Integrating physiological, transcriptomic, and cellular analyses, the study shows that olive fruit abscission zones undergo lignification, alkalization, and extensive cell‑wall remodeling during natural maturation and after ethephon treatment. A set of 733 FAZ‑specific genes, including β‑1,3‑glucanases, pectate lyases, and pH‑regulating transporters, were identified, and increased glucanase activity together with reduced plasmodesmata callose suggest enhanced intercellular communication facilitates organ detachment in this non‑climacteric fruit.
A large-scale proteomic study in Arabidopsis thaliana identified over 32,000 isoform-specific peptides, confirming that alternative splicing, particularly intron retention, produces translated protein isoforms. Integrated proteogenomic analysis, SUPPA classification, and AlphaFold modeling revealed structural impacts and a non-linear regulation of transcript and protein abundance, with mutant phenotypes linking splicing to growth, chlorophyll content, and anthocyanin accumulation.
The study demonstrates that limonene, a natural essential‑oil component, strongly inhibits Fusarium oxysporum, the causal agent of potato dry rot, by impairing colony growth, hyphal morphology, spore viability, membrane integrity, and transcription/translation processes, as well as disrupting ion homeostasis. Combined treatments reveal additive effects with mancozeb and synergistic effects with hymexazol, highlighting limonene's potential as an eco‑friendly bio‑fungicide for potato disease management.
Gain and loss of gene function shaped the nickel hyperaccumulation trait in Noccaea caerulescens
Authors: Belloeil, C., Garcia de la Torre, V. S., Contreras Aguilera, R., Kupper, H., Lopez-Roques, C., Iampetro, C., Vandecasteele, C., Klopp, C., Launay-Avon, A., Leemhuis, W., Yamjabok, J., van den Heuvel, J., Aarts, M. G. M., Quintela Sabaris, C., Thomine, S., MERLOT, S.
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.
MdBRC1 and MdFT2 Interaction Fine-Tunes Bud Break Regulation in Apple
Authors: Gioppato, H. A., Estevan, J., Al Bolbol, M., Soriano, A., Garighan, J., Jeong, K., Georget, C., Soto, D. G., El Khoury, S., Falavigna, V. d. S., George, S., Perales, M., Andres, F.
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 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 used phospho‑proteomics to uncover rapid phosphorylation changes in Arabidopsis seedlings upon light or sucrose exposure, identifying RS41 as a hyperphosphorylated SR protein. By creating single and higher‑order mutants of four RS genes, the authors demonstrated that these RS proteins are essential for photomorphogenic development and regulate light‑dependent alternative splicing, with loss of all four causing sterility.
The study investigated how Arabidopsis thaliana SR protein kinases (AtSRPKs) regulate alternative RNA splicing by using chemical inhibitors of SRPK activity. Inhibition with SPHINX31 and SRPIN340 caused reduced root growth and loss of root hairs, accompanied by widespread changes in splicing and phosphorylation of genes linked to root development and other cellular processes. Multi‑omics analysis (transcriptomics and phosphoproteomics) revealed that AtSRPKs modulate diverse splicing factors and affect the splicing landscape of numerous pathways.
The study used TurboID-based proximity labeling coupled with mass spectrometry to map the Arabidopsis alternative splicing machinery centered on ACINUS, PININ, and SR45, identifying 298 high-confidence components and revealing that splicing is tightly linked to transcription and other RNA processing steps. Bioinformatic and genetic analyses, including O-glycosylation double mutants, demonstrated both conserved and plant‑specific regulatory networks and highlighted the role of sugar modifications in modulating splicing.