The study examined soybean (Glycine max) responses to simultaneous drought and Asian soybean rust infection using combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis identified stress-specific gene modules linked to metabolites, while Copula Graphical Models uncovered sparse, condition‑specific networks, revealing distinct molecular signatures for each stress without overlapping genes or metabolites. The integrative approach underscores a hierarchical, modular defense architecture and suggests targets for breeding multi‑stress resilient soybeans.
Authors: Orosz, J., Lin, E. X., Torres Ascurra, Y. C., Kappes, M., Lindsay, P. L., Bashyal, S., Everett, H., Gautam, C. K., Jackson, D., Mueller, L. M.
The study identifies the pseudokinase CRN in Medicago truncatula as a regulator of inflorescence meristem branching and a negative modulator of root interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, operating partially independently of the AM autoregulation CLE peptide MtCLE53. Transcriptomic profiling of crn mutant roots reveals disruptions in nutrient, symbiosis, and stress signaling pathways, highlighting the multifaceted role of MtCRN in plant development and environmental interactions.
The study examined how varying temperature regimes, including cold deprivation and early cold exposure, affect dormancy onset and maintenance in sweet cherry (Prunus avium) flower buds. Phenological monitoring combined with transcriptomic analyses revealed that temperature drives dormancy progression, identifying specific genes and pathways responsive to cold, and uncovering a distinct shallow dormancy phase induced by cold deprivation with a unique molecular signature.
The study visualizes subcellular dynamics following activation of the NRC4 resistosome, showing that NRC4 enrichment at the plasma membrane triggers calcium influx, followed by sequential disruption of mitochondria, plastids, endoplasmic reticulum, and cytoskeleton, culminating in plasma membrane rupture and cell death. These observations define a temporally ordered cascade of organelle and membrane events that execute plant immune cell death.
The study combined cell biology, transcriptomics, and ionomics to reveal that zinc deficiency reduces root apical meristem size while preserving meristematic activity and local Zn levels, leading to enhanced cell elongation and differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana. ZIP12 was identified as a highly induced gene in the zinc‑deficient root tip, and zip12 mutants displayed impaired root growth, altered RAM structure, disrupted Zn‑responsive gene expression, and abnormal metal partitioning, highlighting ZIP12’s role in maintaining Zn homeostasis and meristem function.
Molecular Insights into the Production of Extracellular Vesicles by Plants
Authors: Koch, B. L., Gardner, D., Smith, H., Bracewell, R., Awdey, L., Foster, J., Borniego, M. L., Munch, D. H., Nielsen, M. E., Pasupuleti, R., Trinidad, J., Rutter, B., Thordal-Christensen, H., Innes, R. W.
The study used proximity labeling, co‑immunoprecipitation, and fluorescence microscopy to dissect the protein components and pathways governing distinct extracellular vesicle (EV) subpopulations in Arabidopsis, identifying roles for EXO70 exocyst subunits, RIN4, and VAP27. Mutant analyses revealed that disruptions in exo70 family genes, rin4, rabA2a, scd1, and vap27 reduce EV secretion and increase susceptibility to the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum higginsianum, highlighting EV secretion as a key facet of plant immunity.
Spatial and single-cell transcriptomics capture two distinct cell states in plant immunity
Authors: Hu, Y., Schaefer, R., Rendleman, M., Slattery, A., Cramer, A., Nahiyan, A., Breitweiser, L., Shah, M., Kaehler, E., Yao, C., Bowling, A., Crow, J., May, G., Tabor, G., Thatcher, S., Uppalapati, S. R., Muppirala, U., Deschamps, S.
The study combined spatial transcriptomics and single-nuclei RNA sequencing to map soybean (Glycine max) responses to Asian soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, revealing two distinct host cell states: pathogen‑occupied regions and adjacent non‑infected regions that show heightened defense gene expression. Gene co‑expression network analysis identified a key immune‑related module active in the stressed cells, highlighting a cell‑non‑autonomous defense mechanism.
The study investigates the conserved EDVID motif in the coiled‑coil domain of plant CC‑NLR immune receptors, revealing its role as a predictor of canonical CC‑NLR function and oligomeric assembly. It identifies a preceding acidic “preEDVID” motif in certain Arabidopsis‑related CC‑NLRs and shows that loss of the EDVID motif defines a distinct NLR subgroup, while acidic residues in the helper NLR NRG1.1 are crucial for cell‑death activity.
The study used transcriptomic and lipidomic profiling to investigate how chia (Salvia hispanica) leaves respond to short‑term (3 h) and prolonged (27 h) heat stress at 38 °C, revealing rapid activation of calcium‑signaling and heat‑shock pathways and reversible changes in triacylglycerol levels. Nearly all heat‑responsive genes returned to baseline expression after 24 h recovery, highlighting robust thermotolerance mechanisms that could inform improvement of other oilseed crops.
Arabidopsis lines with modified ascorbate concentrations reveal a link between ascorbate and auxin biosynthesis
Authors: Fenech, M., Zulian, V., Moya-Cuevas, J., Arnaud, D., Morilla, I., Smirnoff, N., Botella, M. A., Stepanova, A. N., Alonso, J. M., Martin-Pizarro, C., Amorim-Silva, V.
The study used Arabidopsis thaliana mutants with low (vtc2, vtc4) and high (vtc2/OE-VTC2) ascorbate levels to examine how ascorbate concentration affects gene expression and cellular homeostasis. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that altered ascorbate levels modulate defense and stress pathways, and that TAA1/TAR2‑mediated auxin biosynthesis is required for coping with elevated ascorbate in a light‑dependent manner.