The authors used a bottom‑up thermodynamic modelling framework to investigate how plants decode calcium signals, starting from Ca2+ binding to EF‑hand proteins and extending to higher‑order decoding modules. They identified six universal Ca2+-decoding modules that can explain variations in calcium sensitivity among kinases and provide a theoretical basis for interpreting calcium signal amplitude and frequency in plant cells.

The study investigates the role of the chromatin regulator MpSWI3, a core subunit of the SWI/SNF complex, in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. A promoter mutation disrupts male gametangiophore development and spermiogenesis, causing enhanced vegetative propagation, and transcriptomic analysis reveals that MpSWI3 regulates genes controlling reproductive initiation, sperm function, and asexual reproduction, highlighting its ancient epigenetic role in balancing vegetative and reproductive phases.

The study used Arabidopsis thaliana autoimmune (DANGEROUS MIX) mutants to dissect the growth–defence trade‑off, identifying two core transcriptomic modules that capture growth and defence programs. Genetic removal of the three ADR1 helper NLRs reversed module expression and preferentially restored growth‑related receptor‑like kinase genes, while chromatin accessibility changes were larger at growth loci, indicating that ADR1‑mediated immune signaling actively suppresses growth genes.