Genetius

The study demonstrates that the NLR receptor Roq1 in Nicotiana benthamiana can recognize the effector HopAG1, in addition to the previously known XopQ/HopQ1/RipB family, leading to reduced bacterial growth. Co‑immunoprecipitation and structural analyses suggest HopAG1’s Nudix domain interacts with the same receptor interface as XopQ, implying Roq1 may detect multiple effector families.

The study surveyed 258 transcriptomic datasets from 183 Cucurbitaceae species and found a consistent absence of key anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin biosynthetic genes, indicating a widespread loss of anthocyanin pigmentation in this family. Phylogenomic and synteny analyses suggest a stepwise loss that may be partially compensated by increased carotenoid pigmentation.

The study used gene editing to disrupt the barley ALLENE OXIDASE CYCLASE (HvAOC), a key enzyme in jasmonate biosynthesis, revealing that loss of HvAOC enhances vegetative growth, accelerates flowering, and produces larger, heavier grains. These phenotypes are linked to expanded maternal nutrient‑transfer tissues and increased sucrose‑transport gene expression, and can be rescued by exogenous methyl‑jasmonate, indicating a maternal, jasmonate‑dependent regulation of grain development.

The study identifies a novel mRNA cleavage site within the coding region of the Arabidopsis immune regulator BIR1 and demonstrates that mutations at multiple cleavage sites increase BIR1 transcript and protein levels, implicating cis‑directed siRNA‑mediated degradation. It also reveals that the 5′‑UTR and a complementary lncRNA act as translational repressors, highlighting a multilayered regulatory network integrating sRNA‑guided cleavage and translation control during stress responses.

The study examined leaf pavement cell shape complexity across a natural European aspen (Populus tremula) population and identified the transcription factor MYB305a (Potra2n8c18226) as a regulator of cell morphology via GWAS. Drought stress induced MYB305a expression, leading to simpler cell shapes, and cell shape complexity was negatively correlated with water‑use efficiency and climatic variables such as precipitation and latitude.

The study identifies the AP2/ERF gene MpGMFR as essential for asexual reproduction in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, demonstrating that loss of MpGMFR blocks gemma and gemma cup formation while its inducible activation triggers their development. Transient strong activation even initiates gemma initial cells at the meristem that mature into functional propagules, indicating MpGMFR is both necessary and sufficient for initiating extra‑meristematic asexual structures.

The study generated βhpmeh‑expressing transgenic potato (cv. Desiree) and evaluated its resistance to bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum under controlled inoculation. Transgenic lines showed reduced wilt incidence and disease progression, with resistance levels comparable to the highly resistant cultivar Cruza 148, and this resistance correlated positively with βhpmeh expression levels.

Plant-type ferredoxins in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii include the constitutive FDX1 that drives NADPH production via FNR, and the nitrogen‑inducible FDX2 that supplies electrons to nitrite reductase for nitrate assimilation. Although FDX2 accumulates to ~10% of FDX1, loss of FDX2 alone does not impair growth on nitrate, while reduction or loss of FDX1 severely hampers growth and lowers cellular sulfur content, linking FDX1 to sulfur assimilation via sulfite reductase. The study shows that the two major ferredoxins specialize in supporting macronutrient (C/N/S) assimilation pathways.

Leaf venation density has increased through plant evolution, reaching its highest levels in recently diverged C4 species such as maize. Using diverse Mexican maize varieties and a MAGIC population, the study finds that higher densities of small intermediate veins correlate with higher photosynthetic rates, and identifies 12 QTLs and candidate genes linked to vein patterning. These results illuminate the genetic architecture of vein density and its role in water use efficiency and photosynthetic performance in C4 plants.

In a trial of ten grapevine rootstock genotypes grafted to two scions, the authors found that vine compartment (berries vs roots) strongly determines elemental composition, while rootstock genotype has only minor effects. The rhizosphere microbiome was largely conserved across genotypes, yet specific taxa such as Streptomyces and Mesorhizobium showed significant negative correlations with a principal component of several key elements. These results suggest potential microbe‑element interactions influencing nutrient dynamics in grapevine roots.