The study adapted high‑throughput transposable‑element sequencing and introduced the deNOVOEnrich pipeline to map somatic TE insertions in Arabidopsis thaliana, uncovering ~200,000 new events across wild‑type and epigenetic mutant lines. Somatic integration is non‑random and TE‑specific, with families like ONSEN, EVADE, and AtCOPIA21 preferentially targeting chromosomal arms, genic regions, and chromatin marked by H2A.Z, H3K27me3, and H3K4me1, especially near environmentally‑responsive genes such as resistance loci and biosynthetic clusters.
The study reveals that the plant immune regulator NPR1 is modulated by opposing post‑translational modifications mediated by the nutrient‑sensing kinases TOR and SnRK1. Under normal conditions TOR phosphorylates NPR1 at Ser‑55/59 to suppress its activity, while salicylic‑acid‑induced SnRK1 activation inhibits TOR and phosphorylates NPR1 at Ser‑557, thereby activating NPR1 and linking metabolic status to immune signaling.
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.
The study examined early metabolic responses to salt stress in a salt‑tolerant alfalfa cultivar, focusing on SnRK1 activity, sucrose, and trehalose‑6‑phosphate dynamics during leaf expansion. Hydroponically grown plants exposed to 200 mM NaCl showed rapid, wave‑like SnRK1 activation within 1 hour, a transient decline in chloroplast performance, and an uncoupling of the Tre6P‑sucrose regulatory link, with a second SnRK1 peak correlating with reduced leaf growth. Exogenous sucrose inhibited SnRK1 activity, highlighting early SnRK1 activation as a pivotal component of salt stress adaptation.
The study investigated unexpected leaf spot symptoms in Psa3‑resistant kiwifruit (Actinidia) germplasm, finding that Psa3 was detectable by qPCR and metabarcoding despite poor culturing. Metabarcoding revealed distinct bacterial community shifts in lesions versus healthy tissue, and whole‑genome sequencing identified diverse Pseudomonas spp. that, while not individually more pathogenic, could enhance Psa3 growth, suggesting pathogenic consortia on resistant hosts.
The study examined transposable element (TE) silencing in the duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza, which exhibits unusually low DNA methylation, scarce 24‑nt siRNAs, and missing RdDM components. While degenerated TEs lack DNA methylation and H3K9me2, they retain heterochromatin marks H3K9me1 and H3K27me1, whereas the few intact TEs show high DNA methylation and H3K9me2, indicating a shift in RdDM focus toward potentially active TEs and suggesting heterochromatin can be maintained independently of DNA methylation in flowering plants.