aBIOTECHPub Date : 2025-08-08DOI: 10.1007/s42994-025-00236-1
Jingnan Xu, Faming Lin, Chenhao Zhao, Shaolong Yang, Yu Zhang, Yongchun Shi, Xiaoran Wang, Ran Wang
{"title":"GmMYB93 increases aroma formation in soybean by inhibiting the expression of a betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase gene","authors":"Jingnan Xu, Faming Lin, Chenhao Zhao, Shaolong Yang, Yu Zhang, Yongchun Shi, Xiaoran Wang, Ran Wang","doi":"10.1007/s42994-025-00236-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s42994-025-00236-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Soybean (<i>Glycine max</i>), an exceptionally nutritious crop rich in high-quality proteins and oils, is extensively used in various food products. Aromatic varieties of soybeans are in particular demand. Characterized by its distinctive popcorn-like aroma, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) is an important volatile compound present in soybeans and other plants. The enzyme betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) is closely associated with 2-AP production. However, the transcriptional regulatory network that governs <i>BADH</i> gene expression in soybean remains undefined. In this study, we determined that the transcript levels of the <i>BADH</i> gene, <i>GmBADH2</i>, vary significantly across different soybean organs and differ markedly from those of <i>GmBADH1</i>. We showed that GmMYB93 is a transcriptional repressor that directly regulates the expression of <i>GmBADH2</i> by binding to the CAGTTA elements in its promoter. Furthermore, the silencing of <i>GmMYB93</i> significantly reduced 2-AP accumulation in soybeans. Our findings shed light on the genetic mechanisms underlying soybean aroma formation and lay a foundation for developing novel aromatic soybean varieties.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":53135,"journal":{"name":"aBIOTECH","volume":"6 3","pages":"569 - 579"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42994-025-00236-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145100763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
aBIOTECHPub Date : 2025-08-04DOI: 10.1007/s42994-025-00228-1
Diyi Fu, Huiyuan Wang, Bochen Jiang
{"title":"Molecular mechanisms and crop improvement potential of RNA N6-methyladenosine in plants","authors":"Diyi Fu, Huiyuan Wang, Bochen Jiang","doi":"10.1007/s42994-025-00228-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s42994-025-00228-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>N<sup>6</sup>-methyladenosine (m<sup>6</sup>A) is the most prevalent internal modification in eukaryotic mRNAs and contributes to the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. In plants, m<sup>6</sup>A modulates RNA splicing, stability, and translation, thereby influencing developmental processes and responses to environmental stimuli. This review systematically examines current advances in the understanding of m<sup>6</sup>A regulation in plants. We begin with an overview of the m<sup>6</sup>A modification and its associated regulatory machinery, including the writers (methyltransferases), erasers (demethylases), and readers (m<sup>6</sup>A-binding proteins) components, and discuss their roles in orchestrating RNA metabolism and determining plant phenotypes. Subsequent sections focus on the functional implications of m<sup>6</sup>A in economically important crops, with evidence drawn from model systems such as <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> and key species including rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i>), tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i>), and strawberry (<i>Fragaria vesca</i>), where m<sup>6</sup>A modifications have been linked to traits such as yield, maturation, and aroma. Finally, we explore emerging biotechnological strategies that harness m<sup>6</sup>A-mediated regulatory pathways to enhance crop quality, such as overexpression of human <i>FTO</i> encoding an m<sup>6</sup>A demethylase, quantitative m<sup>6</sup>A profiling at single-base resolution, CRISPR/Cas13-targeted m<sup>6</sup>A regulation, the application of small-molecule inhibitors, and m<sup>6</sup>A-driven multi-omics integration. These strategies provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the multifaceted roles of m<sup>6</sup>A in plant biology and underscore the potential of this modification as a target for next-generation crop improvement.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":53135,"journal":{"name":"aBIOTECH","volume":"6 3","pages":"489 - 509"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42994-025-00228-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145100766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
aBIOTECHPub Date : 2025-07-23DOI: 10.1007/s42994-025-00232-5
Jia Chen, Huixia Song, Chenyang Xu, Pengfei Wang, Shuansuo Wang
{"title":"The RING-domain E3 ubiquitin ligase OsRGLG6 regulates rice grain number and yield via ubiquitination-mediated degradation of OsOTUB1","authors":"Jia Chen, Huixia Song, Chenyang Xu, Pengfei Wang, Shuansuo Wang","doi":"10.1007/s42994-025-00232-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s42994-025-00232-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i>) yield is a complex trait determined by multiple factors, including grain number per panicle (GPP), which is mainly genetically regulated. In this study, we identified the E3 RING DOMAIN LIGASE (RGLG) OsRGLG6 as a key regulator of GPP in rice. A yeast two-hybrid screen revealed that OsRGLG6 interacts with OsOTUB1, an ovarian tumor domain-containing ubiquitin-specific protease involved in panicle development. Further experiments confirmed the interaction between OsRGLG6 and OsOTUB1 in vitro and in vivo. OsRGLG6, which contains a vWA domain and a RING domain, is localized in the cytoplasm and endoplasmic reticulum and is highly expressed specifically in rice panicles. In vitro and in vivo ubiquitination assays demonstrated that OsRGLG6 ubiquitinates OsOTUB1 and promotes its degradation via the 26S proteasome pathway. CRISPR/Cas9-generated <i>osrglg6</i> mutants exhibited significant reductions in GPP, indicating a crucial role for OsRGLG6 in the regulation of grain number. Transcriptome analysis revealed that OsRGLG6 regulates multiple downstream genes involved in plant hormone signaling, nitrogen utilization, and stress response, and the <i>OsRGLG6</i>–<i>OsOTUB1</i> module specifically mediated drought-stress responses in a simulated drought experiment. This study provides insight into the molecular mechanisms that regulate rice GPP and yield, highlighting the potential of <i>OsRGLG6</i> as a target for improvement of rice productivity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":53135,"journal":{"name":"aBIOTECH","volume":"6 4","pages":"774 - 789"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42994-025-00232-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145595153","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
aBIOTECHPub Date : 2025-07-16DOI: 10.1007/s42994-025-00229-0
Xiaoxuan Du, Yingnan Sun, Yonggang He, Haiya Cai, Xiangsong Chen
{"title":"Epigenetic regulation of JASMONATE ZIM-DOMAIN genes contributes to heat tolerance in the heat-tolerant rice cultivar Nagina 22","authors":"Xiaoxuan Du, Yingnan Sun, Yonggang He, Haiya Cai, Xiangsong Chen","doi":"10.1007/s42994-025-00229-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s42994-025-00229-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Extreme hot weather severely limits rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i>) production. Rice cultivars from regions with hot weather are a valuable resource for breeding heat-tolerant rice, but the mechanisms mediating heat tolerance in these cultivars are not fully understood. Here, we investigated heat-tolerance mechanisms in rice using the well-known heat-tolerant cultivar Nagina 22 (N22) and comparing it with the less heat-tolerant cultivar 93–11. Following heat shock (HS) treatment (45 °C for 3 or 24 h), the expression of <i>JASMONATE ZIM-DOMAIN</i> (<i>JAZ</i>) genes spiked during the early stages of HS responses in N22 but not 93–11 and genes related to jasmonic acid (JA) signaling were repressed in N22. Promoting JA signaling in N22 via pretreatment with methyl JA (MeJA) impaired the heat tolerance of N22, measured as survival after HS treatment of 45 °C for 30 h, followed by a 7-d recovery. Furthermore, the N22-specific activation of <i>JAZ</i> genes was associated with increased histone acetylation and decreased DNA methylation. Comparing N22 to 93–11, we propose that the DNA demethylation process, rather than the hypomethylation status per se, is likely associated with <i>JAZ</i> activation. In summary, we revealed epigenetic mechanisms that may contribute to the heat tolerance of N22 via the JA signaling pathway; our findings have implications for improving heat tolerance in rice and other crops.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":53135,"journal":{"name":"aBIOTECH","volume":"6 3","pages":"441 - 451"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42994-025-00229-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145100764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
aBIOTECHPub Date : 2025-07-16DOI: 10.1007/s42994-025-00230-7
Yuanyuan Cui, Qianqian Zhang, Qingjing Meng, Xiaoyu Liu, Xiaoqin Liu
{"title":"The peanut Ubiquitin4 promoter drives stable gene overexpression and efficient multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in peanut","authors":"Yuanyuan Cui, Qianqian Zhang, Qingjing Meng, Xiaoyu Liu, Xiaoqin Liu","doi":"10.1007/s42994-025-00230-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s42994-025-00230-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The development of effective genetic transformation tools is crucial for advancing molecular breeding in peanut (<i>Arachis hypogaea</i>). In this study, we identified and characterized a <i>Ubiquitin</i> (<i>UBQ</i>) promoter from peanut and evaluated its potential utility in transgenic research. Using sequence similarity–based identification and transcriptome analysis, we selected a highly expressed <i>UBQ</i> gene, arahy.E356RC, designated <i>AhUBQ4</i>, from which we cloned a 973-bp fragment of the promoter region. To assess its activity, we used this <i>AhUBQ4</i> promoter fragment to drive expression of the <i>GUS</i> and <i>Ruby</i> reporter genes in transient and stable expression assays in <i>Nicotiana benthamiana</i> and peanut tissues. Compared to the commonly used CaMV 35S promoter, the <i>AhUBQ4</i> promoter had stable and high transcriptional activity across multiple tissues. Furthermore, we replaced the traditional 35S promoter with the <i>AhUBQ4</i> promoter in a CRISPR/Cas9 system, enabling efficient gene editing in peanut. Using a peanut hairy root transformation system, we induced site-specific mutations in <i>HY5-HOMOLOG</i>, confirming stable <i>Cas9</i> expression from the <i>AhUBQ4</i> promoter for genome editing applications. Our findings highlight the potential of the <i>AhUBQ4</i> promoter as a valuable genetic tool for improving transformation efficiency and gene expression stability in peanut, paving the way for enhanced functional genomics studies and molecular breeding efforts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":53135,"journal":{"name":"aBIOTECH","volume":"6 4","pages":"685 - 692"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42994-025-00230-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145595206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
aBIOTECHPub Date : 2025-07-15DOI: 10.1007/s42994-025-00227-2
Wenyang Zhang, Yanjiao Wang, Wenyan Li, Shaowen Wu, Yuanyuan Chen, Mingyang Ye, Wenjie Huang, Alisdair R. Fernie, Shijuan Yan
{"title":"A novel proteomics workflow for simultaneous analysis of protein phosphorylation and S-nitrosylation","authors":"Wenyang Zhang, Yanjiao Wang, Wenyan Li, Shaowen Wu, Yuanyuan Chen, Mingyang Ye, Wenjie Huang, Alisdair R. Fernie, Shijuan Yan","doi":"10.1007/s42994-025-00227-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s42994-025-00227-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Protein post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation and <i>S</i>-nitrosylation regulate protein functions and cellular programs in eukaryotes. Moreover, extensive evidence suggests crosstalk between these modifications. However, we lack a comprehensive method for the simultaneous detection and analysis of multiple post-translational modifications. Here, we present an optimized workflow that identifies phosphorylation and <i>S</i>-nitrosylation sites using a novel phosphate affinity tag switch technique. Validation with model proteins and complex biological samples confirmed the high sensitivity, coverage, and reproducibility of this method. Applying this method to <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> seedlings revealed 12,552 phosphorylation sites and 6,108 <i>S</i>-nitrosylation sites, representing the largest single-study dataset of <i>S</i>-nitrosylation sites to date. This approach enhances our understanding of post-translational modification dynamics in plant signaling, stress responses, and metabolism.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":53135,"journal":{"name":"aBIOTECH","volume":"6 3","pages":"452 - 465"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42994-025-00227-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145100777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
aBIOTECHPub Date : 2025-07-02DOI: 10.1007/s42994-025-00223-6
Qi Zhang, Zeng Tao
{"title":"Emerging roles of histone methylation in phytopathogenic fungi","authors":"Qi Zhang, Zeng Tao","doi":"10.1007/s42994-025-00223-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s42994-025-00223-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plant-pathogenic fungi significantly affect crop yield and quality. Understanding pathogenic mechanisms and reducing yield losses from plant diseases are therefore crucial for global food security. Epigenetics has become a central focus in fungal biology research, and recent refinements in high-throughput sequencing technologies have drawn attention to the role of histone methylation in fungal pathogenicity. Due to their diversity and complexity, histone methylations play crucial roles in epigenetic and transcriptional regulation. In this review, we summarize recent progress in understanding histone methylation in plant-pathogenic fungi and examine how these modifications influence fungal pathogenicity. Ultimately, we aim to offer insight for creating fungal disease control strategies through the lens of histone methylation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":53135,"journal":{"name":"aBIOTECH","volume":"6 3","pages":"528 - 541"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42994-025-00223-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145100772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nodule-specific AhPUGN1.1 positively regulates nodulation in peanuts","authors":"Haitong He, Weiqing Liu, Yiwei Xu, Xuerui Fang, Wei Zhang, Zhaosheng Kong, Lixiang Wang","doi":"10.1007/s42994-025-00222-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s42994-025-00222-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Peanut (<i>Arachis hypogaea</i>) is a widely cultivated legume crop that can fix nitrogen by forming root nodules with compatible rhizobia. The initiation and formation of these nodules require complex molecular communication between legumes and rhizobia, involving the precise regulation of multiple legume genes. However, the mechanism underlying nodulation in peanuts remains poorly understood. In this study, we identified a gene associated with nodulation in peanuts, named <i>Peanut unique gene for nodulation 1.1</i> (<i>AhPUGN1.1</i>). Multiple lines of evidence indicate that <i>AhPUGN1.1</i> is primarily expressed in peanut nodules. Silencing or knocking out <i>AhPUGN1.1</i> in peanut resulted in fewer nodules, as well as lower fresh weight and nitrogenase activity, while overexpressing <i>AhPUGN1.1</i> significantly enhanced nodulation ability and nitrogenase activity. Modulating the expression of <i>AhPUGN1.1</i> also influenced the expression levels of genes associated with the Nod factor signaling pathway and infection via crack entry. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that <i>AhPUGN1.1</i> likely regulates peanut nodulation by affecting the expression of genes involved in the cytokinin and calcium signaling pathways. Our data thus show that <i>AhPUGN1.1</i> acts as a crucial regulator promoting symbiotic nodulation in peanuts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":53135,"journal":{"name":"aBIOTECH","volume":"6 3","pages":"542 - 553"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42994-025-00222-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145100812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
aBIOTECHPub Date : 2025-06-25DOI: 10.1007/s42994-025-00225-4
Harro Bouwmeester, Philipp Zerbe, Reuben J. Peters, Kangning Wang, Lemeng Dong
{"title":"The role of isoprenoids in the chemical interaction between plants and other organisms in their rhizosphere","authors":"Harro Bouwmeester, Philipp Zerbe, Reuben J. Peters, Kangning Wang, Lemeng Dong","doi":"10.1007/s42994-025-00225-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s42994-025-00225-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Agriculture has become one of the largest users of non-renewable resources in the world and contributes heavily to resource depletion, environmental pollution, and climate change. Solutions to these problems are in dire need and these can partially be found in the inter-organismal interactions surrounding the rhizosphere of our crops. The rhizosphere is a highly complex ecosystem, serving as a habitat for a diverse array of beneficial and pathogenic organisms. Here, we review how plants are performing a balancing act, in which they employ chemical communication—through the exudation of chemicals from their roots—to recruit beneficial organisms, while keeping at the same time, pathogenic ones at bay. These metabolites released by roots are incredibly chemically diverse. Among them, isoprenoids, one of the most diverse metabolite classes, containing many, highly bioactive, molecules, are the focus of this review. A better insight into the chemical communication occurring between the root, the soil, and micro-organisms, will allow harnessing of the beneficial relationships and suppression of the harmful ones. Further, this will enable us to establish knowledge-based changes in how we perform agriculture, how we use chemical inputs, how we should breed more resilient crops and can bring back resilience to our agricultural soils.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":53135,"journal":{"name":"aBIOTECH","volume":"6 4","pages":"587 - 601"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42994-025-00225-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145595239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}