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By editing the mitochondrial genome and screening a large number of deletion mutants, this study shows that clean knockout mutants for a mitochondrial gene can be obtained and used to construct a synthetic cytoplasmic male sterility system.
Wu et al. show that mutations of the Polycomb repressive complex 2 gene, OsFIE2, result in asexual embryo formation in rice, suggesting a critical role of the epigenetic regulation in maintaining the quiescent state of the egg apparatus.
Pre-zygotic reproductive barriers are a vital defence against interspecific pollen transfers in plants. This study shows that SPRI2/SRS7, a transcription factor, regulates the formation of interspecific reproductive barriers in Arabidopsis.
This study reveals the role played by the RNR10-DNR1-auxin module in modulating rice root system architecture and nitrogen uptake, making it a promising target for enhancing nitrogen-use efficiency and grain yield for future sustainable agriculture.
This study demonstrates that orange carrot was selected during the Renaissance period, probably in western Europe, through the selection of three recessive genes that increased the provitamin A carotenoid (α- and β-carotene) content.
Single-nucleus transcriptomes uncover cell type-specific gene reprogramming in response to nod factors in Medicago, including a defence response at 30 min, which largely returned to normal at 6 h. The results reveal that MtFER interacts with LYK3 and regulates rhizobial symbiosis.
A deep-learning-based ‘organelle segmentation network’ (OrgSegNet), performing pixel-wise segmentation to identify various organelles, is an innovative tool for plant organelle phenotyping and 3D cell reconstruction.
Studying cultivar-specific sensitivities of yield components to environmental variables during developmental subphases provides deep insight into the three-way interactions between phenology, yield formation and environmental fluctuations.
Cheng et al. show that the root-derived long non-coding RNA ELENA1 is systemically mobile under nitrogen deficiency in a root-to-shoot manner to calibrate leaf senescence by dissociating the MED19a–ORE1 transcriptional complex.
The independently evolved extreme holoparasites Balanophora and Sapria display convergent characteristics of genome modifications, including gene loss in particular pathways, reduction of multigene families and relaxed selection pressures.
Huang et al. develop a potent genome editing toolkit to generate transgene-free genome-edited plants in the T0 generation by co-editing of ALS gene (without obvious fitness costs) and gene(s) of interest via Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression.
FS8.1, a non-canonical GT-2 factor, controls the elongated fruit shape and crush resistance of processing tomatoes. This study provides a potential route to rapidly customize machine-harvestable fresh-market tomatoes without reducing quality values.
Cardenolides such as digoxin from foxglove (Digitalis spp.) have been used to treat congenital heart conditions, cancer and other chronic diseases for decades. Here, authors report CYP87A enzymes that catalyse pregnenolone formation, the key entry point to the cardenolide pathway in plants.
A novel resistance gene against maize rough dwarf disease was identified, which confers broad resistance to the virus pathogen infecting multiple cereal crops by regulating jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis and JA-mediated defence response.
Lateral roots grow at specific angles with respect to gravity. Two auxin transporters, PIN3 and PIN7, in gravi-sensing cells establish hormone gradients that balance downward and upward growth to generate stable, non-vertical roots.
Clark and colleagues show that plant anatomical diversity evolved episodically over geologic time, reflecting ecological expansion facilitated by reproductive innovations. This is paralleled in animals and fungi, suggesting a general evolutionary mode for multicellular bodyplans.
The 3D structure of plant hormone ABA transporter ABCG25 reveals the molecular mechanism underlying substrate-specific recognition and transport and provides new insights to the physiological study of ABA and plant ABC transporters.
Cryo-EM structures are determined for the abscisic acid (ABA) exporter ABCG25 in Arabidopsis in the apo, ABA-bound and ATP-bound states, which facilitate our understanding of the ABA transport and signalling processes in plants.
Bourdon et al. demonstrate the possibility to ectopically synthesize callose, a polymer restricted to primary cell walls, into Arabidopsis and aspen secondary cell walls to manipulate their ultrastructure and ultimately reduce their recalcitrance.
Sex determination evolved to control unisexual flowers. This study shows that ethylene produced in the carpel activates the expression of CmHB40 in stamens to inhibit genes required for stamen development and yield female flowers in melon.