Genetius

The study uses desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI‑MSI) combined with a new computational pipeline (DIMPLE) to map metabolites along the developmental gradient of maize roots. By comparing a salt‑resilient (Oaxacan Green) and a salt‑susceptible (B73) variety, they identified distinct metabolite patterns, including D‑erythrose, whose exogenous application improves root growth under salt stress.

The study delivers a genome‑wide census and single‑cell‑resolved expression atlas of carbonic anhydrase (CA) genes in maize, identifying 18 CA members across α, β, and γ subfamilies, characterizing their phylogeny, promoter motifs, and tissue‑specific expression. β‑CAs are shown to be chloroplast‑centered hubs in mesophyll cells supporting C4 photosynthesis, while γ‑CAs contribute to ion/pH buffering, and cell‑type‑specific CA genes are proposed as targets for enhancing stress resilience in maize.

The study used a computer‑vision platform (EarVision.v2) and statistical pipeline (EarScape) to map Ds‑GFP kernel phenotypes on maize ears and assess how pollen‑fitness mutants affect progeny genotype distribution along the ear. While alleles with Mendelian inheritance showed no spatial bias, half of the pollen‑specific transmission‑defective alleles displayed significant spatial patterns, indicating that reduced pollen fitness can alter genotype distribution beyond simple pollen tube growth differences.

The authors present a reproducible Percoll-based nuclei isolation workflow suitable for single-nucleus RNA sequencing across multiple plant tissues and species. In Zea mays, the method consistently yields high‑integrity nuclei (>50,000 per sample) from root, stem, leaf, and embryo, and gradient conditions can be adjusted for other species to obtain 20,000‑50,000 nuclei with clean suspensions. Validation with 10x Genomics snRNA‑seq confirms the protocol’s robustness and versatility.

The authors developed a high‑throughput quantitative phenotyping platform for grass flowers and revealed that distinct environmental cues separately regulate axillary meristem suppression and floral organ suppression, functions mediated by the maize genes GRASSY TILLERS1 (GT1) and RAMOSA3 (RA3). Comparative analysis showed that the upstream regulation of GT1 and RA3 has diverged, reflecting redeployment of ancient developmental pathways into new floral contexts and thereby expanding genetic pleiotropy.

The study reveals that the catalytic trehalose‑6‑phosphate phosphatase RA3 interacts with non‑catalytic ZmTPS1 and catalytic ZmTPS14 to form a protein complex that enhances enzymatic activity, influencing inflorescence branching in maize. Loss‑of‑function mutants of ZmTPS1, ZmTPS12, and the essential ZmTPS11/ZmTPS14 pair demonstrate the developmental importance of these interactions.

The study presents the crystal structure of an active maize cryptochrome 1c photolyase homology region bound to the BAHD protein ZmGL2, revealing a homotetrameric scaffold that forms a 4:4 hetero‑octameric complex. Structural and biochemical analyses show that light‑activated ZmCRY1c competitively binds ZmGL2, suppressing ZmCER6‑GL2 enzymatic activity and suggesting a photoregulatory mechanism controlling very‑long‑chain fatty acid elongation for cuticular wax biosynthesis.

The authors applied TurboID‑based proximity labeling in maize meristems to map the interaction network of the CLV pathway receptor‑like protein FEA3, revealing the co‑receptor BAM1D and extensive shared proteomes. Genetic analyses showed that fea3 is epistatic to bam1d yet the two genes act antagonistically on inflorescence meristem size, highlighting overlapping CLV receptor complexes that coordinate meristem maintenance.

CRISPR‑Cas9 mutants of the four maize cryptochromes (ZmCRYs) reveal redundant roles in blue‑light signaling and inhibition of mesocotyl elongation. ZmCRYs also enhance UV‑B stress tolerance by up‑regulating phenylpropanoid, flavonoid, and fatty‑acid pathways and promoting epidermal wax and C32 aldehyde accumulation through a blue‑light‑dependent interaction between ZmCRY1 and GLOSSY2.

The study evaluated double‑mutant hybrid maize (W22/B73) lacking miR394‑regulated genes ZmLCR1 and ZmLCR2 and found enhanced drought tolerance, marked by increased epicuticular wax, reduced ROS, and unchanged membrane damage. Under field rain‑fed conditions, the mutants maintained normal flowering and nutritional quality while delivering higher ear weight and kernel number compared with wild‑type hybrids.