Trends in Plant Science最新文献

Root-driven microbiome memory imprints biological and chemical legacies in soil, boosting plant disease resistance across generations. In a recent study, Wu et al. found flavonoids acting as key mediators, recruiting protective microbes and lowering pathogen severity beyond one crop cycle. Here, we highlight this concept, its limitations, and opportunities for sustainable disease resistance in agriculture.

Fatty acid biosynthesis and photosynthesis are major chloroplast pathways utilizing inorganic carbon (Ci). To optimize photosynthesis, microalgae use CO₂-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs). Recently, You et al. demonstrated that CCM and fatty acid synthase (FAS) are functionally linked through spatial proximity between carbonic anhydrase (CAH) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), with this crosstalk being spatially and temporally dynamic, responding to environmental CO₂ levels.

Chloroplasts and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are vital organelles for plant cellular function, yet their communication remains relatively underexplored. Beyond photosynthesis and protein folding, both organelles serve as metabolic hubs and stress sensors, and their crosstalk represents a crucial missing link in plant stress biology. The discovery of membrane contact sites (MCSs) underscores this interdependence, revealing exchanges of biomolecules such as lipids that sustain cellular homeostasis. Evidence also points to stress metabolites, secondary messengers, and hormones as possible mediators in communication, particularly under adverse conditions. By discussing established and putative signals and pointing to emerging technologies, we show that ER-chloroplast communication is critical to understanding abiotic stress adaptation and may open new avenues for improving crop resilience in a changing climate.

Systemin mediates systemic defense against pathogens and herbivores in solanaceous plants. However, constitutive activation of systemin-mediated defense can adversely impact plant growth. Recently, Wang et al. revealed their discovery of antiSYS, which functions as a system receptor antagonist and is instrumental in striking a balance between defense and growth.

There has been much recent interest in improving photosynthesis to increase crop yields. Here we evaluate strategies for increasing photosynthesis, focusing mainly on Triticum aestivum (bread wheat). We conclude that photosynthetic improvement needs to be viewed within a context of balancing feedbacks and resources (water, nitrogen) in an agricultural system with strategies required to best manage the source-sink dynamic during reproductive development to maximize radiation use efficiency (RUE). New genetic resources provide promise; genetic modifications (GM) of photosynthesis have not been sufficiently tested in field conditions. Trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) chemical intervention increases photosynthesis and yield by activating grain filling sink strength. Technologies and breeding strategies that improve source and sink together currently provide the best prospects for improving crop photosynthesis and yield.

The domestication process and origin of soybeans remain a topic of debate. In a recent study, Zhu et al. establish black soybeans as a pivotal evolutionary intermediate. They reveal the dual origins of domestication and how regional haplotype diversity was shaped. Their discoveries provide a genomic roadmap for the intelligent design of future soybeans.

Photosynthesis, vital for life on Earth, is influenced by atmospheric CO₂. Lu et al. recently found that introducing a novel malyl-CoA glycerate (McG) cycle into Arabidopsis thaliana works with the native Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle, and boosts growth, lipids, and seed yield by bypassing photorespiration, offering new strategies for crop improvement under ambient CO₂ levels.

Plant protein production systems are scalable and sustainable platforms capable of meeting the growing demand for functional proteins in nutrition, pharmaceuticals, and industry. Recent advances in essential amino acid (EAA) biosynthesis, gene regulation, and subcellular targeting have enhanced protein yields and stability, but are yet to be integrated into holistic engineering approaches. Metabolic engineering can improve amino acid (AA) metabolism and energy efficiency, while genetic engineering enables finetuned, spatiotemporal expression of target proteins. Coupled with in silico tools for protein design, novel proteins with enhanced stability and functionality can be developed. Integrating these strategies would enable the fine-tuning of protein synthesis while balancing cellular energy costs, offering context-dependent opportunities to advance protein production in plant systems.

Carbon sequestration is a promising strategy to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) levels. Of the myriad biological approaches being developed, leveraging plant roots for below-ground carbon storage offers an attractive solution that can be widely deployed. In this review we highlight the molecular pathways that can be manipulated to increase root carbon content and explore synthetic biology approaches that underpin the engineering of these traits into crop plants. Allocating more carbon to the plant root system is not without challenges, particularly if associated with reduced yield. These issues, along with the need to test the effectiveness of roots to store carbon, will be discussed, as both have important implications for the use of this technology to reduce atmospheric CO₂.

Trait-based approaches are increasingly applied to elucidate the microbial mechanisms that drive nutrient cycling and plant productivity in the rhizosphere. Genomic traits constraining trade-offs among functional traits are emerging as critical dimensions of ecological strategies. Although phenotypic traits have been studied extensively, the ecological relevance of genomic traits in shaping ecological strategies remains unclear. Here, we propose that genome size and guanine-cytosine content constitute core axes that integrate genomic architecture with fungal trade-offs in growth yield, resource acquisition, and stress tolerance. We synthesize current evidence on how genomic traits adapt to environmental gradients and how they influence fungal ecological strategies that modulate plant-fungi interactions. Advancing this conceptual framework promises deeper insight into trait-environment dynamics and plant-microbe interactions across environmental gradients.