Genetius

The study demonstrates that very long chain sphingolipids in the outer membrane leaflet interdigitate with inner‑leaflet phosphatidylserine, forming a vertical bridge that organizes PS nanodomains and enables auxin‑induced activation of the Rho‑GTPase ROP6. Disruption of sphingolipid biosynthesis disperses these nanodomains, impairing ROP6 signaling, cytoskeletal dynamics, and directional growth, highlighting interleaflet coupling as a key mechanism linking membrane asymmetry to plant signal transduction.

The study demonstrates that a rapid increase in cytosolic Ca²⁺ is the primary and sufficient signal mediating auxin‑induced root growth inhibition in Arabidopsis. Using live imaging, microfluidics, and optogenetic control of Ca²⁺ influx, the authors show that blocking Ca²⁺ entry prevents growth responses, while light‑triggered Ca²⁺ influx from the apoplast or ER mimics inhibition, indicating that diverse stimuli converge on a Ca²⁺‑dependent mechanism.

The study identifies two maize genes, Discordia3a and Discordia3b, that encode the microtubule‑severing protein KATANIN. Loss‑of‑function allele combinations reduce microtubule severing, impair cell elongation, delay mitotic entry, and disrupt preprophase band and nuclear positioning, leading to dwarfed, misshapen plants.

The study uses an optogenetic ChannelRhodopsin 2 variant (XXM2.0) to generate defined cytosolic Ca²⁺ transients in Arabidopsis root cells, revealing that these Ca²⁺ signatures suppress auxin‑induced membrane depolarization, Ca²⁺ spikes, and auxin‑responsive transcription, leading to reversible inhibition of cell division and elongation. This demonstrates that optogenetically imposed Ca²⁺ signals act as dynamic regulators of auxin sensitivity in roots.

The study identified lineage-specific long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) from the aphid‑specific Ya gene family in Rhopalosiphum maidis and R. padi, demonstrating that these Ya lncRNAs are secreted into maize, remain stable, and move systemically. RNA interference of Ya genes reduced aphid fecundity, while ectopic expression of Ya lncRNAs in maize enhanced aphid colonization, indicating that Ya lncRNAs act as cross‑kingdom effectors that influence aphid virulence.

The study used a computer‑vision phenotyping pipeline (EarVision.v2) based on Faster R-CNN to map Ds‑GFP mutant kernels on maize ears and a statistical framework (EarScape) to assess spatial patterns of allele transmission from the apex to the base. They found that alleles causing pollen‑specific transmission defects often show significant spatial biases, whereas Mendelian alleles do not, indicating that reduced pollen fitness can shape the spatial distribution of progeny genotypes in Zea mays.

The study investigates how auxin signaling influences aluminium tolerance using tomato mutants with altered auxin sensitivity, showing that the auxin‑hypersensitive entire mutant tolerates Al stress while the auxin‑reduced dgt mutant is more sensitive. Differences in reactive oxygen species accumulation and root transition‑zone cell differentiation correlate with distinct metabolic responses, suggesting that modifying auxin perception can enhance crop Al tolerance.

The study investigates how the pleiotropic maize genes GRASSY TILLERS1 (GT1) and RAMOSA3 (RA3) are differentially regulated to suppress axillary meristems and floral organs, using a newly developed high-throughput quantitative phenotyping method for grass flowers. Distinct environmental mechanisms were found to control each suppression process, and upstream regulatory pathways of GT1 and RA3 have diverged, illustrating how ancient developmental genes can be redeployed to increase genetic pleiotropy during evolution.

The study reveals that the maize catalytic trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase RA3 interacts with the non‑catalytic TPS ZmTPS1, and together with the catalytic TPS ZmTPS14 they form a protein complex that enhances enzymatic activity. Genetic analyses show that mutations in ZmTPS1 and its paralog ZmTPS12 exacerbate ra3 branching phenotypes, while loss of the catalytic TPSs ZmTPS11 and ZmTPS14 causes embryonic lethality, indicating essential and regulatory roles for both catalytic and non‑catalytic TPS/TPP proteins in plant development.

Using CRISPR‑Cas9‑generated Zmcry mutants, the study shows that maize cryptochromes redundantly mediate blue‑light signaling, suppress mesocotyl elongation, and enhance UV‑B stress tolerance by upregulating genes for phenylpropanoid, flavonoid, and fatty‑acid pathways. Blue light also promotes epidermal wax accumulation, and ZmCRY1 directly interacts with GLOSSY2 in a light‑dependent manner to drive C32 aldehyde synthesis, linking cryptochrome activity to wax biosynthesis and UV‑B resistance.