Plant sciences - Latest research and news (2024)

Neck strip: an apoplastic structure at glandular trichome

Glandular trichomes on plant leaves and stems synthesize and store specialized compounds. We identified a novel lignin-based structure (which we named the neck strip) required for storage of compounds in cucumber glandular trichomes and demonstrated the mechanism of specialized compound accumulation in glandular trichomes.

Disease resistance through M genes

Plants regulate their microbiota to cope with diverse stresses. A recent study shows that rice maintains homeostasis of its phyllosphere microbiome through a secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene, which offers potential for harnessing microbiome-shaping genes in disease-resistance breeding.

• Chengfang Zhan
• Mengcen Wang

Structural variations fine-tune gene expression to steer Brassica oleracea diversification

We constructed a pan-genome using 27 high-quality representative Brassica oleracea genomes. Using this pan-genome, together with multi-omics datasets from large-scale populations, we uncovered the important role of structural variations as dosage regulators of gene expression, which drives the morphotype diversification in B. oleracea.

Decoding the leaf apical meristem of Guarea glabra Vahl (Meliaceae): insight into the evolution of indeterminate pinnate leaves

• Yasutake Moriyama
• Hiroyuki Koga
• Hirokazu Tsukaya

Quantitative pathogenicity and host adaptation in a fungal plant pathogen revealed by whole-genome sequencing

The understanding of pathogenicity in quantitative plant pathosystems remains limited. This study reveals the genetic architecture of quantitative pathogenicity traits in a significant fungal plant pathogen, shedding light on potential evolutionary mechanisms involved in host adaptation.

• Reda Amezrou
• Aurélie Ducasse
• Thierry C. Marcel

Rice husk ash based growing media impact on cucumber and melon growth and quality

• Meng Li
• Xian-peng Ning
• Douglas Law

A genomic toolkit for winged bean Psophocarpus tetragonolobus

Winged bean is a tropical legume that can produce similar level of seed protein to soybean. Here, the authors report the genome assembly, population genetics, QTL mapping of the plant architecture, protein content and phytonutrients for this species.

• Wai Kuan Ho
• Alberto Stefano Tanzi
• Sean Mayes

Nutrient retention after crop harvest in a typic hapludults amended with biochar types under no-tillage system

• Qamar Sarfaraz
• Gerson Laerson Drescher
• Leandro Souza da Silva

Maple samara flight is robust to morphological perturbation and united by a classic drag model

Winged, autorotating seeds from the genus Acer can autorotate despite significant morphological alteration, enduring mass changes >% while maintaining descent velocity changes of <%. A classical aerodynamic model well predicts descent velocity.

• Breanna M. Schaeffer
• Spencer S. Truman
• Andrew K. Dickerson

Neck strip: an apoplastic structure at glandular trichome

Glandular trichomes on plant leaves and stems synthesize and store specialized compounds. We identified a novel lignin-based structure (which we named the neck strip) required for storage of compounds in cucumber glandular trichomes and demonstrated the mechanism of specialized compound accumulation in glandular trichomes.

Disease resistance through M genes

Plants regulate their microbiota to cope with diverse stresses. A recent study shows that rice maintains homeostasis of its phyllosphere microbiome through a secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene, which offers potential for harnessing microbiome-shaping genes in disease-resistance breeding.

• Chengfang Zhan
• Mengcen Wang

Scorched Earth

The destructive consequences of catastrophic wildfires, which are capable of destroying homes and livelihoods, frequently hit the front pages of newspapers worldwide. But scientific attention is increasingly turning towards understanding changes in wildfire regimes.

Structural variations fine-tune gene expression to steer Brassica oleracea diversification

We constructed a pan-genome using 27 high-quality representative Brassica oleracea genomes. Using this pan-genome, together with multi-omics datasets from large-scale populations, we uncovered the important role of structural variations as dosage regulators of gene expression, which drives the morphotype diversification in B. oleracea.

Reinventing the tube

• Guillaume Tena

Order and disorder in clathrin-mediated endocytosis

The generation of clathrin-coated vesicles during endocytosis requires the co-ordinated recruitment of dozens of proteins to the plasma membrane. We discovered that the plant TPLATE (or TSET) complex (TPC) undergoes biomolecular condensation through interactions with plasma membrane phospholipids and, via weak multivalent interactions, recruits clathrin and other endocytic proteins to facilitate the efficient progression of endocytosis.