulates in the highly stressful garlic rhizosphere environment, thereby playing an \"altruistic but self-detrimental\" role in the rotation system. In addition, preliminary field experiments showed that co-application of DADS with P. allii could enhance stable colonization of P. allii, promoting sustainable management of soil-borne diseases and improving yield. In summary, this study reveals that garlic root exudate DADS triggers ROS-mediated selection pressure, enriching stress-tolerant P. allii and establishing an \"altruistic\" microbiome succession mechanism in crop-rotation systems. This mechanism enables targeted soil-borne disease management through plant-driven microbial community engineering.</p>","PeriodicalId":52373,"journal":{"name":"Plant Communications","volume":" ","pages":"101502"},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144994320","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":"Hidden route to salicylic acid has finally been uncovered.","authors":"Lei Tian, Ivo Feussner","doi":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101496","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101496","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":52373,"journal":{"name":"Plant Communications","volume":" ","pages":"101496"},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144978234","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":"Single-nucleus multi-omics reveals the impact of drought stress on the development of soybean endosperm.","authors":"Yinghua Sheng, Xuyan Wang, Gaoyi Lin, Min Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101495","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101495","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As a maternal nutrient-storage tissue in seeds, the endosperm is a drought-responsive compartment that influences seed development and crop yield through structural and compositional changes. However, the mechanisms that regulate these adaptive responses in soybean endosperm remain unclear owing to the complexity of this tissue. In this study, we performed single-nucleus multi-omics analysis across three key developmental stages of soybean seeds, generating a high-resolution map that identified 10 major cell types, as expected, and revealed that the endosperm is one of the main sites for drought response. Further sub-clustering delineated 12 distinct sub-populations representing five previously uncharacterized endosperm sub-cell types. Notably, the peripheral endosperm (PEN) showed the strongest drought response, with trajectory analysis revealing changes in PEN differentiation pathways and associated transcription factor (TF) networks under drought conditions. Moreover, analysis of cell-type-specific transcriptional regulatory networks demonstrated increased binding activity of drought-responsive TFs during stress. This study presents a single-nucleus atlas of drought-stressed soybean endosperm, offering molecular and cellular insights into drought tolerance mechanisms for soybean breeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":52373,"journal":{"name":"Plant Communications","volume":" ","pages":"101495"},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144978206","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":"Antiviral RNA interference in plants: Increasing complexity and integration with other biological processes.","authors":"Fangfang Li, Xue Li, Siwen Zhao, Fuan Pan, Zhaolei Li, Yuming Hao, Jiachi He, Aiming Wang, Richard Kormelink, Xueping Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101490","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101490","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>RNA interference (RNAi, also known as RNA silencing) is one of the most important plant defense responses against viral invasion. Although major components of the RNAi pathway, steps leading to viral small interfering RNA biogenesis, and viral counterdefense strategies via RNAi suppressors have been well studied, the broader roles of RNAi in viral infection and seed transmission remain less thoroughly characterized. In particular, the increasing complexity of RNAi-associated mechanisms and their integration with other biological processes have not been comprehensively summarized. Increasing numbers of studies have identified non-canonical RNAi pathways, novel host factors involved in RNAi, and the possibility of small RNAs acting across kingdoms to modulate plant-virus-vector tritrophic interactions. In this review, we provide an overview of the roles of RNAi in plant viral infections and describe recent advances, with emphasis on the discoveries of novel positive and negative RNAi regulators, potential signaling pathways upstream and downstream of antiviral RNAi, and the prospects and challenges of double-stranded RNA applications, either expressed from transgenes or supplied exogenously via spraying. We also discuss how these findings reshape current views on antiviral RNAi, highlight remaining knowledge gaps, and examine how these advances influence plant-virus co-evolution while informing strategies for managing plant virus diseases and reducing their impact.</p>","PeriodicalId":52373,"journal":{"name":"Plant Communications","volume":" ","pages":"101490"},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144978096","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}
Quentin Charras Ferroussier, Sadanand Gupta, Martin Tichý, Ashraf Al-Amoudi, Martin Lukeš, Daniel Štipl, Peter Koník, David Bína, Marek Zákopčaník, Petr Novák, Roman Sobotka, Josef Komenda, Andreas Naschberger
{"title":"High-resolution structural analysis of the cyanobacterial photosystem I complex reveals independent incorporation of small transmembrane and cytoplasmic subunits.","authors":"Quentin Charras Ferroussier, Sadanand Gupta, Martin Tichý, Ashraf Al-Amoudi, Martin Lukeš, Daniel Štipl, Peter Koník, David Bína, Marek Zákopčaník, Petr Novák, Roman Sobotka, Josef Komenda, Andreas Naschberger","doi":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101493","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101493","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":52373,"journal":{"name":"Plant Communications","volume":" ","pages":"101493"},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144978169","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":"TeloComp: An efficient toolkit for accurate assembly of the telomeres in T2T genomes.","authors":"Shou-Bian Huang, Jie Wu, Zi-Jian Xu, Wen-Tong Mo, Shuai Yuan, Xiao-Yao Jiang, Hai-Feng Wang, Liang Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101492","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101492","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":52373,"journal":{"name":"Plant Communications","volume":" ","pages":"101492"},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144978219","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}
Tao Shen, Qingwen Wang, Huining Ju, Ruonan Tian, Donghuan Fu, Xiaona Bu, Runjiao Yan, Fengjuan Xu, Dan Chen, Huan Zhang, Jiexiong Hu, Zhengguang Zhang, Lan Ni, Mingyi Jiang
{"title":"The class III peroxidase OsPrx20 is a key regulator of stress response and growth in rice.","authors":"Tao Shen, Qingwen Wang, Huining Ju, Ruonan Tian, Donghuan Fu, Xiaona Bu, Runjiao Yan, Fengjuan Xu, Dan Chen, Huan Zhang, Jiexiong Hu, Zhengguang Zhang, Lan Ni, Mingyi Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101487","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101487","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In plants, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are maintained at strictly low intracellular levels, which is a prerequisite for their function as signaling molecules. Class III peroxidases serve as core regulators of intracellular ROS homeostasis when environmental stimuli trigger long-term responses, that cause ROS accumulation. Here, we identified a rice class III peroxidase, OsPrx20, which is a target of Ca<sup>2+</sup>/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (OsDMI3) and is phosphorylated at its threonine (Thr)-244 site by OsDMI3, thereby positively regulating osmotic stress tolerance while negatively affecting blast resistance in rice. Overexpression of OsPrx20 enhances osmotic stress tolerance through intracellular ROS scavenging and simultaneously promotes panicle enlargement with increased grain size. Conversely, the loss of OsPrx20 potentiates immunity against rice blast infection by elevating intracellular ROS levels, which results in reduced plant height and smaller panicles. Crucially, abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent phosphorylation of OsPrx20 at Thr-244 by OsDMI3 promotes intracellular ROS scavenging in rice, thereby enhancing osmotic stress tolerance without compromising growth, though at the expense of blast resistance. In summary, this study uncovers an essential regulatory mechanism that directly activates OsPrx20 within ABA signaling, highlighting its multifunctional role across contrasting physiological processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":52373,"journal":{"name":"Plant Communications","volume":" ","pages":"101487"},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144978165","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}
Fengying Duan, Xia Li, Ze Wei, Jing Li, Caifu Jiang, Chengzhi Jiao, Shanshan Zhao, Yu Kong, Mengxiao Yan, Jirong Huang, Jun Yang, Yanmei Chen, Ralph Bock, Wenbin Zhou
{"title":"Multi-omics analysis reveals distinct responses to light stress in photosynthesis and primary metabolism between maize and rice.","authors":"Fengying Duan, Xia Li, Ze Wei, Jing Li, Caifu Jiang, Chengzhi Jiao, Shanshan Zhao, Yu Kong, Mengxiao Yan, Jirong Huang, Jun Yang, Yanmei Chen, Ralph Bock, Wenbin Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101488","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101488","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High-light (HL) stress is a major environmental factor that limits crop productivity. Maize (Zea mays) and rice (Oryza sativa), two key global crops, can both grow under HL intensities but differ in photosynthetic metabolism; maize is a C<sub>4</sub> species, whereas rice is a C<sub>3</sub> species. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their responses to HL stress remain poorly understood. To systematically dissect how HL affects maize and rice growth, we conducted time-resolved multi-omics analyses, examining the transcriptome, translatome, proteome, and metabolome in response to HL treatment. Integration of this multi-omics approach with physiological analyses revealed that rice exhibits a more rapid response to HL stress than maize, with significant alterations in photosynthetic electron transport, energy dissipation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and primary metabolism. In contrast, the higher tolerance of maize to HL stress is primarily attributed to increased cyclic electron flow (CEF) and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), elevated sugar and aromatic amino acid accumulation, and enhanced antioxidant activity during 4 h of HL exposure. Transgenic experiments further validated key regulators of HL tolerance; for instance, knockout of OsbZIP18 enhanced HL tolerance in rice, whereas overexpression of ZmPsbS in maize significantly boosted photosynthesis and energy-dependent quenching (qE) after 4 h of HL treatment, underscoring its role in protecting C<sub>4</sub> crops from HL-induced photodamage. Taken together, these findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of HL stress tolerance in C<sub>4</sub> versus C<sub>3</sub> species and highlight a set of candidate genes for engineering improved HL tolerance in crops.</p>","PeriodicalId":52373,"journal":{"name":"Plant Communications","volume":" ","pages":"101488"},"PeriodicalIF":11.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144978213","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}