The study used RNA‑seq to compare early transcriptional responses to acute heat and cold stress in cultivated cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and its F1 hybrids with the cold‑adapted wild relative V. oxycoccos. Cold stress triggered differential expression in pathways such as photosynthesis, ribosomes, defense, and hormone signaling, with some hybrids showing transiently elevated cold‑responsive expression, suggesting potential cold‑tolerance introgression. The results highlight the utility of wild germplasm for breeding temperature‑resilient cranberries.
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 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 authors examined how the long non-coding RNAs SVALKA (SVK) and SVALNA (SVN) regulate the cold‑responsive transcription factors CBF1 and CBF3 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using native elongation transcript sequencing, CRISPR‑Cas9 deletions, and RT‑qPCR, they showed that SVK acts both in cis and trans through RNAPII collision and chromatin remodeling, while SVN acts cis‑negatively via RNAPII collision, with isoform diversity generated by alternative splicing being critical for function.
The study shows that the SnRK1 catalytic subunit KIN10 directs tissue-specific growth‑defense programs in Arabidopsis thaliana by reshaping transcriptomes. kin10 knockout mutants exhibit altered root transcription, reduced root growth, and weakened defense against Pseudomonas syringae, whereas KIN10 overexpression activates shoot defense pathways, increasing ROS and salicylic acid signaling at the cost of growth.