The study demonstrates that MYB‑bHLH‑WDR transcriptional complexes (MBW) are present in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, indicating that such complexes originated before the diversification of land plants. Functional analyses reveal that two MYB paralogs, MpMYB14 and MpMYB02, rely on a single bHLH partner (MpbHLH12) to regulate flavonoid biosynthesis and liverwort‑specific oil body maturation, suggesting an ancestral role in pigment production and a derived role in organelle development.

The authors adapted OpenPlant kit CRISPR/Cas9 tools to enable multiplex gRNA expression from a single transcript using tRNA sequences in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, markedly enhancing editing efficiency and scalability. They coupled this vector system with a simplified, optimized thallus transformation protocol, providing a rapid and versatile platform for generating CRISPR/Cas9 mutants and advancing functional genomics in this model species.

The study characterizes MpACR3, an ACR3 transporter from the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, demonstrating its role as a metalloid/proton antiporter that provides resistance to arsenic and moderate tolerance to antimony. The authors reveal an N‑terminal arsenic‑sensing domain that controls Golgi retention and plasma‑membrane trafficking via cysteine‑mediated conformational changes, and show that a conserved arginine motif influences both membrane accumulation and transport activity. These findings suggest a plant‑specific adaptation of ACR3 transporters to arsenic toxicity.

The study compared physiological, ion‑balance, and metabolic responses of two maize inbred lines—salt‑sensitive C68 and salt‑tolerant NC326—under salinity stress. Untargeted metabolomics identified 56 metabolites and, together with genetic analysis, linked 10 candidate genes to key protective metabolites, revealing constitutive and inducible mechanisms of salt tolerance.

The study models maize flowering time plasticity using a physiological reaction norm derived from multi-environment trial data, revealing genotype-specific differences in temperature-driven development and photoperiod perception. It introduces an envirotyping metric that shows genotypes can experience markedly different photoperiods even within the same environment, and demonstrates distinct adaptive strategies between tropical and temperate germplasm.

The study used comparative transcriptomics to examine how Fusarium oxysporum isolates with different lifestyles on angiosperms regulate effector genes during infection of the non‑vascular liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Core effector genes on fast core chromosomes are actively expressed in the bryophyte host, while lineage‑specific effectors linked to angiosperm pathogenicity are silent, and disruption of a compatibility‑associated core effector alters the expression of other core effectors, highlighting conserved fungal gene networks across plant lineages.

Phylogenetic analysis reveals that non‑seed plants, exemplified by the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, possess a streamlined repertoire of cyclin and CDK genes, with only three cyclins active in a phase‑specific manner during vegetative development. Single‑cell RNA‑seq and fluorescent reporter assays, combined with functional overexpression studies, demonstrate the distinct, non‑redundant roles of MpCYCD;1, MpCYCA, and MpCYCB;1 in G1 entry, S‑phase progression, and G2/M transition, respectively.

The study generated a temporal physiological and metabolomic map of leaf senescence in diverse maize inbred lines differing in stay‑green phenotype, identifying 84 metabolites associated with senescence and distinct metabolic signatures between stay‑green and non‑stay‑green lines. Integration of metabolite data with genomic information uncovered 56 candidate genes, and reverse‑genetic validation in maize and Arabidopsis demonstrated conserved roles for phenylpropanoids such as naringenin chalcone and eriodictyol in regulating senescence.

Chromatin accessibility profiling and transcriptomics of Marchantia polymorpha heat‑shock transcription factor (HSF) mutants reveal that HSFA1 governs the placement of cis‑regulatory elements for heat‑induced gene activation, a mechanism conserved across plants, mice, and humans. Integrated gene regulatory network modeling identifies MpWRKY10 and MpABI5B as indirect regulators linking phenylpropanoid and stress pathways, while abscisic acid influences gene expression downstream of HSFA1 without broadly reshaping chromatin. A cross‑species, cross‑condition machine‑learning framework successfully predicts chromatin accessibility and expression, underscoring a conserved regulatory logic in stress responses.

The study mapped the subcellular localization of isoprenoid biosynthetic enzymes in Marchantia polymorpha, confirming most predictions and identifying oil body cells as primary sites of terpene synthesis. Overexpression and CRISPR knockout of the ABC transporter ABCG1 revealed its essential role in retaining sesquiterpenes within oil bodies, while attempts to boost heterologous diterpene and triterpene production in oil bodies did not increase yields.