Plant, Cell & Environment最新文献

Protoplast-based systems provide a powerful and versatile platform for exploring how plants sense and respond to their environment. By enabling the direct delivery of proteins, DNA, and RNA into plant cells after cell wall removal, this approach facilitates precise molecular dissection of signaling, stress adaptation, and gene regulation across both model species and economically important crops. In this review, we analyzed 1050 published articles and categorizing them by delivery methods, research focus, plant species, and tissue types. We further highlight recent advances, including the application of single-cell transcriptomics, which provides unprecedented resolution for dissecting cellular responses and offers deeper insights into the mechanisms underlying stress resilience. Importantly, protoplast regeneration is gaining renewed attention not only as a model system for studying cellular reprogramming but also as a practical platform for crop improvement. Applications of protoplast regeneration include protoplast fusion, which integrates nuclear and organellar DNA/genomes from divergent parents to accelerate breeding and enhance tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. Another important application is CRISPR/Cas ribonucleoprotein (RNP)-based editing targeting stress-resilience-related genes. In asexually propagated or highly heterozygous perennial crops with limited sexual reproduction, protoplast-based RNP delivery offers a viable and regulation-compliant strategy. This approach may help address public concerns over transgenic technologies while enabling the rapid development of stress-tolerant cultivars.

Due to their strong oxidizing potential, rapid membrane permeability, and high reactivity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) play essential roles in plant development and stress responses. Superoxide (O₂ ^•-) is a primary product of molecular oxygen reduction and a crucial source of hydrogen peroxide, representing a ROS species of substantial importance. Its detoxification is mediated by superoxide dismutases (SODs) and non-enzymatic antioxidants such as ascorbate and tocopherol. The inherently unstable and dynamic nature of O₂ ^•- demands tight spatial and temporal control to preserve its signaling and developmental functions. The final O₂ ^•- level and its distribution result from the combinatorial effects of its production and scavenging, which is often mediated by phytohormones such as abscisic acid and auxin. The primary objective of this article is to elucidate the putative mechanisms underlying the coregulation of O₂ ^•- production and decomposition during plant development. We summarize current insights into the ABA and auxin-mediated regulation of its production by NADPH oxidases and highlight the central role of SODs, enzymes responsible for O₂ ^•- detoxification, exploring also their key regulatory mechanisms. Using bioinformatics, we propose potential pathways coordinating O₂ ^•- production and scavenging. Mechanisms such as direct activation of SODs by ROS, transcriptional control, and protein-protein interactions that respond to developmental signals are discussed.

Small signaling peptides have emerged as central mediators of biological communication within and between species. In this review, we propose and define the concept of trans-kingdom peptides (TKPs) as short, bioactive peptides produced by one organism that exert specific physiological effects in another, often across taxonomic kingdoms. We summarize recent progress in identifying plant- and microbe-derived TKPs that function in symbiosis, parasitism, plant-microbe interactions, herbivory, and host-virus dynamics. TKPs modulate host defense, developmental programs, microbial community structure, and abiotic stress responses through highly specific interactions with conserved receptor systems. We highlight known peptide families mediating legume-rhizobia nodulation, nematode parasitism, and microbial immune suppression, as well as newly discovered viral- and insect-derived peptides that manipulate plant immunity. We discuss how they shape coevolutionary dynamics between hosts and interacting organisms. Finally, we outline current challenges and potential applications of TKPs in agriculture, biomedicine, synthetic biology, and environmental sustainability. Altogether, by framing their emerging properties and biological significance, we aim to provide a conceptual foundation and encourage interdisciplinary research into this expanding frontier of plant biology and inter-organismal communication.

Nitrogen (N) deposition has driven a tendency towards graminoid monodominance in alpine grassland plant communities on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), but the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain poorly understood. Here, we selected Leymus secalinus, the most dominant species in alpine grasslands of the QTP under N addition, to characterise its adaptation to N addition by measuring integrated morphological, physiological traits, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics at different simulated levels of N addition of 0 (CK), 8 (N1), 40 (N3) and 72 (N5) kg N ha^{- 1} yr^{- 1}. The results demonstrated that N addition significantly promoted the dominant growth of L. secalinus, enhancing its biomass and importance value. Under N addition, the expression of genes and proteins encoding key components of the photosystem (such as photosystem I and II proteins, antennae proteins, cytochrome b6f complex proteins, ferredoxin proteins) in L. secalinus was significantly up-regulated, enhancing its ability to compete for light resources. However, the enhancement of photosynthesis did not lead to the accumulation of soluble sugars and starch in L. secalinus. Instead, more carbon (C) skeletons and photosynthesis products were allocated to synthesise amino acids and their derivatives through the accelerated cyclic process of C and N metabolism to support the rapid growth of L. secalinus. Additionally, N addition obviously increased the antioxidant defence capacity of L. secalinus under the QTP's harsh environmental. These pathways might collectively contribute to the dominance of L. secalinus in alpine grassland on the QTP under N deposition, providing new insights into the response of alpine grassland plants to N deposition.

Increasing evidences show plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) benefit legume-rhizobium symbiosis, and iron-based nanoparticles (FeNPs) act as rhizobia microenvironment stabilizers. However, few studies explored if their combination exerts synergistic effects on the symbiosis in legume. Here, we compared the effects of FeNPs, Pseudomonas rhizovicinus M30-35, and their co-application (Fe + M) on alfalfa growth, nitrogen fixation, root metabolites, and rhizosphere microbiome. Compared with FeNPs and M30-35, Fe + M increased shoot height, root length, root activity, chlorophyll content, and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) by 63.2% and 45.4%, 61.1% and 70.6%, 56.2% and 47.1%, 20.1% and 18.6%, and 41.1% and 30.6%, respectively; the nodule number, nitrogenase activity, ureide content, and leghemoglobin content rose by 29.6% and 31.4%, 58.5% and 78.7%, 20.4% and 15.1%, and 9.7% and 12.4%, respectively. Metabolomic analysis showed that Fe + M enhanced the accumulation of benzenoid compounds in roots, while microbial co-occurrence network analysis indicated reduced complexity and connectivity of rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities. Importantly, core microbes, such as Hydrogenophaga, Nocardioides, unidentified_Mitochondria, and Scedosporium, were positively associated with benzenoid compounds, which contribute to nutrient cycling in the rhizosphere. Our findings demonstrate that FeNPs and PGPR strain together achieve synergistic effects on the nitrogen fixation in alfalfa.

Cadmium (Cd) is a significant environmental pollutant with widespread detrimental effects on living organisms, making it a frequent subject of laboratory studies. However, different types of Cd salts are used to spike media, often without considering the possibility that accompanying anions may influence the effects of metal cations. Using two commonly used Cd salts, CdSO₄ and CdCl₂, we observed distinct toxicity effects on Arabidopsis thaliana development. On a physiological level, 7-day-old seedlings exposed to 50 µM CdSO₄ had shorter roots than those treated with CdCl₂. Proteomic analysis revealed strong downregulation of proteins involved in microtubule organization and primary cell wall synthesis in the root of plants exposed to CdSO₄. Additionally, these plants exhibited higher Cd uptake from the medium and greater Cd accumulation in the shoot, indicating that the SO₄ ^2-, as an accompanying anion, exacerbates Cd toxicity. These findings highlight the critical but often overlooked role of accompanying anions in modulating the toxic effects of heavy metals on plants.

Drought events are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, posing major challenges to crop productivity. Beyond direct water stress, drought can indirectly affect plants by enhancing herbivore performance. While arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been proposed to alleviate drought stress and to enhance plant resistance to herbivory, their role in mediating plant responses to the two combined pressures remains poorly understood. Here, we examined the individual and interactive effects of drought, AMF colonisation, and herbivory by Spodoptera exigua on maize (Zea mays) performance by combining a semi-field experiment with growth chamber assays. Drought reduced maize biomass (by 21.5%) and chlorophyll content (by 8.2%), while AMF improved reproductive traits. In particular, AMF colonisation increased the number of ears (from 1.1 to 1.4) and ear length (from 22.5 to 24.3 cm). Interestingly, drought transiently decreased DIMBOA-Glc levels in maize leaves, an effect that was exacerbated under AMF colonisation. Consistently, drought increased leaf herbivore performance by 32%. However, AMF colonisation mitigated the drought-induced increase in herbivore performance, even though leaf damage levels remained similar, indicating a post-ingestive resistance effect. This study highlights the need to consider multi-stressor interactions to harness AMF benefits in agriculture under increasing drought pressure.

The composition of the root microbiota plays a crucial role in plant responses to soil-borne pathogens. Nevertheless, the defence mechanisms underlying multi-resistant soybean cultivars ability to combat major root rot pathogens remain poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate how a resistant soybean, Heinong 531 (HN531), mitigates root rot through root metabolite secretion, microbial interactions, and biochemical strategies. We analysed the rhizosphere microbial community, secretion of antifungal compounds, and soil enzyme activities in HN531. A "protective microbial consortium" was identified and its role in pathogen suppression was investigated. Our results indicate that this community is associated with an enrichment of beneficial microorganisms, enhanced plant defence capacity, and increased soil enzyme activity, correlating with a disease control efficacy of up to 70% against root rot. These interactions involve the secretion of antimicrobial compounds and partially reshape the rhizosphere microbial structure, forming a protective microecological barrier. Our findings provide novel molecular targets for disease-resistant soybean breeding and highlight potential microbial resources for sustainable agriculture.