The study examined how soil phosphorus and nitrogen availability influence wheat root-associated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities and the expression of mycorrhizal nutrient transporters. Field sampling across two years combined with controlled pot experiments showed that P and N jointly affect AMF colonisation, community composition (with Funneliformis dominance under high P), and regulation of phosphate, ammonium, and nitrate transporters. Integrating metabarcoding and RT‑qPCR provides a framework to assess AMF contributions to crop nutrition.
The study compared aphid resistance and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) transmission among three wheat varieties (G1, RGT Wolverine, RGT Illustrious). G1 emits the repellent 2‑tridecanone, restricts aphid phloem access, and shows reduced BYDV transmission, whereas RGT Wolverine limits systemic viral infection despite high transmission efficiency. The authors suggest breeding the two resistance mechanisms together for improved protection.
The study investigated whether wheat homoeologous genes actively compensate for each other when one copy acquires a premature termination codon (PTC) mutation. By analyzing mutagenised wheat lines, the authors found that only about 3% of cases exhibited upregulation of the unaffected homoeolog, indicating that widespread active transcriptional compensation is absent in wheat.
Tomato leaf transcriptomic changes promoted by long-term water scarcity stress can be largely prevented by a fungal-based biostimulant
Authors: Lopez-Serrano, L., Ferez-Gomez, A., Romero-Aranda, R., Jaime Fernandez, E., Leal Lopez, J., Fernandez Baroja, E., Almagro, G., Dolezal, K., Novak, O., Diaz, L., Bautista, R., Leon Morcillo, R. J., Pozueta Romero, J.
Foliar application of Trichoderma harzianum cell‑free culture filtrates (CF) increased fruit yield, root growth, and photosynthesis in a commercial tomato cultivar under prolonged water deficit in a Mediterranean greenhouse. Integrated physiological, metabolite, and transcriptomic analyses revealed that CF mitigated drought‑induced changes, suppressing about half of water‑stress responsive genes, thereby reducing the plant’s transcriptional sensitivity to water scarcity.
Overexpression of the wheat bHLH transcription factor TaPGS1 leads to increased flavonol accumulation in the seed coat, which disrupts polar auxin transport and causes localized auxin accumulation, delaying endosperm cellularization and increasing cell number, thereby enlarging grain size. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses identified upregulated flavonol biosynthetic genes, revealing a regulatory module that links flavonol-mediated auxin distribution to seed development in wheat.
The study evaluated how alginate oligosaccharide (AOS) chain length influences the levels of seven key phytohormones in wheat seedlings challenged with Botrytis cinerea. Hormone profiling revealed that mid‑range oligomers (DP 4‑6) most strongly up‑regulate defense‑related hormones (JA, SA, ABA, CTK), whereas longer oligomers (DP 7) most effectively suppress ethylene. These findings suggest that tailoring AOS polymerization can optimize disease resistance and growth in cereal crops.
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.
A forward genetic screen in light-grown Arabidopsis seedlings identified the Evening Complex component ELF3 as a key inhibitor of phototropic hypocotyl bending under high red:far-red and blue light, acting upstream of PIF4/PIF5. ELF3 and its partner LUX also mediate circadian regulation of phototropism, and the orthologous ELF3 in Brachypodium distachyon influences phototropism in the opposite direction.
The study investigates the altered timing of the core circadian oscillator gene ELF3 in wheat compared to Arabidopsis, revealing that dawn-specific expression in wheat arises from repression by TOC1. An optimized computational model integrating experimental expression data and promoter architecture predicts that wheat’s circadian oscillator remains robust despite this shift, indicating flexibility in plant circadian network design.
Revisiting the Central Dogma: the distinct roles of genome, methylation, transcription, and translation on protein expression in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Zhong, Z., Bailey, M., Kim, Y.-I., Pesaran-Afsharyan, N., Parker, B., Arathoon, L., Li, X., Rundle, C. A., Behrens, A., Nedialkova, D. D., Slavov, G., Hassani-Pak, K., Lilley, K. S., Theodoulou, F. L., Mott, R.
The study combined long‑read whole‑genome assembly, multi‑omics profiling (DNA methylation, mRNA, ribosome‑associated transcripts, tRNA abundance, and protein levels) in two Arabidopsis thaliana accessions to evaluate how genomic information propagates through the Central Dogma. Codon usage in gene sequences emerged as the strongest predictor of both mRNA and protein abundance, while methylation, tRNA levels, and ribosome‑associated transcripts contributed little additional information under stable conditions.