Pub Date : 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1038/s41477-026-02224-9
Pengfei Lu, Jintong Liu, Haijia Yu, Jiejie Li
Stomatal immunity is a critical first barrier in plant defence, yet the organelle-level mechanisms underpinning this process remain poorly understood. Here we show that the outer mitochondrial membrane protein MIRO1 is essential for flg22-triggered stomatal closure in Arabidopsis. Upon immune activation, MIRO1 promotes mitochondrial fusion in guard cells. This mitochondrial remodelling is necessary to maintain mitochondrial function, including membrane potential, ATP synthesis, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production and the activation of organic acid metabolism. In miro1 mutants, these mitochondrial functions are compromised, which is associated with defective stomatal closure and increased bacterial entry. We further show that flg22 triggers MPK3/6-dependent phosphorylation of MIRO1 at Ser14. Phosphorylated MIRO1 displays enhanced oligomerization at mitochondrial contact sites to facilitate fusion. Mutations disrupting MIRO1 phosphorylation or oligomerization abolish its immune function. Collectively, our findings establish MIRO1 as a key molecular link between immune signalling and mitochondrial dynamics during stomatal defence regulation.
{"title":"MIRO1-mediated mitochondrial fusion is required for stomatal immunity in Arabidopsis.","authors":"Pengfei Lu, Jintong Liu, Haijia Yu, Jiejie Li","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02224-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02224-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Stomatal immunity is a critical first barrier in plant defence, yet the organelle-level mechanisms underpinning this process remain poorly understood. Here we show that the outer mitochondrial membrane protein MIRO1 is essential for flg22-triggered stomatal closure in Arabidopsis. Upon immune activation, MIRO1 promotes mitochondrial fusion in guard cells. This mitochondrial remodelling is necessary to maintain mitochondrial function, including membrane potential, ATP synthesis, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production and the activation of organic acid metabolism. In miro1 mutants, these mitochondrial functions are compromised, which is associated with defective stomatal closure and increased bacterial entry. We further show that flg22 triggers MPK3/6-dependent phosphorylation of MIRO1 at Ser14. Phosphorylated MIRO1 displays enhanced oligomerization at mitochondrial contact sites to facilitate fusion. Mutations disrupting MIRO1 phosphorylation or oligomerization abolish its immune function. Collectively, our findings establish MIRO1 as a key molecular link between immune signalling and mitochondrial dynamics during stomatal defence regulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146125885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1038/s41477-026-02228-5
Jingkun Zhang, Hong Yu
A new winter-rotation oilseed crop has been generated from a freeze-tolerant wild field pennycress by de novo domestication, reducing its glucosinolate and erucic acid contents, as well as its weediness, without a growth and yield penalty. Commercialization has resulted in a low-carbon-intensity intermediate crop, demonstrating a great potential for de novo domestication to create a new crop rotation paradigm for the optimized utilization of agricultural resources.
{"title":"Novel crop rotation via de novo pennycress domestication","authors":"Jingkun Zhang, Hong Yu","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02228-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02228-5","url":null,"abstract":"A new winter-rotation oilseed crop has been generated from a freeze-tolerant wild field pennycress by de novo domestication, reducing its glucosinolate and erucic acid contents, as well as its weediness, without a growth and yield penalty. Commercialization has resulted in a low-carbon-intensity intermediate crop, demonstrating a great potential for de novo domestication to create a new crop rotation paradigm for the optimized utilization of agricultural resources.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 2","pages":"266-268"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146115657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1038/s41477-025-02213-4
Human-driven native extinctions and alien naturalizations are reshaping global tree diversity. Analysing traits and environmental niches of more than 31,000 species, we showed a global shift towards fast-growing, high-resource-use trees and that slow-growing species face a rising extinction risk, findings that have major implications for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
{"title":"Fast-growing alien trees surge as slow native species decline worldwide","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41477-025-02213-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-025-02213-4","url":null,"abstract":"Human-driven native extinctions and alien naturalizations are reshaping global tree diversity. Analysing traits and environmental niches of more than 31,000 species, we showed a global shift towards fast-growing, high-resource-use trees and that slow-growing species face a rising extinction risk, findings that have major implications for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 2","pages":"273-274"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146113641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1038/s41477-025-02210-7
Nannan Li, Guoliang Li, Xiaofang Huang, Lige Ma, Danning Wang, Yu Luo, Xulv Cao, Yantao Zhu, Jianxin Mu, Ran An, Jianhua Zhao, Yongfeng Wang, Cuiling Yang, Hao Chen, Ying Xu, Lixi Jiang, Meng Luo, Xiaodan Li, Yachen Dong, Xinping Chen, Frank Hochholdinger, Yong Jiang, Jochen C. Reif, Daojie Wang, Yanfeng Zhang, Yang Bai, Peng Yu
The rhizosphere microbiome plays a crucial role in determining plant performance and fitness. Nevertheless, regulatory mechanisms linking host genetic variation, root gene regulation and microbiome assembly—and their collective influence on plant nutritional traits—remain poorly understood. Here we generated and integrated 1,341 paired datasets, including root transcriptomes, rhizosphere bacterial 16S rRNA profiles and root ionomes, across 175 resequenced Brassica napus ecotypes grown at two contrasting field sites. We identified 203 highly heritable bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), many of which were significantly associated with root nitrogen (N) levels. Host transcriptome-wide gene expression and these microbial features together explained up to 45% of natural variation in N uptake while genome-wide association analyses revealed host loci regulating ASV abundance, many of which were under the control of eQTL hotspots linked to carbon and N metabolism. Isolate-level inoculation, whole-genome sequencing, metabolite profiling and confocal imaging demonstrated that the dominant, genetically regulated bacterial genus Sphingopyxis modulates auxin biosynthesis and promotes lateral root development to enhance N acquisition under stress. This study therefore identifies Sphingopyxis as a functionally relevant taxon with potential for microbiome-assisted breeding of nutrient-efficient crops. This study uncovers genetic links between plant roots and their microbiome in Brassica napus, identifying microbe-associated loci and a beneficial bacterium, Sphingopyxis, that promotes nitrogen uptake.
{"title":"Large-scale multi-omics unveils host–microbiome interactions driving root development and nitrogen acquisition","authors":"Nannan Li, Guoliang Li, Xiaofang Huang, Lige Ma, Danning Wang, Yu Luo, Xulv Cao, Yantao Zhu, Jianxin Mu, Ran An, Jianhua Zhao, Yongfeng Wang, Cuiling Yang, Hao Chen, Ying Xu, Lixi Jiang, Meng Luo, Xiaodan Li, Yachen Dong, Xinping Chen, Frank Hochholdinger, Yong Jiang, Jochen C. Reif, Daojie Wang, Yanfeng Zhang, Yang Bai, Peng Yu","doi":"10.1038/s41477-025-02210-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-025-02210-7","url":null,"abstract":"The rhizosphere microbiome plays a crucial role in determining plant performance and fitness. Nevertheless, regulatory mechanisms linking host genetic variation, root gene regulation and microbiome assembly—and their collective influence on plant nutritional traits—remain poorly understood. Here we generated and integrated 1,341 paired datasets, including root transcriptomes, rhizosphere bacterial 16S rRNA profiles and root ionomes, across 175 resequenced Brassica napus ecotypes grown at two contrasting field sites. We identified 203 highly heritable bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), many of which were significantly associated with root nitrogen (N) levels. Host transcriptome-wide gene expression and these microbial features together explained up to 45% of natural variation in N uptake while genome-wide association analyses revealed host loci regulating ASV abundance, many of which were under the control of eQTL hotspots linked to carbon and N metabolism. Isolate-level inoculation, whole-genome sequencing, metabolite profiling and confocal imaging demonstrated that the dominant, genetically regulated bacterial genus Sphingopyxis modulates auxin biosynthesis and promotes lateral root development to enhance N acquisition under stress. This study therefore identifies Sphingopyxis as a functionally relevant taxon with potential for microbiome-assisted breeding of nutrient-efficient crops. This study uncovers genetic links between plant roots and their microbiome in Brassica napus, identifying microbe-associated loci and a beneficial bacterium, Sphingopyxis, that promotes nitrogen uptake.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 2","pages":"319-336"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-025-02210-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146102111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1038/s41477-026-02221-y
Hao Liu, Jinquan Li, Jihua Wu, Bo Li, Ming Nie
Wetlands, among Earth’s most carbon-dense ecosystems, are vital for climate change mitigation. While plant diversity has been widely shown to increase soil carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems, its influence in natural wetlands remains unclear. Here, using data from 1,268 natural wetlands surveyed in the US National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA), we examined how trait-based plant diversity (functional diversity) and composition (functional identity) affect soil carbon storage. We show that functional diversity had a minimal effect on carbon stocks, and its influence was weakened by elevated soil nutrient availability and non-native plant stress. In contrast, soil carbon storage was generally greater in wetlands dominated by larger, slow-growing and highly hydrophytic plants. Moreover, the benefits of functional identity were contingent on higher water levels and lower human disturbance. These findings suggest that the conservation and restoration of wetlands dominated by large, conservative and hydrophytic species under hydric conditions could help achieve climate change mitigation goals. Wetlands dominated by larger, slower-growing and highly hydrophytic plants, rather than those with higher functional diversity, tend to store more soil organic carbon.
{"title":"Large slow-growing hydrophytes increase wetland carbon storage","authors":"Hao Liu, Jinquan Li, Jihua Wu, Bo Li, Ming Nie","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02221-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02221-y","url":null,"abstract":"Wetlands, among Earth’s most carbon-dense ecosystems, are vital for climate change mitigation. While plant diversity has been widely shown to increase soil carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems, its influence in natural wetlands remains unclear. Here, using data from 1,268 natural wetlands surveyed in the US National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA), we examined how trait-based plant diversity (functional diversity) and composition (functional identity) affect soil carbon storage. We show that functional diversity had a minimal effect on carbon stocks, and its influence was weakened by elevated soil nutrient availability and non-native plant stress. In contrast, soil carbon storage was generally greater in wetlands dominated by larger, slow-growing and highly hydrophytic plants. Moreover, the benefits of functional identity were contingent on higher water levels and lower human disturbance. These findings suggest that the conservation and restoration of wetlands dominated by large, conservative and hydrophytic species under hydric conditions could help achieve climate change mitigation goals. Wetlands dominated by larger, slower-growing and highly hydrophytic plants, rather than those with higher functional diversity, tend to store more soil organic carbon.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 2","pages":"294-307"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146102112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1038/s41477-026-02220-z
Erin E. Reynolds, Marena Trauger, Fu-Shuang Li, Jonathan Huang, Trevor Moss, Bastien Christ, Menglong Xu, Eva Knoch, Jing-Ke Weng
Withanolides are medicinally important steroidal lactones produced by Withania somnifera (ashwagandha), among other Solanaceae family plants, known for their neurological, anti-cancer and adaptogenic properties. However, the biosynthetic pathway to withanolides is largely unknown, preventing scale-up and hindering pharmaceutical applications. Here we generate a chromosome-scale assembly of the W. somnifera genome and identify two withanolide biosynthetic gene clusters that exhibit a segmented tissue-specific expression pattern. Using metabolic engineering in yeast, complemented by heterologous expression in Nicotiana benthamiana and virus-induced gene silencing in W. somnifera, we elucidate the withanolide biosynthetic pathway to an intermediate with all characteristic chemical features of withanolides. We report two cytochrome P450s (CYP87G1 and CYP749B2) and a short-chain dehydrogenase (SDH2) responsible for lactone ring formation. We additionally discover two P450s (CYP88C7 and CYP88C10) and a sulfotransferase (SULF1) that generate the characteristic A-ring structure of withanolides, featuring a C-1 ketone and C-2–C-3 unsaturation. Identifying SULF1 as a core pathway enzyme challenges the conventional paradigm of sulfotransferases as tailoring enzymes and suggests a wider role for this enzyme family in plant specialized metabolism. This work opens new avenues for the sustainable production of withanolides through biomanufacturing and for drug development leveraging the withanolide scaffold. The authors identify key enzymes, including four cytochrome P450s, a dehydrogenase and a sulfotransferase, that together build the core chemical scaffold of withanolides, medicinal compounds from ashwagandha with neurological and anti-cancer activities.
{"title":"Elucidation of gene clusters underlying withanolide biosynthesis in ashwagandha through yeast metabolic engineering","authors":"Erin E. Reynolds, Marena Trauger, Fu-Shuang Li, Jonathan Huang, Trevor Moss, Bastien Christ, Menglong Xu, Eva Knoch, Jing-Ke Weng","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02220-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02220-z","url":null,"abstract":"Withanolides are medicinally important steroidal lactones produced by Withania somnifera (ashwagandha), among other Solanaceae family plants, known for their neurological, anti-cancer and adaptogenic properties. However, the biosynthetic pathway to withanolides is largely unknown, preventing scale-up and hindering pharmaceutical applications. Here we generate a chromosome-scale assembly of the W. somnifera genome and identify two withanolide biosynthetic gene clusters that exhibit a segmented tissue-specific expression pattern. Using metabolic engineering in yeast, complemented by heterologous expression in Nicotiana benthamiana and virus-induced gene silencing in W. somnifera, we elucidate the withanolide biosynthetic pathway to an intermediate with all characteristic chemical features of withanolides. We report two cytochrome P450s (CYP87G1 and CYP749B2) and a short-chain dehydrogenase (SDH2) responsible for lactone ring formation. We additionally discover two P450s (CYP88C7 and CYP88C10) and a sulfotransferase (SULF1) that generate the characteristic A-ring structure of withanolides, featuring a C-1 ketone and C-2–C-3 unsaturation. Identifying SULF1 as a core pathway enzyme challenges the conventional paradigm of sulfotransferases as tailoring enzymes and suggests a wider role for this enzyme family in plant specialized metabolism. This work opens new avenues for the sustainable production of withanolides through biomanufacturing and for drug development leveraging the withanolide scaffold. The authors identify key enzymes, including four cytochrome P450s, a dehydrogenase and a sulfotransferase, that together build the core chemical scaffold of withanolides, medicinal compounds from ashwagandha with neurological and anti-cancer activities.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 2","pages":"432-446"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146089389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1038/s41477-026-02230-x
The OsLHT1a allele of the amino acid transporter gene OsLHT1 in the Oryza sativa spp. japonica rice variety, which differs from the OsLHT1b allele in the Oryza sativa spp. indica variety, enhances organic nitrogen use efficiency in high-organic-matter soils through recruitment of a specific rhizosphere microbiota that boosts amino acid production and uptake.
{"title":"A rice allele influences organic nitrogen use efficiency by altering rhizosphere microbiota composition","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41477-026-02230-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-026-02230-x","url":null,"abstract":"The OsLHT1a allele of the amino acid transporter gene OsLHT1 in the Oryza sativa spp. japonica rice variety, which differs from the OsLHT1b allele in the Oryza sativa spp. indica variety, enhances organic nitrogen use efficiency in high-organic-matter soils through recruitment of a specific rhizosphere microbiota that boosts amino acid production and uptake.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 2","pages":"275-276"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146088942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amino acids are plant-available organic nitrogen (N) that can be directly absorbed, but their availability relies on microbial decomposition of organic matter in the soil. Natural variation in Lysine-Histidine-Type Transporter-1 (OsLHT1) (NCBI Gene ID: 3974662 ) is associated with higher amino acid uptake in japonica rice than in indica. However, how this genetic variation influences rhizosphere microbiome assembly and its subsequent impact on amino acid acquisition remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that the OsLHT1a allele in japonica is prevalent in rice grown in high-organic-N soils, where it recruits a distinct rhizosphere microbiome to enhance amino acid acquisition. A synthetic microbiota composed of bacteria enriched by the OsLHT1a allele in japonica enhanced amino acid production in soil through organic matter decomposition and increased root amino acid uptake by upregulating OsLHT1 gene expression. The rhizosphere colonization of the synthetic microbiota was specifically driven by the function of OsLHT1. Notably, organic fertilization facilitated this colonization, thereby improving organic N use efficiency and rice yield. This root–rhizosphere microbiome functional synergy under organic fertilization presents a promising strategy to increase organic fertilizer use efficiency and demonstrates the potential for harnessing plant-gene-associated rhizosphere microbiomes for sustainable agriculture. The japonica allele of the amino acid transporter gene OsLHT1, differing from that in indica rice, enhances organic N use efficiency in high-organic-matter soils by recruiting a specific rhizosphere microbiota to boost amino acid production and uptake.
{"title":"Amino-acid-transporter-mediated assembly of rhizosphere microbiota enhances soil organic nitrogen acquisition in rice","authors":"Aiyuan Ma, Weibing Xun, Shunan Zhang, Shuxin Liang, Wei Wei, Han Huang, Qirong Shen, Guohua Xu, Ruifu Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s41477-025-02217-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-025-02217-0","url":null,"abstract":"Amino acids are plant-available organic nitrogen (N) that can be directly absorbed, but their availability relies on microbial decomposition of organic matter in the soil. Natural variation in Lysine-Histidine-Type Transporter-1 (OsLHT1) (NCBI Gene ID: 3974662 ) is associated with higher amino acid uptake in japonica rice than in indica. However, how this genetic variation influences rhizosphere microbiome assembly and its subsequent impact on amino acid acquisition remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that the OsLHT1a allele in japonica is prevalent in rice grown in high-organic-N soils, where it recruits a distinct rhizosphere microbiome to enhance amino acid acquisition. A synthetic microbiota composed of bacteria enriched by the OsLHT1a allele in japonica enhanced amino acid production in soil through organic matter decomposition and increased root amino acid uptake by upregulating OsLHT1 gene expression. The rhizosphere colonization of the synthetic microbiota was specifically driven by the function of OsLHT1. Notably, organic fertilization facilitated this colonization, thereby improving organic N use efficiency and rice yield. This root–rhizosphere microbiome functional synergy under organic fertilization presents a promising strategy to increase organic fertilizer use efficiency and demonstrates the potential for harnessing plant-gene-associated rhizosphere microbiomes for sustainable agriculture. The japonica allele of the amino acid transporter gene OsLHT1, differing from that in indica rice, enhances organic N use efficiency in high-organic-matter soils by recruiting a specific rhizosphere microbiota to boost amino acid production and uptake.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 2","pages":"356-368"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146088943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
How somatic cells acquire totipotency and subsequently develop into a whole plant (plantlet) remains a mystery in plant biology. Here we used three Kalanchoe species to address this fundamental question. By assembling high-quality chromosome-level reference genomes and conducting comparative genomic analyses, we reveal hidden signatures of gene expansion, contraction and loss during the evolution of Kalanchoe species and elucidate conserved temporal gene expression signatures and epigenetic states during plantlet formation. Remarkably, we uncover three innovations contributing to the plantlet formation in Kalanchoe. Specifically, our results suggest that the loss of the F-box gene LCR is a prerequisite for plantlet formation. Both gene duplication and increased chromatin accessibility of pluripotency-associated genes further create conditions that enhance the potential of plantlet formation. The previously uncharacterized gene KdLBD19 could be leveraged to improve crop transformation efficiency. Overall, this study reveals the genetic basis underlying the acquisition of totipotency and plantlet formation in Kalanchoe. This study reports that genomic signatures composed of the loss of pluripotency inhibitors, expansion of pluripotency activators and maintenance of an epigenetically permissive state contribute to the plantlet formation in Kalanchoe.
{"title":"Unravelling the predominant genetic paths for asexual reproduction in Kalanchoe","authors":"Xiang-Ru Meng, Qian-Qian Wang, Shang-Li Zhu, Jia-Li Wang, Chen-Ze Qi, Jiao Yu, Yu Zhang, Zhou-Geng Xu, Yan-Xia Mai, Zhong-Yuan Chang, Ying-Juan Cheng, Jia-Yu Xue, Ye Liu, Tian-Qi Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s41477-025-02214-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-025-02214-3","url":null,"abstract":"How somatic cells acquire totipotency and subsequently develop into a whole plant (plantlet) remains a mystery in plant biology. Here we used three Kalanchoe species to address this fundamental question. By assembling high-quality chromosome-level reference genomes and conducting comparative genomic analyses, we reveal hidden signatures of gene expansion, contraction and loss during the evolution of Kalanchoe species and elucidate conserved temporal gene expression signatures and epigenetic states during plantlet formation. Remarkably, we uncover three innovations contributing to the plantlet formation in Kalanchoe. Specifically, our results suggest that the loss of the F-box gene LCR is a prerequisite for plantlet formation. Both gene duplication and increased chromatin accessibility of pluripotency-associated genes further create conditions that enhance the potential of plantlet formation. The previously uncharacterized gene KdLBD19 could be leveraged to improve crop transformation efficiency. Overall, this study reveals the genetic basis underlying the acquisition of totipotency and plantlet formation in Kalanchoe. This study reports that genomic signatures composed of the loss of pluripotency inhibitors, expansion of pluripotency activators and maintenance of an epigenetically permissive state contribute to the plantlet formation in Kalanchoe.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 2","pages":"369-385"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1038/s41477-025-02215-2
Kenji Fukushima
A genomic analysis reveals how Kalanchoe succulents, known as the ‘mother of thousands’, reinvent propagation. By losing meristem activity regulators, amplifying developmental genes and opening up chromatin, these plants sprout new plantlets from their leaves, with implications for plant totipotency and crop engineering.
{"title":"Genomic cradle for thousands","authors":"Kenji Fukushima","doi":"10.1038/s41477-025-02215-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41477-025-02215-2","url":null,"abstract":"A genomic analysis reveals how Kalanchoe succulents, known as the ‘mother of thousands’, reinvent propagation. By losing meristem activity regulators, amplifying developmental genes and opening up chromatin, these plants sprout new plantlets from their leaves, with implications for plant totipotency and crop engineering.","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":"12 2","pages":"271-272"},"PeriodicalIF":13.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146086441","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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