Summary Calcium (Ca 2+ ) signaling is integral to nearly all aspects of plant biology, including development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. It operates through two main layers: the generation of Ca 2+ signals and their decoding by Ca 2+ ‐binding proteins, which act early in diverse signaling pathways. The system exhibits remarkable robustness and versatility, largely due to its network‐like organization. While fundamental principles of Ca 2+ signaling were initially established in noncrop model organisms, recent research has increasingly expanded toward major crop species and has demonstrated that natural and synthetically created variation in Ca 2+ signaling components can shape agronomically important traits. In this review, we first provide a concise overview of the fundamental principles of plant Ca 2+ signaling and then synthesize the current status of this research field in major crop plants. We discuss why exploiting existing natural and engineering synthetic genetic diversity in Ca 2+ signaling components offers promising strategies to enhance crop stress resilience and yield stability. Subsequently, we delineate how – aided by artificial intelligence – superior alleles can be identified and/or created and incorporated into elite crop genomes. Finally, we discuss current challenges and emerging perspectives in translating Ca 2+ signaling research into practical applications for crop improvement.
{"title":"Calcium signaling in crops","authors":"Chunxia Zhang, Yang Song, Jörg Kudla","doi":"10.1111/nph.70796","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70796","url":null,"abstract":"Summary Calcium (Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> ) signaling is integral to nearly all aspects of plant biology, including development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. It operates through two main layers: the generation of Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> signals and their decoding by Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> ‐binding proteins, which act early in diverse signaling pathways. The system exhibits remarkable robustness and versatility, largely due to its network‐like organization. While fundamental principles of Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> signaling were initially established in noncrop model organisms, recent research has increasingly expanded toward major crop species and has demonstrated that natural and synthetically created variation in Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> signaling components can shape agronomically important traits. In this review, we first provide a concise overview of the fundamental principles of plant Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> signaling and then synthesize the current status of this research field in major crop plants. We discuss why exploiting existing natural and engineering synthetic genetic diversity in Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> signaling components offers promising strategies to enhance crop stress resilience and yield stability. Subsequently, we delineate how – aided by artificial intelligence – superior alleles can be identified and/or created and incorporated into elite crop genomes. Finally, we discuss current challenges and emerging perspectives in translating Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> signaling research into practical applications for crop improvement.","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"113 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145711447","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}
Eliza I Clark,Miles A Moore,Colin K Khoury,Brent S Hulke,Nolan C Kane,Sarah C Elmendorf
Phenological shifts are near ubiquitous responses to climate change in both wild and agricultural systems, but the fitness consequences of these shifts are unclear. We evaluate how flowering phenology influences fitness and how climate influences the relationship between flowering phenology and fitness. We use a large dataset of performance trials of oilseed sunflower varieties (Helianthus annuus L.) conducted since 1978 across the Great Plains of North America. We estimate the flowering time that optimizes yield (fitness) in 341 environments to quantify how climate variation impacts the optimal flowering time. We find that temperature is a key driver of optimal phenology, with earlier and faster flowering favored in hotter years and locations. Flowering time differences explain 9% of the variation in fitness between sunflower genotypes within trials. Flowering shifts a week away from the optimum incurred substantial penalties, with a median yield reduction of 23%. Our results indicate that the shifts to earlier phenology commonly observed under climate warming may be beneficial. In sunflower, maximizing agricultural productivity under future climates will likely require both careful selection of varieties to match new conditions as well as breeding new varieties that flower faster than material that is currently available commercially.
{"title":"Climate drives variation in optimal phenology: 46 years of multi-environment trials in sunflower.","authors":"Eliza I Clark,Miles A Moore,Colin K Khoury,Brent S Hulke,Nolan C Kane,Sarah C Elmendorf","doi":"10.1111/nph.70790","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70790","url":null,"abstract":"Phenological shifts are near ubiquitous responses to climate change in both wild and agricultural systems, but the fitness consequences of these shifts are unclear. We evaluate how flowering phenology influences fitness and how climate influences the relationship between flowering phenology and fitness. We use a large dataset of performance trials of oilseed sunflower varieties (Helianthus annuus L.) conducted since 1978 across the Great Plains of North America. We estimate the flowering time that optimizes yield (fitness) in 341 environments to quantify how climate variation impacts the optimal flowering time. We find that temperature is a key driver of optimal phenology, with earlier and faster flowering favored in hotter years and locations. Flowering time differences explain 9% of the variation in fitness between sunflower genotypes within trials. Flowering shifts a week away from the optimum incurred substantial penalties, with a median yield reduction of 23%. Our results indicate that the shifts to earlier phenology commonly observed under climate warming may be beneficial. In sunflower, maximizing agricultural productivity under future climates will likely require both careful selection of varieties to match new conditions as well as breeding new varieties that flower faster than material that is currently available commercially.","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"364 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145710765","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}
José Moya‐Cuevas, Paloma Ortiz‐García, Adrián González Ortega‐Villaizán, Irene Viguera‐Leza, Andrés Pérez‐González, Javier Paz‐Ares, Carlos Alonso‐Blanco, Jesús Vicente‐Carbajosa, Stephan Pollmann
Summary Plants orchestrate their developmental processes and responses to environmental stimuli through a sophisticated network of small signaling molecules, termed phytohormones. Among these, auxins are recognized for their role in promoting plant growth. However, indole‐3‐acetamide (IAM), an auxin precursor, has been observed to inhibit primary root elongation. The molecular mechanism underlying this inhibitory effect remains largely unexplored. A comprehensive genome‐wide association study (GWAS) conducted on a highly diverse collection of 166 wild Arabidopsis accessions from the Iberian Peninsula has identified several genomic regions associated with reduced IAM sensitivity under controlled in vitro conditions. This study highlighted ABA3 and GA2ox2 as possible candidate genes. Molecular and structural analyses suggest that the inhibition of primary root elongation induced by IAM is intricately associated with the enhanced production of abscisic acid (ABA) involving ABA3. Studies employing mutant and reporter lines have confirmed that IAM activates ABA signaling, thereby revealing a novel interaction between the auxin precursor IAM and ABA and suggesting an independent role for IAM as a signaling molecule in plant hormone crosstalk.
{"title":"Identification of a novel link connecting indole‐3‐acetamide with abscisic acid biosynthesis and signaling","authors":"José Moya‐Cuevas, Paloma Ortiz‐García, Adrián González Ortega‐Villaizán, Irene Viguera‐Leza, Andrés Pérez‐González, Javier Paz‐Ares, Carlos Alonso‐Blanco, Jesús Vicente‐Carbajosa, Stephan Pollmann","doi":"10.1111/nph.70819","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70819","url":null,"abstract":"Summary <jats:list list-type=\"bullet\"> <jats:list-item> Plants orchestrate their developmental processes and responses to environmental stimuli through a sophisticated network of small signaling molecules, termed phytohormones. Among these, auxins are recognized for their role in promoting plant growth. However, indole‐3‐acetamide (IAM), an auxin precursor, has been observed to inhibit primary root elongation. The molecular mechanism underlying this inhibitory effect remains largely unexplored. </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> A comprehensive genome‐wide association study (GWAS) conducted on a highly diverse collection of 166 wild Arabidopsis accessions from the Iberian Peninsula has identified several genomic regions associated with reduced IAM sensitivity under controlled <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic> conditions. This study highlighted <jats:italic>ABA3</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>GA2ox2</jats:italic> as possible candidate genes. </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> Molecular and structural analyses suggest that the inhibition of primary root elongation induced by IAM is intricately associated with the enhanced production of abscisic acid (ABA) involving ABA3. </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> Studies employing mutant and reporter lines have confirmed that IAM activates ABA signaling, thereby revealing a novel interaction between the auxin precursor IAM and ABA and suggesting an independent role for IAM as a signaling molecule in plant hormone crosstalk. </jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145704277","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}
Summary The movement of ion‐driven electrogenic events known as plant action potentials in the Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula has first been recognized in Darwin's time. Besides electrophysiological techniques making use of current‐ and voltage‐recording electrodes, today an ever‐growing spectrum of tools has become available, that report online changes in membrane potential and ion concentration. This represents a big step forward, particularly in comparison to the ‘dark’ times when calcium‐signaling studies could not take advantage of Ca 2+ reporters. Very recently, the first tools from a potpourri of light‐gated ion channels routinely used in neurobiology took the plant signaling field to a new level. This kind of genetically encoded, noninvasive opto‐tools can be activated by light and provide for remote controlling the membrane potential and ionic second messengers such as Ca 2+ and H + . In future studies, such optogenetic tools in combination with the appropriate reporters for ionic and electrical impulses will allow studying membrane‐delimited early steps in plant signal transduction. Moreover, this toolbox will help us tackle the question of how, for example, Ca 2+ and/or electrical signatures are assessed in terms of local and long‐distance information management.
{"title":"The power of ionic movements in plants","authors":"Rainer Hedrich, Ines Kreuzer","doi":"10.1111/nph.70807","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70807","url":null,"abstract":"Summary The movement of ion‐driven electrogenic events known as plant action potentials in the Venus flytrap <jats:italic>Dionaea muscipula</jats:italic> has first been recognized in Darwin's time. Besides electrophysiological techniques making use of current‐ and voltage‐recording electrodes, today an ever‐growing spectrum of tools has become available, that report online changes in membrane potential and ion concentration. This represents a big step forward, particularly in comparison to the ‘dark’ times when calcium‐signaling studies could not take advantage of Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> reporters. Very recently, the first tools from a potpourri of light‐gated ion channels routinely used in neurobiology took the plant signaling field to a new level. This kind of genetically encoded, noninvasive opto‐tools can be activated by light and provide for remote controlling the membrane potential and ionic second messengers such as Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> and H <jats:sup>+</jats:sup> . In future studies, such optogenetic tools in combination with the appropriate reporters for ionic and electrical impulses will allow studying membrane‐delimited early steps in plant signal transduction. Moreover, this toolbox will help us tackle the question of how, for example, Ca <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> and/or electrical signatures are assessed in terms of local and long‐distance information management.","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145704495","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}
Akira Yamawo, Hayato Ishikawa, Masatsugu Takekawa, Nanako Nakashima, Haruna Ohsaki, Hiromi Mukai, Yuri Kanno, Mitsunori Seo, Yasushi Todoroki, Jun Takeuchi, Shinichiro Sawa
Summary Seedlings are particularly vulnerable to herbivory because their defenses are underdeveloped and their capacity to tolerate damage is limited. However, how seedlings cope with such threats remains poorly understood. Animal feces may provide important chemical cues that influence plant responses to herbivory. We examined whether the presence of isopod feces affects the herbivory of Japanese plantain ( Plantago asiatica ) seedlings in the field. Laboratory experiments were also conducted to test the effects of herbivore feces on P. asiatica germination. Bioactive compounds in the feces that regulate seed germination were extracted and identified. The field experiments indicated that the presence of isopod feces induces seed germination on rainy days (when isopod activity is low), reduces herbivory, and triples the survival rate of P. asiatica seedlings. In the laboratory, feces from isopods that had recently fed on P. asiatica leaves suppressed seed germination. However, germination resumed after simulated rain washed them away. Chemical analyses revealed that trehalose and abscisic acid are the active compounds responsible for germination suppression. These findings demonstrate that the detection of chemical cues in animal feces by seeds alters their germination timing accordingly, thereby increasing their chances of survival in environments with high herbivore densities.
{"title":"Isopod feces–mediated shifts in germination timing enhance seedling establishment","authors":"Akira Yamawo, Hayato Ishikawa, Masatsugu Takekawa, Nanako Nakashima, Haruna Ohsaki, Hiromi Mukai, Yuri Kanno, Mitsunori Seo, Yasushi Todoroki, Jun Takeuchi, Shinichiro Sawa","doi":"10.1111/nph.70750","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70750","url":null,"abstract":"Summary <jats:list list-type=\"bullet\"> <jats:list-item> Seedlings are particularly vulnerable to herbivory because their defenses are underdeveloped and their capacity to tolerate damage is limited. However, how seedlings cope with such threats remains poorly understood. Animal feces may provide important chemical cues that influence plant responses to herbivory. </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> We examined whether the presence of isopod feces affects the herbivory of Japanese plantain ( <jats:italic>Plantago asiatica</jats:italic> ) seedlings in the field. Laboratory experiments were also conducted to test the effects of herbivore feces on <jats:italic>P. asiatica</jats:italic> germination. Bioactive compounds in the feces that regulate seed germination were extracted and identified. </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> The field experiments indicated that the presence of isopod feces induces seed germination on rainy days (when isopod activity is low), reduces herbivory, and triples the survival rate of <jats:italic>P. asiatica</jats:italic> seedlings. In the laboratory, feces from isopods that had recently fed on <jats:italic>P. asiatica</jats:italic> leaves suppressed seed germination. However, germination resumed after simulated rain washed them away. Chemical analyses revealed that trehalose and abscisic acid are the active compounds responsible for germination suppression. </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> These findings demonstrate that the detection of chemical cues in animal feces by seeds alters their germination timing accordingly, thereby increasing their chances of survival in environments with high herbivore densities. </jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145704595","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}
Pavel Jelínek,Karel Müller,Eliška Kobercová,Adéla Přibylová,Milada Čovanová,Petre I Dobrev,Roberta Vaculíková,Zuzana Vondráková,Lenka Helusová,Anita Bírošíková,Lukáš Fischer,Jan Petrášek
Exogenously applied auxins are essential for establishing cell lines in tissue cultures and maintaining their proliferation. Cell lines may develop the ability to proliferate even in media lacking auxin, they may become auxin-habituated. This study investigated the mechanisms underlying this process. Here, we conducted comprehensive auxin metabolic profilings, pharmacological treatments and transcriptomic comparisons in two independently habituated tobacco cell lines, BY-2H and VBI-2, derived from cell lines of cultivars Bright Yellow (BY-2) and Virginia Bright Italia (VBI-0). Our results show that both habituated lines developed different mechanisms of auxin autonomy. In VBI-2, increased expression of MADS-domain transcription factor genes suggests epigenetically determined habituation. By contrast, in BY-2H, genome resequencing identified a massive amplification of the genomic region containing the TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE 1 (TIR1) gene, causing its strong upregulation. Mimicking this by inducible overexpression of TIR1 in the auxin-dependent BY-2 line allowed its proliferation in the absence of exogenous auxin. Compensating for auxin deficiency by increasing level of its receptor is a very intriguing phenomenon. The amplification of the TIR1 genomic region is a unique example of in-flask microevolution under strong selection pressure with potential interest for biotechnological applications.
外源生长素是建立组织培养细胞系和维持其增殖的必要条件。即使在缺乏生长素的培养基中，细胞系也可能发展出增殖能力，它们可能成为生长素习惯。本研究调查了这一过程背后的机制。在这里，我们对两个独立习惯的烟草细胞系BY-2H和VBI-2进行了全面的生长素代谢谱、药理处理和转录组学比较，这两个细胞系来源于品种Bright Yellow （BY-2）和Virginia Bright Italia （VBI-0）的细胞系。结果表明，两种驯化系的生长素自主机制不同。在VBI-2中，mads结构域转录因子基因的表达增加表明表观遗传决定了习惯化。相比之下，在By - 2h中，基因组重测序发现含有转运抑制剂反应1 （TIR1）基因的基因组区域大量扩增，导致其强烈上调。通过诱导TIR1在生长素依赖的by -2细胞系中过表达来模拟这种情况，使其在缺乏外源生长素的情况下增殖。通过增加生长素受体水平来补偿生长素缺乏是一个非常有趣的现象。TIR1基因组区域的扩增是在强选择压力下的瓶内微进化的独特例子，具有潜在的生物技术应用价值。
{"title":"A novel mechanism of auxin habituation: upregulation of auxin receptor TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE 1 allows cell proliferation independent of external auxin.","authors":"Pavel Jelínek,Karel Müller,Eliška Kobercová,Adéla Přibylová,Milada Čovanová,Petre I Dobrev,Roberta Vaculíková,Zuzana Vondráková,Lenka Helusová,Anita Bírošíková,Lukáš Fischer,Jan Petrášek","doi":"10.1111/nph.70763","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70763","url":null,"abstract":"Exogenously applied auxins are essential for establishing cell lines in tissue cultures and maintaining their proliferation. Cell lines may develop the ability to proliferate even in media lacking auxin, they may become auxin-habituated. This study investigated the mechanisms underlying this process. Here, we conducted comprehensive auxin metabolic profilings, pharmacological treatments and transcriptomic comparisons in two independently habituated tobacco cell lines, BY-2H and VBI-2, derived from cell lines of cultivars Bright Yellow (BY-2) and Virginia Bright Italia (VBI-0). Our results show that both habituated lines developed different mechanisms of auxin autonomy. In VBI-2, increased expression of MADS-domain transcription factor genes suggests epigenetically determined habituation. By contrast, in BY-2H, genome resequencing identified a massive amplification of the genomic region containing the TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE 1 (TIR1) gene, causing its strong upregulation. Mimicking this by inducible overexpression of TIR1 in the auxin-dependent BY-2 line allowed its proliferation in the absence of exogenous auxin. Compensating for auxin deficiency by increasing level of its receptor is a very intriguing phenomenon. The amplification of the TIR1 genomic region is a unique example of in-flask microevolution under strong selection pressure with potential interest for biotechnological applications.","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145710766","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}
Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is a serious vascular wilt disease in cotton (Gossypium spp.). However, the roles and mechanisms of cotton gland formation (CGF) genes in regulating cotton V. dahliae resistance remain elusive. Virus-induced gene silencing or CRISPR-/Cas9-mediated knockdown or knockout of GbCGF2/3 decreases cotton resistance to Verticillium wilt. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) shows lower transcript levels of the suberin biosynthetic gene fatty acyl-coenzyme A reductase 3.1 (FAR3.1) in GbCGF2/3-silenced cotton plants. Silencing or knocking out GbFAR3.1 impairs cotton resistance to V. dahliae and decreases suberin compositional monomer fatty acids (C16-C24) contents. GbCGF2/3 positively regulates GbFAR3.1 expression by binding to its promoter. Suberin deposition in the lamellae layer of the root cell wall decreases significantly in GbCGF2/3 Cas9-mediated knockout and GbFAR3.1-silenced cotton plants. Additionally, the expression of gossypol biosynthetic genes and defense-related genes PDF1.2 and PR4 in the phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) pathway is also downregulated in GbCGF2/3-silenced or Cas9-mediated knockout plants. In conclusion, GbCGF2/3 positively regulates Verticillium wilt resistance through promoting suberin biosynthesis, gossypol accumulation and expression of JA signaling defense-related genes, providing a novel insight and strategy for breeding cotton cultivars resistant to Verticillium wilt.
{"title":"Cotton gland formation genes GbCGF2/3 positively regulate Verticillium wilt resistance through modulating suberin biosynthesis.","authors":"Feifei Yi,Lili Shao,Shuang Wu,Kai Cheng,Zheng Zhang,Yuzhe Li,Shanci Hu,Jinping Wan,Qi Liu,Lijun Guo,Xiangyu Zhang,Baoshuan Shang,Juanjuan Yu,Huanquan Zheng,Jinggao Liu,Yingfan Cai,Xiao Zhang","doi":"10.1111/nph.70809","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70809","url":null,"abstract":"Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is a serious vascular wilt disease in cotton (Gossypium spp.). However, the roles and mechanisms of cotton gland formation (CGF) genes in regulating cotton V. dahliae resistance remain elusive. Virus-induced gene silencing or CRISPR-/Cas9-mediated knockdown or knockout of GbCGF2/3 decreases cotton resistance to Verticillium wilt. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) shows lower transcript levels of the suberin biosynthetic gene fatty acyl-coenzyme A reductase 3.1 (FAR3.1) in GbCGF2/3-silenced cotton plants. Silencing or knocking out GbFAR3.1 impairs cotton resistance to V. dahliae and decreases suberin compositional monomer fatty acids (C16-C24) contents. GbCGF2/3 positively regulates GbFAR3.1 expression by binding to its promoter. Suberin deposition in the lamellae layer of the root cell wall decreases significantly in GbCGF2/3 Cas9-mediated knockout and GbFAR3.1-silenced cotton plants. Additionally, the expression of gossypol biosynthetic genes and defense-related genes PDF1.2 and PR4 in the phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) pathway is also downregulated in GbCGF2/3-silenced or Cas9-mediated knockout plants. In conclusion, GbCGF2/3 positively regulates Verticillium wilt resistance through promoting suberin biosynthesis, gossypol accumulation and expression of JA signaling defense-related genes, providing a novel insight and strategy for breeding cotton cultivars resistant to Verticillium wilt.","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145696660","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}
Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and development, yet its availability in soils is often limited or excessive, leading to widespread Fe deficiency or toxicity that constrains crop productivity. While Fe uptake, transport, and signaling pathways have been well characterized, the role of the root cell wall as a dynamic regulator of Fe homeostasis remains largely overlooked. This review presents the first comprehensive synthesis of how the structural and biochemical plasticity of the root apoplast and endodermis modulates Fe acquisition and distribution. We highlight key mechanisms, including pectin demethylation, proton extrusion, apoplastic acidification, callose deposition, Casparian strip formation, and suberization, that actively influence Fe solubility, binding, and radial movement across root tissues. By integrating recent findings on root cell-wall plasticity with Fe regulation, we identify regulatory hubs that link Fe status to cell-wall remodeling, as well as major knowledge gaps in the signaling pathways that mediate this connection. This timely review introduces a novel perspective that connects physical cell wall dynamics with molecular Fe signaling and underscores the potential of targeting cell wall traits to enhance Fe use efficiency and crop resilience, particularly on marginal soils.
{"title":"Root cell wall plasticity in iron homeostasis: an overlooked frontier in plant nutrition.","authors":"Poonam Kanwar,Petra Bauer","doi":"10.1111/nph.70806","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70806","url":null,"abstract":"Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and development, yet its availability in soils is often limited or excessive, leading to widespread Fe deficiency or toxicity that constrains crop productivity. While Fe uptake, transport, and signaling pathways have been well characterized, the role of the root cell wall as a dynamic regulator of Fe homeostasis remains largely overlooked. This review presents the first comprehensive synthesis of how the structural and biochemical plasticity of the root apoplast and endodermis modulates Fe acquisition and distribution. We highlight key mechanisms, including pectin demethylation, proton extrusion, apoplastic acidification, callose deposition, Casparian strip formation, and suberization, that actively influence Fe solubility, binding, and radial movement across root tissues. By integrating recent findings on root cell-wall plasticity with Fe regulation, we identify regulatory hubs that link Fe status to cell-wall remodeling, as well as major knowledge gaps in the signaling pathways that mediate this connection. This timely review introduces a novel perspective that connects physical cell wall dynamics with molecular Fe signaling and underscores the potential of targeting cell wall traits to enhance Fe use efficiency and crop resilience, particularly on marginal soils.","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145696882","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}
Increasing frequencies of severe summer droughts and plant diversity loss disrupt ecosystem functioning and stability of European grasslands. Understanding how these factors interact with pathogens is crucial. We investigated the effects of plant diversity and repeated summer drought on soil-borne parasites within a grassland biodiversity experiment. The experiment included plant communities ranging from 1 to 60 species, with a sub-experiment simulating annual droughts for 6 wk in summer over 9 yr. One year after the final drought period, we analyzed the diversity and community composition of two parasitic protistan taxa with many plant-pathogenic members, Oomycota (Stramenopila) and Phytomyxea (Rhizaria), as well as protistan consumers in the Cercozoa (Rhizaria) using amplicon sequencing. Both Oomycota and Cercozoa, including Phytomyxea, responded to plant species richness and drought, but not uniformly. Plant species-specific Oomycota were enriched under drought, while Phytomyxea and cercozoan consumers exhibited shifts in both enriched and reduced operational taxonomic units. No mitigating effect of plant diversity against the effects of drought was observed. Our findings suggest that repeated summer droughts weaken plant defense against protistan plant parasites, causing long-lasting soil legacy effects across plant communities varying in diversity and community composition, potentially threatening ecosystem stability and functioning under future climate conditions.
{"title":"Legacies of consecutive summer droughts on soil-borne plant parasitic protists (Oomycota: Stramenopila and Phytomyxea: Rhizaria) and protistan consumers (Cercozoa: Rhizaria) along an experimental plant diversity gradient.","authors":"Marcel Dominik Solbach,Cynthia Albracht,Kenneth Dumack,Nico Eisenhauer,Anna Maria Fiore-Donno,Nils Heck,Anja Vogel,Cameron Wagg,Michael Bonkowski","doi":"10.1111/nph.70756","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70756","url":null,"abstract":"Increasing frequencies of severe summer droughts and plant diversity loss disrupt ecosystem functioning and stability of European grasslands. Understanding how these factors interact with pathogens is crucial. We investigated the effects of plant diversity and repeated summer drought on soil-borne parasites within a grassland biodiversity experiment. The experiment included plant communities ranging from 1 to 60 species, with a sub-experiment simulating annual droughts for 6 wk in summer over 9 yr. One year after the final drought period, we analyzed the diversity and community composition of two parasitic protistan taxa with many plant-pathogenic members, Oomycota (Stramenopila) and Phytomyxea (Rhizaria), as well as protistan consumers in the Cercozoa (Rhizaria) using amplicon sequencing. Both Oomycota and Cercozoa, including Phytomyxea, responded to plant species richness and drought, but not uniformly. Plant species-specific Oomycota were enriched under drought, while Phytomyxea and cercozoan consumers exhibited shifts in both enriched and reduced operational taxonomic units. No mitigating effect of plant diversity against the effects of drought was observed. Our findings suggest that repeated summer droughts weaken plant defense against protistan plant parasites, causing long-lasting soil legacy effects across plant communities varying in diversity and community composition, potentially threatening ecosystem stability and functioning under future climate conditions.","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145696659","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}
Heat stress is a major environmental challenge affecting agricultural productivity and food security. The jasmonate (JA)-myelocytomatosis protein 2 (MYC2) pathway plays a critical role in plant growth and stress response. However, the mechanisms of how the JA-MYC2 pathway participates in the heat stress response in tomato remain unclear. Here, using approaches of reverse genetics, biochemical and molecular biology, we explore the molecular mechanism by which the JA signaling pathway and the histone demethylase Jumonji C domain - containing protein C3 (JMJC3) synergistically regulate thermotolerance in tomato. The JA biosynthetic mutant spr2 exhibited reduced thermotolerance, which was rescued by exogenous methyl jasmonate. Further analysis revealed that the transcription factor MYC2, a key JA signaling component, directly binds to the promoters of heat shock proteins (HSPs), activating their expression under heat stress. Moreover, MYC2 interacts with the histone demethylase JMJC3, which specifically removes repressive histone marks (H3K9me1/3 and H3K27me3) at HSP loci, facilitating their transcription. Genetic evidence showed that JMJC3 silencing compromises MYC2-mediated thermotolerance and HSP induction. Notably, MYC2 also transcriptionally activates JMJC3, forming a positive feedback loop. Collectively, the study unveiled a JA-MYC2-JMJC3 module that integrates hormonal signaling and epigenetic regulation to enhance HSP expression and thermotolerance in tomato, providing insights into plant adaptation to heat stress.
{"title":"MYC2 interacts with JMJC3 to modulate jasmonate-regulated thermotolerance in tomato.","authors":"Tong Xu,Tingting Ran,Ying Shi,Fengjun Yang,Xinlin Chen,Ewa Sobieszczuk-Nowicka,Vasileios Fotopoulos,Jie Zhou","doi":"10.1111/nph.70816","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70816","url":null,"abstract":"Heat stress is a major environmental challenge affecting agricultural productivity and food security. The jasmonate (JA)-myelocytomatosis protein 2 (MYC2) pathway plays a critical role in plant growth and stress response. However, the mechanisms of how the JA-MYC2 pathway participates in the heat stress response in tomato remain unclear. Here, using approaches of reverse genetics, biochemical and molecular biology, we explore the molecular mechanism by which the JA signaling pathway and the histone demethylase Jumonji C domain - containing protein C3 (JMJC3) synergistically regulate thermotolerance in tomato. The JA biosynthetic mutant spr2 exhibited reduced thermotolerance, which was rescued by exogenous methyl jasmonate. Further analysis revealed that the transcription factor MYC2, a key JA signaling component, directly binds to the promoters of heat shock proteins (HSPs), activating their expression under heat stress. Moreover, MYC2 interacts with the histone demethylase JMJC3, which specifically removes repressive histone marks (H3K9me1/3 and H3K27me3) at HSP loci, facilitating their transcription. Genetic evidence showed that JMJC3 silencing compromises MYC2-mediated thermotolerance and HSP induction. Notably, MYC2 also transcriptionally activates JMJC3, forming a positive feedback loop. Collectively, the study unveiled a JA-MYC2-JMJC3 module that integrates hormonal signaling and epigenetic regulation to enhance HSP expression and thermotolerance in tomato, providing insights into plant adaptation to heat stress.","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"411 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145696663","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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