Multi-layered roles of BBX proteins in plant growth and development

Light and phytohormone are external and internal cues that regulate plant growth and development throughout their life cycle.BBXs(B-box domain proteins)are a group of zinc finger proteins that not only directly govern the transcription of target genes but also associate with other factors to create a meticulous regulatory network to precisely regulate numerous aspects of growth and developmental processes in plants.Recent studies demonstrate that BBXs play pivotal roles in light-controlled plant growth and development.Besides,BBXs have been documented to regulate phytohormone-mediated physiological procedures.In this review,we summarize and highlight the multi-faced role of BBXs,with a focus in photomorphogenesis,photoperiodic flowering,shade avoidance,abiotic stress,and phytohormone-mediated growth and development in plant.

Current research and future directions of melatonin’s role in seed germination

Seed germination is a complex process regulated by internal and external factors.Melatonin(N-acetyl-5-meth-oxytryptamine)is a ubiquitous signaling molecule,playing an important role in regulating seed germination under normal and stressful conditions.In this review,we aim to provide a comprehensive overview on melatonin’s effects on seed germination on the basis of existing literature.Under normal conditions,exogenous high levels of melatonin can suppress or delay seed germination,suggesting that melatonin may play a role in maintaining seed dormancy and preventing premature germination.Conversely,under stressful conditions(e.g.,high salinity,drought,and extreme temperatures),melatonin has been found to accelerate seed germination.Melatonin can modulate the expression of genes involved in ABA and GA metabolism,thereby influencing the balance of these hormones and affecting the ABA/GA ratio.Melatonin has been shown to modulate ROS accumulation and nutrient mobilization,which can impact the germination process.In conclusion,melatonin can inhibit germination under normal conditions while promoting germination under stressful conditions via regulating the ABA/GA ratios,ROS levels,and metabolic enzyme activity.Further research in this area will deepen our understanding of melatonin’s intricate role in seed germination and may contribute to the development of improved seed treatments and agricultural practices.

Exploring the precision redox map during fasting-refeeding and satiation in C.elegans

Fasting is a popular dietary strategy because it grants numerous advantages,and redox regulation is one mecha-nism involved.However,the precise redox changes with respect to the redox species,organelles and tissues remain unclear,which hinders the understanding of the metabolic mechanism,and exploring the precision redox map under various dietary statuses is of great significance.Twelve redox-sensitive C.elegans strains stably expressing genetically encoded redox fluorescent probes(Hyperion sensing H_(2)O_(2) and Grx1-roGFP2 sensing GSH/GSSG)in three organelles(cytoplasm,mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum(ER))were constructed in two tissues(body wall muscle and neurons)and were confirmed to respond to redox challenge.The H_(2)O_(2) and GSSG/GSH redox changes in two tissues and three organelles were obtained by confocal microscopy during fasting,refeeding,and satiation.We found that under fasting condition,H_(2)O_(2) decreased in most compartments,except for an increase in mitochondria,while GSSG/GSH increased in the cytoplasm of body muscle and the ER of neurons.After refeeding,the redox changes in H_(2)O_(2) and GSSG/GSH caused by fasting were reversed in most organelles of the body wall muscle and neurons.In the sati-ated state,H_(2)O_(2) increased markedly in the cytoplasm,mitochondria and ER of muscle and the ER of neurons,while GSSG/GSH exhibited no change in most organelles of the two tissues except for an increase in the ER of muscle.Our study systematically and precisely presents the redox characteristics under different dietary states in living animals and provides a basis for further investigating the redox mechanism in metabolism and optimizing dietary guidance.

Global dispersal and adaptive evolution of domestic cattle:a genomic perspective

Domestic cattle have spread across the globe and inhabit variable and unpredictable environments.They have been exposed to a plethora of selective pressures and have adapted to a variety of local ecological and management conditions,including UV exposure,diseases,and stall-feeding systems.These selective pressures have resulted in unique and important phenotypic and genetic differences among modern cattle breeds/populations.Ongoing efforts to sequence the genomes of local and commercial cattle breeds/populations,along with the growing availability of ancient bovid DNA data,have significantly advanced our understanding of the genomic architecture,recent evolution of complex traits,common diseases,and local adaptation in cattle.Here,we review the origin and spread of domestic cattle and illustrate the environmental adaptations of local cattle breeds/populations.

High-throughput RNA sequencing reveals differences between the transcriptomes of the five spore forms of Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici,the wheat stripe rust pathogen

The devastating wheat stripe(yellow)rust pathogen,Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici(Pst),is a macrocyclic and heteroe-cious fungus.Pst produces urediniospores and teliospores on its primary host,wheat,and pycniospores and aeciospores are produced on its alternate hosts,barberry(Berberis spp.)or mahonia(Mahonia spp.).Basidiospores are developed from teliospores and infect alternate hosts.These five spore forms play distinct roles in Pst infection,disease development,and fungal survival,etc.However,the specific genes and mechanisms underlying these functional differences are largely unknown.In this study,we performed,for the first time in rust fungi,the deep RNA sequencing to examine the transcriptomic shift among all five Pst spore forms.Among a total of 29,591 identified transcripts,951 were specifically expressed in basidiospores,whereas 920,761,266,and 110 were specific for teliospores,pycniospores,aeciospores,and urediniospores,respectively.Additionally,transcriptomes of sexual spores,namely pycniospores and basidiospores,showed significant differences from those of asexual spores(urediniospores,teliospores,and aeciospores),and transcriptomes of urediniospores and aeciospores were more similar to each other than to the three other spore forms.Especially,the basidiospores and pycniospores which infected the berberis shows wide differences in the cell wall degrading-enzymes and mating and pheromone response genes.Besides,we also found that there are 6234 differential expressed genes between the urediniospores and pycniospores,while only have 3 genes have alternative splicing enents,suggesting that differential genes expression may make more contribution than AS.This comprehensive transcriptome profiling can substantially improve our understanding of the developmental biology of the wheat stripe rust fungus.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 in heat stress-induced neuroinflammation:novel perspective about the neuroprotective role of chromium

Heat stress(HS)can cause a series of stress responses,resulting in numerous negative effects on the body,such as the diminished food intake,carcass quality and reproductive capacity.In addition to the negative effects on the peripheral system,HS leads to central nervous system(CNS)disorders given its toll on neuroinflammation.This neuroinflammatory process is mainly mediated by microglia and astrocytes,which are involved in the activation of glial cells and the secretion of cytokines.While the regulation of inflammatory signaling has a close relationship with the expression of heat shock protein 70(Hsp70),HS-induced neuroinflammation is closely related to the activation of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway.Moreover,oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress are key players in the development of neuroinflammation.Chromium(Cr)has been widely shown to have neuroprotective effects in both humans and animals,despite the lack of mechanistic evidence.Evidence has shown that Cr supplementation can increase the levels of insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1),a major neurotrophic factor with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.This review highlights recent advances in the attenuating effects and potential mechanisms of Cr-mediated IGF-1 actions on HS-induced neuroinflammation,providing presently existing evidence supporting the neuroprotective role of Cr.

Genome editing enables defense-yield balance in rice

This brief article highlights the key findings of the study conducted by Sha et al.(Nature,doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06205-2,2023),focusing on the cloning of the RBL1 gene from rice,which is associated with lesion mimic mutant(LMM)traits.The RBL1 gene encodes a cytidine diphosphate diacylglycerol(CDP-DAG)synthase and plays a crucial role in regulating cell death and immunity by controlling phosphatidylinositol biosynthesis.The rbl1 mutant shows autoimmunity with multi-pathogen resistance but with severe yield penalty.Using genome editing techniques,the research team successfully generated an elite allele of RBL1 that not only restores rice yield but also provides broad-spectrum resistance against both bacterial and fungal pathogens.These findings demonstrate the potential of utilizing genome editing to enhance crop productivity and pathogen resistance.

WeiTsing: a new face of Ca^(2+)-permeable channels in plant immunity

Plants employ pattern-and effector-triggered immunity(PTI and ETI)to synergistically defend invading pathogens and insect herbivores.Both PTI and ETI can induce cytosolic Ca^(2+)spikes,despite in different spatiotemporal patterns,to activate downstream Ca^(2+)-dependent immune signaling cascades.While multiple families of Ca^(2+)-permeable channels at the plasma membrane have been uncovered,the counterparts responsible for Ca^(2+)release from intracellular stores remain poorly understood.In a groundbreaking paper published recently by Cell,the authors reported that WeiTsing,an Arabidopsis endoplasmic reticulum(ER)-resident protein that was specifically expressed in the pericycle upon Plasmodiophora brassicae(Pb)infection,could form resistosome-like Ca^(2+)-conducting channel and protect the stele of Brassica crops from Pb colonization.As the channel activity of WeiTsing was indispensable for its immune function,the findings highlight a previously underappreciated role of Ca^(2+)release from intracellular repertoire in promoting plant disease resistance.

Rapid alkalinization factor:function,regulation,and potential applications in agriculture

Rapid alkalinization factor(RALF)is widespread throughout the plant kingdom and controls many aspects of plant life.Current studies on the regulatory mechanism underlying RALF function mainly focus on Arabidopsis,but little is known about the role of RALF in crop plants.Here,we systematically and comprehensively analyzed the relation between RALF family genes from five important crops and those in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.Simultane-ously,we summarized the functions of RALFs in controlling growth and developmental behavior using conservative motifs as cues and predicted the regulatory role of RALFs in cereal crops.In conclusion,RALF has considerable application potential in improving crop yields and increasing economic benefits.Using gene editing technology or taking advantage of RALF as a hormone additive are effective way to amplify the role of RALF in crop plants.

Herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid interferes with MAP kinase signaling in Fusarium graminearum and is inhibitory to fungal growth and pathogenesis

Plant hormones are important for regulating growth,development,and plant-pathogen interactions.Some of them are inhibitory to growth of fungal pathogens but the underlying mechanism is not clear.In this study,we found that hyphal growth of Fusarium graminearum was significantly reduced by high concentrations of IAA and its metabolically stable analogue 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid(2,4-D).Besides inhibitory effects on growth rate,treatments with 2,4-D also caused significant reduction in conidiation,conidium germination,and germ tube growth.Treatments with 2,4-D had no obvious effect on sexual reproduction but significantly reduced TRI gene expression,toxisome formation,and DON production.More importantly,treatments with 2,4-D were inhibitory to infection structure formation and pathogenesis at concentrations higher than 100μM.The presence of 1000μM 2,4-D almost completely inhibited plant infection and invasive growth.In F.graminearum,2,4-D induced ROS accumulation and FgHog1 activation but reduced the phosphorylation level of Gpmk1 MAP kinase.Metabolomics analysis showed that the accumulation of a number of metabolites such as glycerol and arabitol was increased by 2,4-D treatment in the wild type but not in the Fghog1 mutant.Transformants expressing the dominant active FgPBS2^(S451D T455D) allele were less sensitive to 2,4-D and had elevated levels of intracellular glycerol and arabitol induced by 2,4-D in PH-1.Taken together,our results showed that treatments with 2,4-D interfere with two important MAP kinase pathways and are inhibitory to hyphal growth,DON biosynthesis,and plant infection in F.graminearum.

Simple and universal function of acetic acid to overcome the drought crisis

Acetic acid is a simple and universal compound found in various organisms.Recently,acetic acid was found to play an essential role in conferring tolerance to water deficit stress in plants.This novel mechanism of drought stress tolerance mediated by acetic acid via networks involving phytohormones,genes,and chromatin regulation has great potential for solving the global food crisis and preventing desertification caused by global warming.We highlight the functions of acetic acid in conferring tolerance to water deficit stress.

Tuning the rheostat of immune gene translation

Biomolecular condensates assembled through phase transitions regulate diverse aspects of plant growth,develop-ment,and stress responses.How biomolecular condensates control plant immunity is poorly understood.In Nature Plants,a new study(Zhou et al.,Nat Plants 9:289-301,2023)reveals how plants assemble translational condensates to balance tissue health and disease resistance.

Plant immune inducer ZNC promotes rutin accumulation and enhances resistance to Botrytis cinerea in tomato

Gray mold is a destructive disease caused by Botrytis cinerea,a pervasive plant pathogen,which poses a threat to both tomato growth and postharvest storage.The utilization of induced resistance presents a potential strategy for combating plant pathogenic attacks.ZNC(zhinengcong),an extract derived from the endophytic fungus Paecilo-myces variotii,has been discovered to play a vital role in preventing diverse forms of bacterial infections.Nevertheless,the precise mechanism behind its ability to enhance tomato resistance to fungi remains unclear.In this study,we found that the exogenous spraying of ZNC could significantly improve the resistance of tomato plants to B.cinerea.The results of both the metabolomic analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)demonstrated that tomato plants responded to ZNC treatment by accumulating high levels of rutin.Additional transcriptome analysis uncovered that rutin enhances tomato resistance possible by initiating the generation of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases(MPKs)related genes expression during the initial phase of invasion by B.cinerea.In addition,we also found that rutin might activate plant immunity by eliciting ethylene(ET)and jasmonic acid(JA)-mediated pathways.Therefore,plant immune inducer ZNC and rutin has bright application prospects and high utilization value to control gray mold.

Plasticity of wheat seedling responses to K^(+) deficiency highlighted by integrated phenotyping of roots and root hairs over the whole root system

The availability in the soil of potassium(K^(+)),a poorly mobile macronutrient required in large quantities for plant growth,is generally suboptimal for crop production in the absence of fertilization,making improvement of the ability of crops to adapt to K^(+)deficiency stress a major issue.Increasing the uptake capacity of the root system is among the main strategies to achieve this goal.Here,we report an integrative approach to examine the effect of K^(+)deficiency on the development of young plant entire root system,including root hairs which are known to provide a significant contribution to the uptake of poorly mobile nutrients such as K^(+),in two genetically distant wheat varieties.A rhizobox-type methodology was developed to obtain highly-resolved images of root and root hairs,allowing to describe global root and root hair traits over the whole root system via image analysis procedures.The two wheat varieties responded differently to the K^(+)shortage:Escandia,a wheat ancestor,reduced shoot biomass in condition of K^(+)shortage and substantially increased the surface area of its root system,specifically by increasing the total root hair area.Oued Zenati,a landrace,conversely appeared unresponsive to the K^(+)shortage but was shown to constitutively express,independently of the external K^(+)availability,favorable traits to cope with reduced K^(+)availability,among which a high total root hair area.Thus,valuable information on root system adaptation to K^(+)deficiency was provided by global analyses including root hairs,which should also be relevant for other nutrient stresses.

BAK-up:the receptor kinase BAK-TO-LIFE 2 enhances immunity when BAK1 is lacking

BRI1-ASSOCIATED KINASE 1(BAK1/SERK3)and its closest homolog BAK1-LIKE 1(BKK1/SERK4)are leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases(LRR-RKs)belonging to the SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR KINASE(SERK)family.They act as co-receptors of various other LRR-RKs and participate in multiple signaling events by complexing and transphosphorylating ligand-binding receptors.Initially identified as the brassinosteroid receptor BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1(BRI1)co-receptor,BAK1 also functions in plant immunity by interacting with pattern recognition receptors.Mutations in BAK1 and BKK1 cause severely stunted growth and cell death,characterized as autoimmune cell death.Several factors play a role in this type of cell death,including RKs and components of effector-triggered immunity(ETI)signaling pathways,glycosylation factors,ER quality control components,nuclear trafficking components,ion channels,and Nod-like receptors(NLRs).The Shan lab has recently discovered a novel RK BAK-TO-LIFE 2(BTL2)that interacts with BAK1 and triggers cell death in the absence of BAK1 and BKK1.This RK compensates for the loss of BAK1-mediated pattern-triggered immunity(PTI)by activating phytocytokine-mediated immune and cell death responses.

A tug-of-war to control plant emission of an airborne alarm signal

Aphids represent a major threat to crops.Hundreds of different viruses are aphid-borne.Upon aphid attack,plants release volatile organic compounds(VOCs)as airborne alarm signals to turn on the airborne defense(AD)of neighboring plants,thereby repelling aphids as well as reducing aphid fitness and virus transmission.This phenomenon provides a critical community-wide plant protection to fend off aphids,but the underlying molecular basis remains undetermined for a long time.In a recent article,Gong et al.established the NAC2-SAMT1 module as the core component regulating the emission of methyl-salicylate(MeSA),a major component of VOCs in aphid-attacked plants.Furthermore,they showed that SABP2 protein is critical for the perception of volatile MeSA signal by converting MeSA to Salicylic Acid(SA),which is the cue to elicit AD against aphids at the community level.Moreover,they showed that multiple viruses use a conserved glycine residue in the ATP-dependent helicase domain in viral proteins to shuttle NAC2 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm for degradation,leading to the attenuation of MeSA emission and AD.These findings illuminate the functional roles of key regulators in the complex MeSA-mediated airborne defense process and a counter-defense mechanism used by viruses,which has profound significance in advancing the knowledge of plant-pathogen interactions as well as providing potential targets for gene editing-based crop breeding.

Overwintering covered with soil or avoiding burial of wine grapes under cold stress:Chinese wine industry’s past and future,challenges and opportunities

In northwest China,where winter is extremely cold and the grapevine is vulnerable to freezing damage,the application of soil covering has promoted the vigorous development of the local grape and wine industries.However,in recent years,the negative effects of burying soil for cold protection on the environment have gradually emerged.In some viticultural regions,the phenomenon of"summer forest,winter desert"has appeared.Therefore,it is urgent for the Chinese grape industry to find a better solution to overwinter safely and environmentally friendly.This review summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of widely used solutions to overwinter such as covering vines with soil,breeding of cold-resistant grapes,cold-resistant cultivation model,physical and chemical covering materials,and protected grape facilities were reviewed.Future overwintering measures were proposed which avoid burial and grape overwintering research directions.It also provides a theoretical foundation and technical support to improve grape yield and quality in northwest China.

Apoplastic barriers of Populus×canescens roots in reaction to different cultivation conditions and abiotic stress treatments

Populus is an important tree genus frequently cultivated for economical purposes.However,the high sensitivity of poplars towards water deficit,drought,and salt accumulation significantly affects plant productivity and limits biomass yield.Various cultivation and abiotic stress conditions have been described to significantly induce the formation of apoplastic barriers(Casparian bands and suberin lamellae)in roots of different monocotyledonous crop species.Thus,this study aimed to investigate to which degree the roots of the dicotyledonous gray poplar(Populus×canescens)react to a set of selected cultivation conditions(hydroponics,aeroponics,or soil)and abiotic stress treatments(abscisic acid,oxygen deficiency)because a differing stress response could potentially help in explaining the observed higher stress susceptibility.The apoplastic barriers of poplar roots cultivated in different environments were analyzed by means of histochemistry and gas chromatography and compared to the available literature on monocotyledonous crop species.Overall,dicotyledonous poplar roots showed only a remarkably low induction or enhancement of apoplastic barriers in response to the different cultivation conditions and abiotic stress treatments.The genetic optimization(e.g.,overexpression of biosynthesis key genes)of the apoplastic barrier development in poplar roots might result in more stress-tolerant cultivars in the future.

Transcriptomic analysis of wheat reveals possible resistance mechanism mediated by Yr10 to stripe rust

Stripe rust,caused by Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici(Pst),is a catastrophic disease that threatens global wheat yield.Yr10 is a race-specific all-stage disease resistance gene in wheat.However,the resistance mechanism of Yr10 is poorly characterized.Therefore,to elucidate the potential molecular mechanism mediated by Yr10,transcriptomic sequencing was performed at 0,18,and 48 h post-inoculation(hpi)of compatible wheat Avocet S(AvS)and incompatible near-isogenic line(NIL)AvS+Yr10 inoculated with Pst race CYR32.Respectively,227,208,and 4050 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified at 0,18,and 48 hpi between incompatible and compatible interaction.The response of Yr10 to stripe rust involved various processes and activities,as indicated by the results of Gene Ontology(GO)enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway analysis.Specifically,the response included photosynthesis,defense response to fungus,metabolic processes related to salicylic acid(SA)and jasmonic acid(JA),and activities related to reactive oxygen species(ROS).Ten candidate genes were selected for qRT-PCR verification and the results showed that the transcriptomic data was reliable.Through the functional analysis of candidate genes by the virus-induced gene silencing(VIGS)system,it was found that the gene TaHPPD(4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase)negatively regulated the resistance of wheat to stripe rust by affecting SA signaling,pathogenesis-related(PR)gene expression,and ROS clearance.Our study provides insight into Yr10-mediated resistance in wheat.

Immune receptor mimicking hormone receptors:a new guarding strategy

Plant intracellular nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat(NLR)receptors play crucial roles in immune responses against pathogens.How diverse NLRs recognize different pathogen effectors remains a significant ques-tion.A recent study published in Nature uncovered how pepper NLR Tsw detects phytohormone receptors’interfer-ence caused by tomato spotted wilt virus(TSWV)effector,triggering a robust immune response,showcasing a new manner of NLR guarding.