Mycotoxin-driven proteome remodeling reveals limited activation of Triticum aestivum responses to emerging chemotypes integrated with fungal modulation of ergosterols
Authors: Ramezanpour, S., Alijanimamaghani, N., McAlister, J. A., Hooker, D., Geddes-McAlister, J.
The study used comparative proteomics to examine how the emerging 15ADON/3ANX chemotype of Fusarium graminearum affects protein expression in both wheat and the fungus. It identified a core wheat proteome altered by infection, chemotype‑specific wheat proteins, and fungal proteins linked to virulence and ergosterol biosynthesis, revealing distinct molecular responses influencing disease severity.
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.
MdBRC1 and MdFT2 Interaction Fine-Tunes Bud Break Regulation in Apple
Authors: Gioppato, H. A., Estevan, J., Al Bolbol, M., Soriano, A., Garighan, J., Jeong, K., Georget, C., Soto, D. G., El Khoury, S., Falavigna, V. d. S., George, S., Perales, M., Andres, F.
The study identifies the transcription factor MdBRC1 as a key inhibitor of bud growth during the ecodormancy phase in apple (Malus domestica), directly regulating dormancy‑associated genes and interacting with the flowering promoter MdFT2 to modulate bud break. Comparative transcriptomic analysis and gain‑of‑function experiments in poplar demonstrate that MdFT2 physically binds MdBRC1, attenuating its repressive activity and acting as a molecular switch for the transition to active growth.
The study examined three fruit morphotypes of the desert shrub Haloxylon ammodendron, revealing distinct germination performances under salt and drought stress. Proteomic analysis identified 721 differentially expressed proteins, particularly between the YP and PP morphotypes, linking stress‑responsive protein abundance to rapid germination in YP and delayed germination in PP as contrasting adaptive strategies. The findings suggest that fruit polymorphism facilitates niche differentiation and informs germplasm selection for desert restoration.
Exogenous Hormone Treatments Reveal Species-Specific Regulation of Individual Components of Root Architecture and Salt Ion Accumulation in Cultivated and Wild Tomatoes
Authors: Rahmati-Ishka, M., Craft, E., Pineros, M., Julkowska, M. M.
The study examined how individual hormone treatments (auxin, ethylene, gibberellin) influence root architecture and ion accumulation under salt stress in three tomato accessions, revealing species-specific hormonal effects on lateral root development and Na/K ratios. Genetic analyses using Arabidopsis mutants and a tomato ethylene‑perception mutant (nr) identified novel hormonal signaling components that modulate salt stress responses, highlighting potential strategies to improve crop performance.
The study tracked molecular changes in plastoglobules and thylakoids of Zea mays B73 during heat stress and recovery, revealing increased plastoglobule size, number, and adjacent lipid droplets over time. Proteomic and lipidomic analyses uncovered up‑regulation of specific plastoglobule proteins and alterations in triacylglycerol, plastoquinone derivatives, and phytol esters, suggesting roles in membrane remodeling and oxidative defense. These insights highlight plastoglobule‑associated pathways as potential targets for enhancing heat resilience in maize.
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.
The study identifies the serine/threonine protein kinase CIPK14/SNRK3.15 as a regulator of sulfate‑deficiency responses in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings, with mutants showing diminished early adaptive and later salvage responses under sulfur starvation. While snrk3.15 mutants exhibit no obvious phenotype under sufficient sulfur, the work provides a novel proteomic dataset comparing wild‑type and mutant seedlings under sulfur limitation.
The study performs a bibliometric analysis of 1,702 Scopus-indexed tomato omics publications over two decades, revealing a rapid surge in output after 2017 and highlighting dominant fields such as biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology. Citation and co‑authorship network analyses identify key contributions in microRNA research and genome sequencing, major research hubs, and collaborative clusters, while keyword mapping underscores stress response, fruit quality, and immunity as priority topics.
The study characterizes the tomato class B heat shock factor SlHSFB3a, revealing its age‑dependent expression in roots and its role in enhancing lateral root density by modulating auxin homeostasis. Overexpression of SlHSFB3a increases lateral root emergence, while CRISPR‑mediated knockouts produce the opposite phenotype, indicating that SlHSFB3a regulates auxin signaling through repression of auxin repressors and activation of the ARF7/LOB20 pathway.