Spatial and single-cell transcriptomics capture two distinct cell states in plant immunity
Authors: Hu, Y., Schaefer, R., Rendleman, M., Slattery, A., Cramer, A., Nahiyan, A., Breitweiser, L., Shah, M., Kaehler, E., Yao, C., Bowling, A., Crow, J., May, G., Tabor, G., Thatcher, S., Uppalapati, S. R., Muppirala, U., Deschamps, S.
The study combined spatial transcriptomics and single-nuclei RNA sequencing to map soybean (Glycine max) responses to Asian soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, revealing two distinct host cell states: pathogen‑occupied regions and adjacent non‑infected regions that show heightened defense gene expression. Gene co‑expression network analysis identified a key immune‑related module active in the stressed cells, highlighting a cell‑non‑autonomous defense mechanism.
The study introduced full-length SOC1 genes from maize and soybean, and a partial SOC1 gene from blueberry, into tomato plants under constitutive promoters. While VcSOC1K and ZmSOC1 accelerated flowering, all three transgenes increased fruit number per plant mainly by promoting branching, and transcriptomic profiling revealed alterations in flowering, growth, and stress‑response pathways.
Arabidopsis lines with modified ascorbate concentrations reveal a link between ascorbate and auxin biosynthesis
Authors: Fenech, M., Zulian, V., Moya-Cuevas, J., Arnaud, D., Morilla, I., Smirnoff, N., Botella, M. A., Stepanova, A. N., Alonso, J. M., Martin-Pizarro, C., Amorim-Silva, V.
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.
Imputation integrates single-cell and spatial gene expression data to resolve transcriptional networks in barley shoot meristem development
Authors: Demesa-Arevalo, E., Dorpholz, H., Vardanega, I., Maika, J. E., Pineda-Valentino, I., Eggels, S., Lautwein, T., Kohrer, K., Schnurbusch, T., von Korff, M., Usadel, B., Simon, R.
The study uses an imputation strategy that integrates deep single-cell RNA sequencing with spatial gene expression data to map transcriptional dynamics across barley inflorescence development at cellular resolution. By leveraging the BARVISTA web interface, the authors identify key transcriptional events in meristem founder cells, characterize complex branching mutants, and reconstruct spatio‑temporal trajectories of flower organogenesis, offering insights for targeted trait manipulation.