The study combined cell biology, transcriptomics, and ionomics to reveal that zinc deficiency reduces root apical meristem size while preserving meristematic activity and local Zn levels, leading to enhanced cell elongation and differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana. ZIP12 was identified as a highly induced gene in the zinc‑deficient root tip, and zip12 mutants displayed impaired root growth, altered RAM structure, disrupted Zn‑responsive gene expression, and abnormal metal partitioning, highlighting ZIP12’s role in maintaining Zn homeostasis and meristem function.

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 profiled root transcriptomes of Arabidopsis wild type and etr1 gain-of-function (etr1-3) and loss-of-function (etr1-7) mutants under ethylene or ACC treatment, identifying 4,522 ethylene‑responsive transcripts, including 553 that depend on ETR1 activity. ETR1‑dependent genes encompassed ethylene biosynthesis enzymes (ACO2, ACO3) and transcription factors, whose expression was further examined in an ein3eil1 background, revealing that both ETR1 and EIN3/EIL1 pathways regulate parts of the network controlling root hair proliferation and lateral root formation.

The study used transcriptomic and lipidomic profiling to investigate how chia (Salvia hispanica) leaves respond to short‑term (3 h) and prolonged (27 h) heat stress at 38 °C, revealing rapid activation of calcium‑signaling and heat‑shock pathways and reversible changes in triacylglycerol levels. Nearly all heat‑responsive genes returned to baseline expression after 24 h recovery, highlighting robust thermotolerance mechanisms that could inform improvement of other oilseed crops.

The study examined how Chlamydomonas reinhardtii adjusts its metabolism under fluctuating light (FL) compared with constant high or low light, across high and low CO2 conditions. Proteomic and metabolomic analyses revealed that low CO2 drives a carbon‑concentrating mechanism and photorespiration, while high CO2 supports growth by increasing ATP pools and promoting mitochondrial respiration, cyclic electron flow, and starch turnover. The results highlight a CO2‑dependent energy trade‑off between photoprotection, repair, and carbon allocation that governs growth under FL.

The study demonstrates that in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, distinct photosynthetic electron flow pathways each operate efficiently over specific light‑fluctuation frequencies, defined as their bandwidths. By systematically varying light periodicities, the authors show that cyclic electron flow handles a broad range, pseudo‑cyclic electron flow supports rapid fluctuations, and chloroplast‑mitochondria electron flow is limited to slower changes, linking these capacities to ATP generation and photoprotection. The findings suggest that cells dynamically adjust the contribution of each pathway according to the frequency of environmental light changes.

The study used Arabidopsis thaliana mutants with low (vtc2, vtc4) and high (vtc2/OE-VTC2) ascorbate levels to examine how ascorbate concentration affects gene expression and cellular homeostasis. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that altered ascorbate levels modulate defense and stress pathways, and that TAA1/TAR2‑mediated auxin biosynthesis is required for coping with elevated ascorbate in a light‑dependent manner.

The study demonstrates that photoinhibition of Photosystem II (PSII) serves as a protective mechanism against Photosystem I (PSI) photoinhibition under chilling stress and fluctuating light, using Arabidopsis thaliana and cucumber. Reduced PSII activity (lower Fv/Fm) kept PSI oxidized and limited ROS production by enhancing re‑oxidation of Fe‑S clusters, confirming PSII‑mediated protection in wild‑type plants.

The study performed daily large-scale glycome, transcriptome, and proteome profiling of developing fibers from the two cultivated cotton species, Gossypium barbadense and G. hirsutum, across primary and secondary cell wall stages. It identified delayed cellulose accumulation and distinct compositions of xyloglucans, homogalacturonans, rhamnogalacturonan‑I, and heteroxylans in G. barbadense, along with higher expression of specific glycosyltransferases and expansins, suggesting these molecular differences underlie the superior fiber length and strength of G. barbadense.

The study evaluated how acute heat stress affects early-stage rice seedlings, identifying a critical temperature threshold that impairs growth. Transcriptomic profiling of shoots and roots revealed ethylene‑responsive factors (ERFs) as central regulators, with ethylene and jasmonic acid acting upstream, and pre‑treatment with these hormones mitigated heat damage. These findings highlight ERF‑hormone interaction networks as targets for improving rice heat resilience.