A yeast two‑hybrid screen using Medicago truncatula root cDNA identified MtCSP1, a BTB/POZ domain protein, as an interactor of the ARF GTPase MtARFA1. Interaction was confirmed in planta by co‑immunopurification and bimolecular fluorescence complementation, showing localization to late‑endosomal vesicles, and functional assays in transgenic roots demonstrated that MtCSP1 is essential for rhizobial infection progression and nodule organogenesis, linking small GTPase activity to ubiquitin‑mediated protein turnover during symbiosis.

The study evaluated a transgenic soybean line (VPZ-34A) expressing Arabidopsis VDE, PsbS, and ZEP for combined improvements in light‑use efficiency and carbon assimilation under ambient and elevated CO2 in a FACE experiment. While VPZ‑34A showed enhanced maximum quantum efficiency of PSII under fluctuating light, it did not increase carbon assimilation efficiency or yield, and transcriptome analysis revealed limited gene expression changes. The results suggest that VPZ‑mediated photosynthetic gains are insufficient to boost productivity under elevated CO2.

The study investigates the role of the chromatin regulator MpSWI3, a core subunit of the SWI/SNF complex, in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. A promoter mutation disrupts male gametangiophore development and spermiogenesis, causing enhanced vegetative propagation, and transcriptomic analysis reveals that MpSWI3 regulates genes controlling reproductive initiation, sperm function, and asexual reproduction, highlighting its ancient epigenetic role in balancing vegetative and reproductive phases.

The study examined drought tolerance across nine provenances of the conifer Pinus nigra using high‑throughput phenotyping combined with metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses under controlled soil‑drying conditions. Drought tolerance, measured by the decline in Fv/Fm, varied among provenances but was not linked to a climatic gradient and was independent of growth, with tolerant provenances showing distinct flavonoid and diterpene profiles and provenance‑specific gene expression patterns. Integrating phenotypic and molecular data revealed metabolic signatures underlying drought adaptation in this non‑model conifer.

The study combines mathematical modeling, live-cell fluorescence imaging, and bacterial mutant analyses to investigate how Sinorhizobium meliloti moves within infection threads of Medicago truncatula root hairs, finding that movement is slow and likely passive, relying on flagella-independent surface translocation mediated by the rhizobactin 1021 surfactant. Flagella-deficient mutants retain colonization ability, whereas disruption of rhbE impairs surface motility, leads to branched infection threads, and compromises nodule development.

The study examined how the bioinoculant Trichoderma afroharzianum T22 influences Pisum sativum growth under iron-sufficient versus iron-deficient conditions, finding pronounced benefits—enhanced photosynthesis, Fe/N accumulation, and stress‑related gene expression—only during iron deficiency. RNA‑seq revealed distinct gene expression patterns tied to symbiosis, iron transport, and redox pathways, and microbiome profiling showed T22 reshapes the root bacterial community under deficiency, suggesting context‑dependent mutualism.

The study characterizes tissue-specific elimination of B chromosomes in Sorghum purpureosericeum during embryo development, identifying 28 candidate genes linked to this process. Integrated in situ visualization, genome sequencing, and transcriptomic analyses reveal that the B chromosome originates from multiple A chromosomes, harbors unique repeats, and expresses divergent kinetochore components that likely mediate its selective removal.

The study evaluated whether integrating genomic, transcriptomic, and drone-derived phenomic data improves prediction of 129 maize traits across nine environments, using both linear (rrBLUP) and nonlinear (SVR) models. Multi-omics models consistently outperformed single-omics models, with transcriptomic data especially enhancing cross‑environment predictions and capturing genotype‑by‑environment interactions. The results highlight the added value of combining transcriptomics and phenomics with genotypes for more accurate and generalizable trait prediction in maize.

Phytoplasma infection in sesame (Sesamum indicum) triggers tissue-specific alterations in gene expression and metabolite composition, with floral organs adopting leaf-like traits and distinct changes in porphyrin, brassinosteroid, and phenylpropanoid pathways. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, supported by biochemical, histological, and qRT-PCR assays, reveal differential stress and secondary metabolite responses between infected leaves and flowers.

The study investigates the role of the immune kinase SOBIR1 in Medicago truncatula’s symbiotic interactions, showing that sobir1 mutants form normal nodules with Sinorhizobium meliloti but fewer, abnormal nodules with S. medicae, while exhibiting increased colonization by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus versiforme. Localization of a tagged SOBIR1 protein to the periarbuscular membrane suggests distinct regulatory functions of SOBIR1 in nodulation versus mycorrhizal symbiosis.