The study investigates how maternal environmental conditions, specifically temperature and light intensity, influence seed longevity in eight Arabidopsis thaliana natural accessions. Seeds developed under higher temperature (27 °C) and high light showed increased longevity, with transcriptome analysis of the Bor-4 accession revealing dynamic changes in stored mRNAs, including upregulation of antioxidant defenses and raffinose family oligosaccharides. These findings highlight the genotype‑dependent modulation of seed traits by the maternal environment.
Phylogenomic challenges in polyploid-rich lineages: Insights from paralog processing and reticulation methods using the complex genus Packera (Asteraceae: Senecioneae)
Authors: Moore-Pollard, E. R., Ellestad, P., Mandel, J.
The study examined how polyploidy, hybridization, and incomplete lineage sorting affect phylogenetic reconstructions in the genus Packera, evaluating several published paralog‑processing pipelines. Results showed that the choice of orthology and paralog handling methods markedly altered tree topology, time‑calibrated phylogenies, biogeographic histories, and detection of ancient reticulation, underscoring the need for careful methodological selection alongside comprehensive taxon sampling.
The study investigates the evolutionary shift from archegonial to embryo‑sac reproduction by analyzing transcriptomes of Ginkgo reproductive organs and related species. It reveals that the angiosperm pollen‑tube guidance module MYB98‑CRP‑ECS is active in mature Ginkgo archegonia and that, while egg cell transcription is conserved, changes in the fate of other female gametophyte cells drove the transition, providing a molecular framework for this major reproductive evolution.
A comparative physiological study of persimmon cultivars with flat (Hiratanenashi) and round (Koushimaru) fruit shapes revealed that differences in cell proliferation, cell shape, and size contribute to shape variation. Principal component analysis of elliptic Fourier descriptors tracked shape changes, while histology and transcriptome profiling identified candidate genes, including a WOX13 homeobox gene, potentially governing fruit shape development.
The study examined how white lupin (Lupinus albus) cotyledons mobilize nitrogen and minerals during early seedling growth under nitrogen‑deficient conditions, revealing that 60 % of stored proteins degrade within eight days and are redirected to support development. Proteomic analyses showed dynamic shifts in nutrient transport, amino acid metabolism, and stress responses, and premature cotyledon removal markedly impaired growth, highlighting the cotyledon's essential role in nutrient supply and transient photosynthetic activity.
The study used phospho‑proteomics to uncover rapid phosphorylation changes in Arabidopsis seedlings upon light or sucrose exposure, identifying RS41 as a hyperphosphorylated SR protein. By creating single and higher‑order mutants of four RS genes, the authors demonstrated that these RS proteins are essential for photomorphogenic development and regulate light‑dependent alternative splicing, with loss of all four causing sterility.
The study investigated how Arabidopsis thaliana SR protein kinases (AtSRPKs) regulate alternative RNA splicing by using chemical inhibitors of SRPK activity. Inhibition with SPHINX31 and SRPIN340 caused reduced root growth and loss of root hairs, accompanied by widespread changes in splicing and phosphorylation of genes linked to root development and other cellular processes. Multi‑omics analysis (transcriptomics and phosphoproteomics) revealed that AtSRPKs modulate diverse splicing factors and affect the splicing landscape of numerous pathways.
The study used TurboID-based proximity labeling coupled with mass spectrometry to map the Arabidopsis alternative splicing machinery centered on ACINUS, PININ, and SR45, identifying 298 high-confidence components and revealing that splicing is tightly linked to transcription and other RNA processing steps. Bioinformatic and genetic analyses, including O-glycosylation double mutants, demonstrated both conserved and plant‑specific regulatory networks and highlighted the role of sugar modifications in modulating splicing.
The study investigates the role of the Arabidopsis transcription factor AtMYB93 in sulfur (S) signaling and root development, revealing that AtMYB93 mutants exhibit altered expression of S transport and metabolism genes and increased shoot S levels, while tomato plants overexpressing SlMYB93 show reduced shoot S. Transcriptomic profiling, elemental analysis, and promoter activity assays indicate that AtMYB93 contributes to root responses to S deprivation, though functional redundancy masks clear phenotypic effects on lateral and adventitious root formation.
The study performed transcriptome profiling of Cryptomeria japonica individuals from different geographic origins grown in three common gardens across Japan, assembling 77,212 transcripts guided by the species' genome. Using SNP-based genetic clustering and weighted gene co‑expression network analysis, they identified gene modules whose expression correlated with genetic differentiation, revealing that defense‑related genes are up‑regulated in Pacific‑side populations while terpenoid metabolism genes are higher in Sea‑of‑Japan populations, indicating local adaptation via regulatory changes.