The complete chloroplast genome of the endemic fruit species Dillenia philippinensis was sequenced, assembled, and annotated, revealing a 161,591‑bp quadripartite structure with 113 unique genes. Comparative analyses identified simple sequence repeats, codon usage patterns, and phylogenetic placement close to D. suffroticosa, providing a genomic resource for future breeding and conservation efforts.
The authors compiled and standardized published data on Rubisco dark inhibition for 157 flowering plant species, categorizing them into four inhibition levels and analyzing phylogenetic trends. Their meta‑analysis reveals a complex, uneven distribution of inhibition across taxa, suggesting underlying chloroplast microenvironment drivers and providing a new resource for future photosynthesis improvement efforts.
The study integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of red clover (Trifolium pratense) roots infected with Fusarium oxysporum and Phoma medicaginis to identify candidate cytochrome P450 enzymes responsible for the methylenedioxy bridge formation in (-)-maackiain biosynthesis. Using co‑expression network analysis and phylogenetic screening, five P450 candidates were selected and screened in engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae, revealing TpPbS/CYP76F319 as the enzyme catalyzing conversion of calycosin to pseudobaptigenin. This discovery enables reconstruction of the complete (-)-maackiain pathway for potential health and agricultural applications.
Thermotolerant pollen tube growth is controlled by RALF signaling.
Authors: Althiab Almasaud, R., Ouonkap Yimga, S. V., Ingram, J., Oseguera, Y., Alkassem Alosman, M., Travis, C., Henry, A., Medina, M., Oulhen, N., Wessel, G. M., Delong, A., Pease, J., DaSilva, N., Johnson, M.
The study investigates the molecular basis of heat‑tolerant pollen tube growth in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) by comparing thermotolerant and sensitive cultivars. Using live imaging, transcriptomics, proteomics, and genetics, the authors identified the Rapid Alkalinization Factor (RALF) signaling pathway as a key regulator of pollen tube integrity under high temperature, with loss of a specific RALF peptide enhancing tube integrity in a thermotolerant cultivar.
The study investigated how barley (Hordeum vulgare) adjusts mitochondrial respiration under salinity stress using physiological, biochemical, metabolomic and proteomic approaches. Salt treatment increased respiration and activated the canonical TCA cycle, while the GABA shunt remained largely inactive, contrasting with wheat responses.
The study shows that inoculation with the non‑diazotrophic bacterium Enterobacter sp. SA187 significantly improves Arabidopsis thaliana growth under low nitrate conditions by increasing fresh weight, primary root length, and lateral root density, while enhancing nitrate accumulation and reducing shoot C:N ratios. Transcriptomic and mutant analyses reveal that these benefits depend on ethylene signaling and the activity of high‑affinity nitrate transporters NRT2.5 and NRT2.6, indicating an ethylene‑mediated, HATS‑dependent reprogramming of nitrogen uptake.
Unravelling the intraspecific variation in drought responses in seedlings of European black pine (Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold)
Authors: Ahmad, M., Hammerbacher, A., Priemer, C., Ciceu, A., Karolak, M., Mader, S., Olsson, S., Schinnerl, J., Seitner, S., Schoendorfer, S., Helfenbein, P., Jakub, J., Breuer, M., Espinosa, A., Caballero, T., Ganthaler, A., Mayr, S., Grosskinsky, D. K., Wienkoop, S., Schueler, S., Trujillo-Moya, C., van Loo, M.
The study examined drought tolerance across nine provenances of the conifer Pinus nigra using high‑throughput phenotyping combined with metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses under controlled soil‑drying conditions. Drought tolerance, measured by the decline in Fv/Fm, varied among provenances but was not linked to a climatic gradient and was independent of growth, with tolerant provenances showing distinct flavonoid and diterpene profiles and provenance‑specific gene expression patterns. Integrating phenotypic and molecular data revealed metabolic signatures underlying drought adaptation in this non‑model conifer.
The study reveals that Arabidopsis ethylene receptors ETR1 and ERS1 function as Ca²⁺-permeable channels, with ETR1 specifically mediating ethylene‑induced cytosolic Ca²⁺ spikes that influence hypocotyl elongation. Homologous receptors from diverse land plants and algae also show Ca²⁺ permeability, and ethylene further enhances this activity, indicating a conserved regulatory role across the green lineage.
The study systematically identified heterosis-associated genes and metabolites in rice, functionally validated three genes influencing seedling length, and integrated these molecules into network modules to explain heterosis variance. Predominant additive and partially dominant inheritance patterns were linked to parental genomic variants and were shown to affect 17 agronomic traits in rice, as well as yield heterosis in maize and biomass heterosis in Arabidopsis. The work highlights the quantitative contribution of transcriptomic and metabolomic variation, especially in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, to hybrid vigor.
Discovery of tomato UDP-glucosyltransferases involved in bioactive jasmonate homeostasis using limited proteolysis-coupled mass spectrometry
Authors: Venegas-Molina, J., Mohnike, L., Selma Garcia, S., Janssens, H., Colembie, R., Kimpe, I., Jaramillo-Madrid, A. C., Lacchini, E., Winne, J. M., Van Damme, P., Feussner, I., Goossens, A., Sola, K.
The study applied limited proteolysis‑coupled mass spectrometry (LiP‑MS) to map JA‑protein interactions, validating known JA binders and uncovering novel candidates, including several UDP‑glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs). Functional omics, biochemical, enzymatic, and structural analyses demonstrated that two tomato UGTs glucosylate jasmonic acid, revealing a previously missing step in JA catabolism.