The study investigated metabolic responses of kale (Brassica oleracea) grown under simulated microgravity using a 2-D clinostat versus normal gravity conditions. LC‑MS data were analyzed with multivariate tools such as PCA and volcano plots to identify gravity‑related metabolic adaptations and potential molecular markers for spaceflight crop health.
The study assessed the impact of adding mammalian growth factors and cytokines to transformation media on CRISPR‑Cas9–mediated genome editing in six tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) accessions with varying regeneration capacities. Over three years, supplementation with these factors significantly increased regeneration rates and the production of stable secondary transgenic lines, especially in recalcitrant genotypes.
The researchers created tomato lines overexpressing the autophagy gene SlATG8f and evaluated their performance under high-temperature stress. qRT‑PCR and physiological measurements revealed that SlATG8f overexpression enhances expression of autophagy‑related and heat‑shock protein genes, accelerates fruit ripening, and improves fruit quality under heat stress.
Proteomic comparison of mock‑ and potato spindle tuber viroid‑infected tomato revealed a broad down‑regulation of nucleoporins and nuclear transport receptors, leading to impaired nuclear import of the immune regulator NPR1. Overexpression of NPR1 or treatment with a salicylic‑acid analog restored defense and reduced PSTVd infection, highlighting nuclear transport repression as a key vulnerability in plant immunity against viroids.
The study isolated an endophytic Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain (SPT08) from tomato cotyledon seedlings that suppressed the wilt pathogen Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum and promoted plant growth, increasing height by 20% and root biomass by 60%. GFP labeling confirmed endophytic colonization, and genomic analysis revealed multiple secretion systems and secondary‑metabolite gene clusters associated with biocontrol and growth‑promoting traits.
Integrative comparative transcriptomics using cultivated and wild rice reveals key regulators of developmental and photosynthetic progression along the rice leaf developmental gradient
Authors: Jathar, V., Vivek, A., Panda, M. K., Daware, A. V., Dwivedi, A., Rani, R., Kumar, S., Ranjan, A.
The study performed comparative gene expression profiling across four rice accessions—from shoot apical meristem to primordia stage P5—to delineate developmental and photosynthetic transitions in leaf development. By integrating differential expression and gene regulatory network analyses, the authors identified stage-specific regulatory events and key transcription factors, such as RDD1, ARID2, and ERF3, especially in the wild rice Oryza australiensis, offering a comprehensive framework for optimizing leaf function.
Introducing furanocoumarin biosynthetic genes in tomato results in coumarins accumulation and impacted growth
Authors: Bouille, A., Villard, C., Galati, G., Roumani, M., Fauvet, A., Grosjean, J., Hoengenaert, L., Boerjan, W., Ralph, J., Hilliou, F., Robin, C., Hehn, A., Larbat, R.
The study engineered the linear furanocoumarin pathway in tomato by integrating four biosynthetic genes, aiming to produce psoralen, but instead generated coumarins such as scopoletin. Morphophysiological, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses revealed that even low levels of these coumarins can influence plant growth and physiology, highlighting both benefits and costs of coumarin accumulation in crops.
The study investigates hormetic responses of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedlings to low‑dose cadmium, demonstrating enhanced growth through morphological, biochemical, and histochemical analyses. Transcriptomic profiling revealed differential expression of oxidoreductase genes, signaling components, and several long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that generate miRNAs (sly‑MIR396a and sly‑MIR1063g), which modulate target genes to promote growth. In‑silico analyses of lncRNA targets and miRNA precursors provide mechanistic insight into cadmium‑induced hormesis and its potential for crop improvement.
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.
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.