Genetius

The study shows that maize plants carrying autophagy-defective atg10 mutations exhibit delayed flowering and significant reductions in kernel size, weight, and number, culminating in lower grain yield. Reciprocal crossing experiments reveal that the maternal genotype, rather than the seed genotype, primarily drives the observed kernel defects, suggesting impaired nutrient remobilization from maternal tissues during seed development.

The study identifies fungal effectors from Ustilago maydis that interact with plant TOPLESS corepressors and induce gall formation by hijacking maize lateral root initiation pathways, notably through upregulation of LBD transcription factors. Transgenic expression of class II effectors derepresses auxin signaling, leading to pluripotent calli without external hormones, and maize mutants in LBD genes show reduced gall development.

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.