Volume 10 Issue 4, April 2024

Two studies report the use of paternal haploids to enable one-step transfer of cytoplasmic male sterility in maize and broccoli, which resolves a key technical bottleneck in hybrid crop breeding.

Rhizosphere microbiomes are shaped by both the environment and the host. A recent study of the maize microbiome reveals how plants recruit a specific microbiome to alleviate abiotic stress, and provides clues for precision microbiome engineering in agriculture.

The carbon fixation machinery α-carboxysome of the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is composed of an icosahedral-like proteinaceous shell that encapsulates the enzymes RuBisCO and carbonic anhydrase. Our cryo-EM structure reveals how thousands of protein components self-assemble into the α-carboxysome and characterizes the multivalent interactions by which the scaffolding protein CsoS2 crosslinks the shell with internal RuBisCO molecules.

Photosystem I (PSI) and PSII are two large pigment–protein complexes that are responsible for converting solar energy into chemical energy. We identify the PSI assembly factor PBF8 and show that it mediates two key consecutive steps in PSI assembly, revealing major aspects of the PSI assembly pathway in land plants.

The plant DNA damage response ensures genomic stability by controlling interconnected networks of DNA repair and cell division proteins. Decoding these networks offers potential solutions to the challenges of climate-related stress and food security.

This study collected and analysed 3,517 de novo assemblies from 1,575 plant species sequenced since 2000, including 793 newly sequenced species in the past three years. A database named N3: plants, genomes, technologies was developed to accommodate the metadata associated with the sequenced genomes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Effectors secreted by plant pathogens subvert host immunity. Here the authors use a structural approach to design a small molecule that can disrupt the interaction between a fungal effector and its target in rice, and could be used as a novel fungicide.

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.

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.

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.