Transcriptional responses of Solanum lycopersicum to three distinct parasites reveal host hubs and networks underlying parasitic successes
Authors: Truch, J., Jaouannet, M., Da Rocha, M., Kulhanek-Fontanille, E., Van Ghelder, C., Rancurel, C., Migliore, O., Pere, A., Jaubert, S., Coustau, C., Galiana, E., Favery, B.
The study used transcriptomic profiling to compare tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) responses to three evolutionarily distant pathogens—nematodes, aphids, and oomycetes—during compatible interactions, identifying differentially expressed genes and key host hubs. Integrating public datasets and performing co‑expression and GO enrichment analyses, the authors mapped shared dysregulation clusters and employed Arabidopsis interactome data to place tomato candidates within broader networks, highlighting potential targets for multi‑pathogen resistance.
The authors used a bottom‑up thermodynamic modelling framework to investigate how plants decode calcium signals, starting from Ca2+ binding to EF‑hand proteins and extending to higher‑order decoding modules. They identified six universal Ca2+-decoding modules that can explain variations in calcium sensitivity among kinases and provide a theoretical basis for interpreting calcium signal amplitude and frequency in plant cells.
CLPC2 plays specific roles in CLP complex-mediated regulation of growth, photosynthesis, embryogenesis and response to growth-promoting microbial compounds
Authors: Leal-Lopez, J., Bahaji, A., De Diego, N., Tarkowski, P., Baroja-Fernandez, E., Munoz, F. J., Almagro, G., Perez, C. E., Bastidas-Parrado, L. A., Loperfido, D., Caporalli, E., Ezquer, I., Lopez-Serrano, L., Ferez-Gomez, A., Coca-Ruiz, V., Pulido, P., Morcillo, R. J. L., Pozueta-Romero, J.
The study demonstrates that the plastid chaperone CLPC2, but not its paralogue CLPC1, is essential for Arabidopsis responsiveness to microbial volatile compounds and for normal seed and seedling development. Loss of CLPC2 alters the chloroplast proteome, affecting proteins linked to growth, photosynthesis, and embryogenesis, while overexpression of CLPC2 mimics CLPC1 deficiency, highlighting distinct functional roles within the CLP protease complex.
The study provides a comprehensive proteomic analysis of seed mitochondria from white lupin, revealing fully assembled OXPHOS complexes ready for immediate energy production upon imbibition. Quantitative mass‑spectrometry identified 1,162 mitochondrial proteins, highlighting tissue‑specific transporter and dehydrogenase profiles and dynamic remodeling during early germination, while many uncharacterized proteins suggest novel legume‑specific functions.
The study used X-ray fluorescence and histochemistry to map conserved metal accumulation sites in diverse fruit crops, revealing calcium in outer tissues, potassium in fleshy parts, and iron in vascular and chalazal seed regions. In Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato, chalazal iron formed distinct deposits that influenced germination, as shown by desferoxamine treatments and mutant analyses. These findings introduce fruit metal hotspots as novel targets for improving fruit physiology and food security.
Tomato leaf transcriptomic changes promoted by long-term water scarcity stress can be largely prevented by a fungal-based biostimulant
Authors: Lopez-Serrano, L., Ferez-Gomez, A., Romero-Aranda, R., Jaime Fernandez, E., Leal Lopez, J., Fernandez Baroja, E., Almagro, G., Dolezal, K., Novak, O., Diaz, L., Bautista, R., Leon Morcillo, R. J., Pozueta Romero, J.
Foliar application of Trichoderma harzianum cell‑free culture filtrates (CF) increased fruit yield, root growth, and photosynthesis in a commercial tomato cultivar under prolonged water deficit in a Mediterranean greenhouse. Integrated physiological, metabolite, and transcriptomic analyses revealed that CF mitigated drought‑induced changes, suppressing about half of water‑stress responsive genes, thereby reducing the plant’s transcriptional sensitivity to water scarcity.
Transcriptome responses of two Halophila stipulacea seagrass populations from pristine and impacted habitats, to single and combined thermal and excess nutrient stressors, reveal local adaptive features and core stress-response genes
Authors: Nguyen, H. M., Yaakov, B., Beca-Carretero, P., Procaccini, G., Wang, G., Dassanayake, M., Winters, G., Barak, S.
The study examined transcriptomic responses of the tropical seagrass Halophila stipulacea from a pristine and an impacted site under single and combined thermal and excess nutrient stress in mesocosms. Combined stress caused greater gene reprogramming than individual stresses, with thermal effects dominating and the impacted population showing reduced plasticity but higher resilience. Core stress‑response genes were identified as potential early field indicators of environmental stress.