Genetius

The study isolated endophytic fungi from flowers, bark, leaves, fruit, and resin of the medicinal plants Azadirachta indica (neem) and Melia azedarach in Kenya, yielding 95 isolates from neem and 46 from melia, with leaves harboring the highest diversity. Ascomycetous taxa such as Phomopsis, Penicillium, Colletotrichum and Preussia were most common, and geographic differences in dominant species were observed, highlighting the potential of these fungi as sources of bioactive secondary metabolites.

The authors have withdrawn the manuscript, indicating it requires substantial revision and should not be cited as a reference.

The study models future bioclimatic suitability for 35 invasive plant species in the Pyrenees, projecting distributions to 2100 using an ensemble of five algorithms across four climate scenarios. Results suggest most species will not benefit from warming, with suitable habitats shifting upslope and compressing around 2,000 m, limiting further invasion into lower elevations. The findings highlight potential changes in mountain flora composition and inform surveillance priorities.

The study used biochemical assays and untargeted LC‑MS metabolomics to characterize metabolic changes in released pollen subjected to cold (15 °C) and heat (35 °C) stress, detecting 484 metabolites with 147 significantly altered. Metabolic reprogramming involved diverse compounds—including amino acids, flavonoids, fatty acids, sugars, and polyamines—and highlighted perturbations in amino acid, purine, arginine, and glutathione pathways, revealing temperature‑dependent strategies that support pollen viability during dispersal.

The study identifies the extended NT‑C2 domain as the main membrane‑binding module of the light‑responsive protein PMI1, showing it interacts with phosphoinositides PI4P and PI(4,5)P2 and that basic residues are essential for plasma‑membrane association. Calcium binding modulates the domain’s phosphoinositide preference, and calcium depletion blocks blue‑light‑induced PMI1 redistribution, indicating the NT‑C2 domain and adjacent disordered regions are critical for PMI1’s role in chloroplast movement.

The study shows that thermopriming confers heat stress tolerance by synchronously activating the heat shock response (HSR) via HSFA1, the unfolded protein response (UPR), and autophagy-mediated protein clearance, thereby preserving proteostasis. Unprimed seedlings lack HSR and UPR activation, accumulate protein aggregates, and cannot survive high temperatures, highlighting the primary importance of protein maintenance over clearance pathways.

The study employed in silico screening of ten Azadirachta indica phytochemicals to discover inhibitors of the Fusarium oxysporum effector Avr1, identifying nimbiol and gedunin as top candidates with strong binding affinities and favorable pharmacokinetic properties. Docking analyses highlighted key residue interactions, and ADME/toxicity predictions indicated acceptable drug‑likeness despite noted immunotoxicity, supporting further experimental validation.

The study identifies seven nanoscale deformation modes of cellulose fibril arrays in plant cell walls and describes their geometry for rectangular wall domains with a constant microfibril angle. It shows that the applicability of deformation functions depends on the aspect ratio of the domain, with moderate‑aspect‑ratio cells matching in‑vivo growth patterns, providing a scale‑independent framework for linking nanoscale mechanics to mesoscale cell expansion.

The study identifies a novel necrotrophic fungus‑derived cell death‑inducing protein, the glucanosyltransferase Gas5A, whose C‑terminal 60 aa trigger plant cell death independently of enzymatic activity. Gas5A is recognized as a PAMP at the plasma membrane via SOBIR1 and EDS1, yet its deletion in Botrytis cinerea does not affect virulence, indicating additional intracellular toxicity.

The authors discovered naturally occurring mutations in the replication proteins of turnip crinkle virus that alter the number, size, and abundance of its subgenomic RNAs, including an A113V change that reduces sgRNA1 and secondary mutations that rescue this defect or generate novel sgRNAs. Structural modeling suggests these mutations affect RNA template entry into the polymerase active site, causing template switching and highlighting constraints on viral replication proteins to ensure precise sgRNA production.