The study presents a high-quality genome assembly for the nickel hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens and uses it as a reference for comparative transcriptomic analyses across different N. caerulescens accessions and the non‑accumulating relative Microthlaspi perfoliatum. It identifies a limited set of metal transporters (NcHMA3, NcHMA4, NcIREG2, and NcIRT1) whose elevated expression correlates with hyperaccumulation, and demonstrates that frameshift mutations in NcIRT1 can abolish the trait, indicating an ancient, transporter‑driven origin of nickel hyperaccumulation.

The study integrates genome, transcriptome, and chromatin accessibility data from 380 soybean accessions to dissect the genetic and regulatory basis of symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF). Using GWAS, TWAS, eQTL mapping, and ATAC-seq, the authors identify key loci, co‑expression modules, and regulatory elements, and validate the circadian clock gene GmLHY1b as a negative regulator of nodulation via CRISPR and CUT&Tag. These resources illuminate SNF networks and provide a foundation for soybean improvement.

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 study used comparative transcriptomics across Erysimum species to identify two 2‑oxoglutarate‑dependent dioxygenases, CARD5 and CARD6, responsible for the 14β‑ and 21‑hydroxylation steps in cardenolide biosynthesis in Erysimum cheiranthoides. Knockout mutants lacking these genes accumulated pathway intermediates, and transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana confirmed their enzymatic functions, while structural modeling pinpointed residues linked to neofunctionalization.

The study used comparative and de‑novo transcriptomic analyses in poplar to uncover plant and fungal gene regulons that govern ectomycorrhizal (ECM) compatibility, distinguishing general fungal‑sensing responses from ECM‑specific pathways. Key findings include modulation of jasmonic acid‑related defenses, coordinated regulation of secretory and cell‑wall remodeling genes, and dynamic expression of the Common Symbiosis Pathway during early and mature symbiosis stages.

The study compared early protective, repair, and stress responses to chronic gamma irradiation in the radiosensitive conifer Norway spruce (Picea abies) and the radiotolerant Arabidopsis thaliana. Norway spruce exhibited growth inhibition, mitochondrial damage, and higher DNA damage at low dose rates, while Arabidopsis maintained growth, showed minimal organelle damage, and activated DNA repair and antioxidant genes even at the lowest dose rates. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the tolerant species mounts a robust transcriptional response at low doses, whereas the sensitive species only responds at much higher doses.

The study used comparative transcriptomics to examine how Fusarium oxysporum isolates with different lifestyles on angiosperms regulate effector genes during infection of the non‑vascular liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. Core effector genes on fast core chromosomes are actively expressed in the bryophyte host, while lineage‑specific effectors linked to angiosperm pathogenicity are silent, and disruption of a compatibility‑associated core effector alters the expression of other core effectors, highlighting conserved fungal gene networks across plant lineages.

The study generated a high-quality genome assembly for Victoria cruziana and used comparative transcriptomics to identify anthocyanin biosynthesis genes and their transcriptional regulators that are differentially expressed between white and light pinkish flower stages. Differential expression of structural genes (VcrF3H, VcrF35H, VcrDFR, VcrANS, VcrarGST) and transcription factors (VcrMYB123, VcrMYB-SG6_a, VcrMYB-SG6_b, VcrTT8, VcrTTG1) correlates with the observed flower color change.

The study demonstrates that RNA extracted from herbarium specimens can be used to generate high‑quality transcriptomes, comparable to those from fresh or silica‑dried samples. By assembling and comparing transcriptomes across specimen types, the authors validated a plant immune receptor synthesized from a 1956 collection, proving archival RNA’s utility for functional genomics. These findings challenge the prevailing view that herbarium RNA is unsuitable for transcriptomic analyses.