The study engineers Type‑B response regulators to alter their transcriptional activity and cytokinin sensitivity, enabling precise modulation of cytokinin‑dependent traits. Using tissue‑specific promoters, the synthetic transcription factors were deployed in Arabidopsis thaliana to reliably increase or decrease lateral root numbers, demonstrating a modular platform for controlling developmental phenotypes.

The study characterizes telomere repeat binding (TRB) proteins in the model moss Physcomitrium patens, demonstrating that individual PpTRB genes are essential for normal protonemal and gametophore development and that loss of TRBs leads to telomere shortening, mirroring findings in seed plants. Transcriptome analysis of TRB mutants shows altered expression of genes linked to transcription regulation and stimulus response, while subcellular localization confirms nuclear residence and mutual interaction of PpTRBs, underscoring their conserved role in telomere maintenance across land plants.

The study investigates the function of two GT47B arabinan arabinosyltransferases in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, generating loss‑of‑function and overexpression lines to assess cell wall composition. Using CoMPP, glycosyl linkage analysis, and LM6 immunolabelling, the authors found that MpARADL2 mutants have reduced 1,5‑L‑arabinan epitopes in elaters despite unchanged overall 5‑linked Araf levels, suggesting additional enzymes compensate in thallus tissue. Attempts to express and purify the enzymes in HEK293 cells failed, implying a clade‑specific solubility requirement and highlighting the need to identify interacting partners.

The study characterizes the composition and structure of cell wall glycans in eight tissue types of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, revealing both typical land‑plant features and unique traits such as abundant (1,5)-arabinan in sporophytes and low overall pectin levels. Comparative genomic analysis shows a diversified glycosyltransferase repertoire relative to Arabidopsis, and the authors created a Gateway‑compatible library of 93 M. polymorpha GTs to facilitate future functional studies.

The authors identified MpCAFA, a protein combining CAPS-like and FAP115-like domains, as a key factor for rapid ciliary swimming in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha spermatozoids. Loss-of-function mutants displayed markedly reduced swimming speed despite normal axoneme structure, chemotaxis, and fertility, and these defects were rescued by a MpCAFA‑mCitrine fusion that localized along the entire cilium. Both the CAPS-like and FAP115-like regions are required for MpCAFA’s function and ciliary targeting, establishing it as a major ciliary protein and a marker for visualizing spermatozoid motility.

The study investigated meristem activation in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, revealing that simulated shade causes alternating inactivity of meristems. Transcriptomic comparison of active versus inactive meristems identified the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase MpCYP78E1 as an inhibitor of meristem activity and initiation, with loss- and gain-of-function mutants confirming its regulatory role in shoot branching architecture.

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 the tomato class B heat shock factor SlHSFB3a, revealing its age‑dependent expression in roots and its role in enhancing lateral root density by modulating auxin homeostasis. Overexpression of SlHSFB3a increases lateral root emergence, while CRISPR‑mediated knockouts produce the opposite phenotype, indicating that SlHSFB3a regulates auxin signaling through repression of auxin repressors and activation of the ARF7/LOB20 pathway.

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.