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Repeat expansions can induce gene silencing exemplified by growth defects in plants to genetic diseases in humans. This paper shows key roles for post-translational modifiers, histone readers and the polycomb repressive complex in this gene silencing.
In global drylands, soils tend to be more fertile beneath tree, shrub and grass islands. Soil fertility was greater beneath taller and wider plants but was unaffected by either grazing pressure or the type of herbivore.
The ‘non-canonical’ type-B BZR/BES transcription factor, MpBZR3, has been shown to be a regulator of the development of female and male reproductive organs in the model bryophyte Marchantia polymorpha.
NARROW LEAF1 (NAL1) exerts a multifaceted influence on rice leaf morphology and yield. Recent crystal study proposed that histidine 233 (H233) is part of the catalytic triad. Here we report that H234 instead of H233 is a component of the catalytic triad alongside D291 and S385.
The cryo-EM structure shows us how thousands of protein components self-assemble into Prochlorococcus α-carboxysome. The scaffolding protein CsoS2 crosslinks the icosahedral-like shell and internal RuBisCOs, and determines the size of α-carboxysome.
Using a combination of single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analysis, Serrano et al. uncover transcriptional dynamics during the establishment of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.
Wang et al. report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of rice K+ transporters HKT2;1 and HKT2;2/1. These structures reveal critical insights into their ion selectivity and transport mechanisms that will aid in the development of strategies to increase yields.
He et al. found that locally adapted maize varieties exert patterns of genetic control on their root and rhizosphere microbiomes that follow variation in their home environments, consistent with a role in tolerance to prevailing stress.
Photosystem I (PSI) is one of two large pigment–protein complexes responsible for converting solar energy into chemical energy. This study reveals the previously unknown major PSI assembly pathway in land plants.
An efficient method of cyto-swapping by haploid induction using a CENH3 mutation is reported in maize, to convert commercial germplasm to cytoplasmic male sterility for hybrid seed production.
Han et al. develop BoCENH3 mutants which trigger paternal haploid induction in Brassica oleracea. On the basis of this haploid inducer line, a workable system is proposed for transferring cytoplasmic male sterility to broccoli inbred lines.
The authors show that RALF22 has a dual role in cell wall assembly in root hairs: as a structural component organizing cell wall architecture and as a feedback signalling molecule that regulates this process depending on its interaction partners.
Timber harvest claims can be scrutinized based on a combination of wood chemical composition and species distribution. The location of timber harvest can be determined within 180 to 230 km of true location across Eastern Europe.
This study reports that in European beech masting, the summer solstice serves as a celestial trigger that enables cohesive timekeeping across distant beech populations, allowing seed production to be synchronized at a subcontinental scale.
How do multicellular organisms integrate cell- and tissue-scale mechanical information to coordinate growth? Elliott et al. show that plant cells establish a self-regulating cell-wall-sensing module at their one-dimensional cell edges to control three-dimensional growth.
In response to abscisic acid, the m6A reader ECT8 undergoes phase separation to form cytoplasmic condensates and sequesters m6A-modified abscisic acid receptor PYL7 mRNA in stress granules, which suppresses PYL7 translation for feedback regulation of abscisic acid perception.
This study explores the evolution of two traits, branching density and spine presence, in the globally distributed plant family Combretaceae. These traits were found to have appeared in a two-step process in response to mammalian herbivory pressure, revealing the importance of large mammals in the evolution of plant architecture diversity.
Cryogenic electron microscopy structures of DDM1–nucleosome complexes in ADP–BeFx-bound, ADP-bound and nucleotide-free conformations reveal insights into the mechanism underlying chromatin remodelling by DDM1, a key chromatin remodeller involved in plant DNA methylation.
This study by Scacchi et al. shows that a mobile small-RNA-based Turing system dynamically organizes plant organ polarity. The afforded developmental flexibility accounts for diversity in organ shapes, from radialized or cup-shaped to the robust planar shape of a typical leaf.
The authors developed a platform for rapid identification of interacting plant immune receptors and pathogen avirulence proteins by library screening in protoplasts, then used it to identify new wheat stem rust Avr genes recognized by known wheat resistance genes.