The study profiled root transcriptomes of Arabidopsis wild type and etr1 gain-of-function (etr1-3) and loss-of-function (etr1-7) mutants under ethylene or ACC treatment, identifying 4,522 ethylene‑responsive transcripts, including 553 that depend on ETR1 activity. ETR1‑dependent genes encompassed ethylene biosynthesis enzymes (ACO2, ACO3) and transcription factors, whose expression was further examined in an ein3eil1 background, revealing that both ETR1 and EIN3/EIL1 pathways regulate parts of the network controlling root hair proliferation and lateral root formation.
The study introduced full-length SOC1 genes from maize and soybean, and a partial SOC1 gene from blueberry, into tomato plants under constitutive promoters. While VcSOC1K and ZmSOC1 accelerated flowering, all three transgenes increased fruit number per plant mainly by promoting branching, and transcriptomic profiling revealed alterations in flowering, growth, and stress‑response pathways.
The study uses time-course microscopy to show that VAR2 mutants have delayed and heterogeneous chloroplast biogenesis, with many cells lacking chloroplasts, especially in white leaf sectors. Genetic interactions reveal that loss of plastid division genes worsens the phenotype, while overexpressing PDV1/PDV2 or knocking out COP1 rescues it, indicating VAR2’s novel role in plastid division and chloroplast development. These findings clarify mechanisms behind leaf variegation.
The study identifies the scaffolding protein RACK1A as a cytoplasmic interaction partner of the antioxidant enzyme FSD1, revealing that RACK1A recruits FSD1 to cycloheximide-sensitive condensates that colocalize with stress granules during salt stress. Functional analyses show that this RACK1A‑FSD1 module modulates ROS levels, influences root hair tip growth, and determines salt‑stress resilience in Arabidopsis.
Arabidopsis REM transcription factors and GDE1 shape the DNA methylation landscape through the recruitment of RNA Polymerase IV transcription complexes.
Authors: Wu, Z., Xue, Y., Wang, S., Shih, Y.-H., Zhong, Z., Feng, S., Draper, J., Lu, A., Sha, J., Li, L., Wohlschlegel, J., Wu, K., Jacobsen, S. E.
The study identifies four Arabidopsis REM transcription factors (VDD, VAL, REM12, REM13) that bind specific DNA sequences and, together with GDE1, recruit RNA polymerase IV to produce 24‑nt siRNAs that direct DNA methylation at designated loci. Loss of GDE1 causes Pol IV complexes to relocalize to sites bound by REM8, indicating that REM proteins provide sequence‑specific cues for epigenetic patterning.