The study employed computational approaches to characterize the SUMOylation (ULP) machinery in Asian rice (Oryza sativa), analyzing phylogenetic relationships, transcriptional patterns, and protein structures across the reference genome, a population panel, and wild relatives. Findings reveal an expansion of ULP genes in cultivated rice, suggesting selection pressure during breeding and implicating specific ULPs in biotic and abiotic stress responses, providing resources for rice improvement.

The study evaluated barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) and foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV) vectors for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and virus-mediated overexpression (VOX) in several Oryza sativa cultivars, finding that neither vector altered gene expression despite successful assays in wheat and extensive optimization. The lack of photobleaching with BSMV-PDS and absent GFP fluorescence with FoMV suggest intrinsic resistance mechanisms in rice, highlighting species-specific limitations of virus-enabled reverse genetics and the need for alternative vectors.

The study measured flower opening time and flower exposure duration (FED) in rice cultivars and performed controlled crossing experiments under short‑day and long‑day conditions, finding that when FED overlap exceeds ~20 min, cross‑pollination frequency often exceeds 60 % and can reach 100 %. These results overturn the long‑standing view that rice cross‑pollination is <2 % and highlight the need to investigate genetic factors underlying F1 sterility.

The study presents a high-quality genome assembly for the nickel hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens and uses it as a reference for comparative transcriptomic analyses across different N. caerulescens accessions and the non‑accumulating relative Microthlaspi perfoliatum. It identifies a limited set of metal transporters (NcHMA3, NcHMA4, NcIREG2, and NcIRT1) whose elevated expression correlates with hyperaccumulation, and demonstrates that frameshift mutations in NcIRT1 can abolish the trait, indicating an ancient, transporter‑driven origin of nickel hyperaccumulation.

The study demonstrates that a beta‑1,3‑glucan‑binding protein from the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae interacts with the rice thaumatin‑like protein OsPR5, which sequesters the fungal protein to trigger immunity, while the fungus secretes thaumatin‑binding proteins to counteract this defense. Additionally, a rice cell‑surface receptor kinase containing a thaumatin domain has evolved to detect the fungal GBP, highlighting a complex coevolutionary arms race in the rice apoplast.

The study identifies the transcription factor MdBRC1 as a key inhibitor of bud growth during the ecodormancy phase in apple (Malus domestica), directly regulating dormancy‑associated genes and interacting with the flowering promoter MdFT2 to modulate bud break. Comparative transcriptomic analysis and gain‑of‑function experiments in poplar demonstrate that MdFT2 physically binds MdBRC1, attenuating its repressive activity and acting as a molecular switch for the transition to active growth.

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 shows that the SnRK1 catalytic subunit KIN10 directs tissue-specific growth‑defense programs in Arabidopsis thaliana by reshaping transcriptomes. kin10 knockout mutants exhibit altered root transcription, reduced root growth, and weakened defense against Pseudomonas syringae, whereas KIN10 overexpression activates shoot defense pathways, increasing ROS and salicylic acid signaling at the cost of growth.

An induced mutant line of the rice cultivar Samba Mahsuri shows broad-spectrum resistance to bacterial blight, linked to a novel missense SNP (S84P) in the OsMAPK6 gene on chromosome 6. Multi-omics analyses indicate that this mutation confers constitutive immunity, likely through reduced brassinosteroid signaling, offering a new resistance allele for rice breeding.

The study performed integrative small RNA sequencing and transcriptomic profiling across ten anther developmental stages of Kitaake rice to map sRNA‑related gene expression and phasiRNA production. It uncovered previously undescribed post‑meiotic 21‑nt and 24‑nt phasiRNA loci with distinct accumulation patterns and nucleotide compositions, suggesting diverse biogenesis mechanisms and specialized roles in pollen development.