Current Plant Biology最新文献

This study focuses on the potential of multi-omics and machine learning approaches in improving our understanding of the malting processes and cultivation systems in barley. The omics approach has been used to explore biomarkers associated with desired sensory characteristics in malting barley, enabling potential applications in specific treatments to modify diastatic power, enzyme activity, color, and aroma compounds. Moreover, the integration of machine learning and multi-omics in malting barley researches has significantly enhanced our knowledge in physiology, cultivation, and processing for more efficient and sustainable production systems in malting barley industry. The integration of cutting-edge machine vision and high-throughput phenotyping technologies has additionally the potential to revolutionize the assessment of physical and biochemical traits in malting barley. In addition, the harnessing of integrative approach to predict consumer acceptability, and assess physicochemical and colorimetric properties of malt extracts has been discussed. Current survey showed that the ML-driven predictive maintenance is revolutionizing the barley malting industry by not only enhancing equipment performance but also minimizing operational costs and reducing unplanned downtime. This knowledge not only promises advancements but also opens avenues for future researches in malting barley industry.

There is strong interest in deciphering the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that govern plant specialized metabolism to assist in plant breeding. Here, we investigated the GRN governing phenolic biosynthesis pathways from which ∼ 8000 secondary metabolites are derived in plants. Previously it was established that 19 predominantly expressed phenolic (PEP) genes in maize are sufficient to explain >70 % of the metabolic flux through the core phenylpropanoid, monolignol, and flavonoid branches of this pathway. A yeast-1-hybrid (Y1H) gene centric screening approach was employed to discover upper level (tier 2, 3, and 4) regulators of maize PEP genes. These regulators were further examined by co-expression analyses, and a subset of protein-DNA interactions (PDIs) validated in vivo by ChIP-qPCR and luciferase reporter assays in maize protoplasts. This study reveals a comprehensive GRN composed of 429 PDIs that exhibits hubs with high connectivity and cross hierarchical regulation of PEP genes in different branches of the pathway. The core GRN includes TFs that are conserved in other plant species and that are implicated in phenolic gene regulation including ZmMYB40/53/100, ZmMADS9, and ZmWD40.1/PAC1. The GRN also includes conserved TFs (e.g., ZmC3H9, ZmHB20/79, ZmNAC103/123, ZmMYB19/26, ZmMYBR87, ZmDOF3, ZmbZIP67, ZmTCP30, and ZmbHLH128) which indicate that maize PEP genes are developmentally regulated but also fall under the control of biotic and abiotic stress signals. Together, the maize PEP GRN provides a complex regulatory mechanism that has evolved to coordinately regulate many phenolic genes in response to multiple internal and external signals and can guide efforts aimed at manipulating phenolic levels in plants towards targeted breeding improvement.

The bulb of Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don is widely used for the anti-asthmatic, anti-tussive, and anti-cancer agents, etc., while the yield is limited by an endangered status, a long juvenile phase, and restricted growth habitat. Ancillary approaches to improve the bulb yield by micropropagation and bioactive metabolites production by bioreactor have not been established. Here is reported the plant regeneration, suspension cell culture, and bioactive metabolite production at different treatments. The embryogenic calli were successfully induced via the histomorphological identification. The highest proliferation times (4.11-fold) were observed with a select combination of hormones [NAA (0.2 mg/L) + 6-BA (1.0 mg/L) + GA₃ (1.0 mg/L)] and culture conditions (red light and 20 °C), the highest content of imperialine (0.13 mg/g) was observed under blue light, total phenolic (0.52 mg/g) under red light, polysaccharides (36.57 mg/g) and total flavonoids (2.67 mg/g) as well as antioxidant capacity under white light. The plantlets were regenerated within 125 d from the induced embryogenic calli to acclimation and transplantation of seedlings. For the suspension cell culture, a 6.30-, 1.78-, 1.37-, and 1.51-fold increase of proliferation times, imperialine, polysaccharides, and total phenolic contents was observed at 40 d, respectively. Based on the above observations, an effective and complete in vitro approach has been proposed to regenerate plants and produce bioactive metabolites in F. cirrhosa.

Abnormal seed growth is a problem in Picea neoveitchii Mast. in China that threatens the existence of this evergreen coniferous tree. However, the degree of abnormal seed growth varies in different age groups; regrettably, the causes behind abnormal seed growth at different ages are totally unclear. Thus, we compared the seeds of two ages: Gansu (GS) province, a 50-year-old tree (GS50), and a 300-year-old tree (GS300). Results indicated that 22187 unigenes were commonly found in both groups, whereas 5328 and 6079 unigenes were uniquely found in GS50 and GS300, respectively. Furthermore, a total of 5129 differentially expressed unigenes were identified between GS50 and GS300, with 2431 upregulated and 2698 downregulated. On the basis of Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, plant hormone signal transduction and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways were further selected for their potential involvement in seed growth at both ages. A wide-targeted metabolomics-based approach using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was applied to study the difference between GS50 and GS300. The results showed that there were 35 different metabolites in total being detected, mainly amino acids and sugars. Subsequently, GS50 revealed the highest number of normal seeds and the lowest number of abnormal seeds in comparison with GS300 by improving endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), zeatin riboside (ZR), and gibberellic acid 3 (GA₃) contents and reducing methyl jasmonate (JA-me), abscisic acid (ABA), and brassinosteroid (BR) contents. Our research provides important evidence on the growth of seeds in different age groups of trees that might help improve seed growth in old trees.

Polyamines (PA) cellular levels are maintained through a balance between synthesis and catabolism, achieved by two classes of enzymes polyamine oxidases (PAOs) and copper amine oxidases (CuAO). Here we investigated the occurrence, molecular evolution and role(s) of PAOs and CuAO gene families in aquatic duckweed and their comparison with other aquatic plants -sea eelgrass, bladderwort, and Lotus. We identified eight bona fide PAO genes (SpPAO1–SpPAO8) and one SpCuAO1 in the greater duckweed genome from three genome assemblies. Interestingly, duckweed PAO genes increased their number through a tandem duplication event, while contrary to this CuAO genes were significantly lost to a single gene SpCuAO1. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that tandemly duplicated SpPAO2–7 share close similarity to well-known terminal catabolism (TC) pathway PAO genes while SpPAO1 and SpPAO8 seem to segregate along with back conversion (BC) participating known PAO genes, suggesting that all tandem duplicated PAOs are involved in TC pathway which is contrary to known trend in land plants where CuAOs are mainly involved in TC pathway. Comparative transcript abundance studies indicated that all eight PAOs and one CuAO gene respond to multiple stresses and principal component analysis identifies SpPAO4 as a highly active gene in response to multiple stresses. Results showed that oxidation of higher polyamines (SPD/SPM) through the TC pathway is diversified in duckweeds. Taken together this study reveals unique insights into the genomic losses and gains of polyamine metabolism possibly involved in achieving the structural and physiological adaptations required for aquatic lifestyle of duckweeds.

Brassinosteroid (BR), a plant hormone regulating growth, development, and stress responses, emerges as a promising tool for maintaining agricultural production under abiotic stress conditions. In this study, we conducted RNA-seq profiling and morpho-physiological analysis to investigate the molecular cross-talk involved in 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) mediating alleviation of chromium (Cr) stress. EBR inhibited Cr accumulation and reversed Cr-induced phytotoxicity, thereby promoting plant growth. The photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll fluorescence a, electron transport rate (ETR) and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) were significantly higher in EBR+Cr treated plants compared to Cr alone. EBR application facilitated the recovery from Cr-induced structural deformities, including the disintegration of cell walls and membranes. Furthermore, under Cr stress, EBR application reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and accumulation. The levels of glutathione reductase (GR) and the activities of antioxidant enzymes were notably higher in plants subjected to EBR application following Cr stress. In addition, we established a transcriptomic database comprising 2345 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (1255 upregulated and 1090 downregulated) as a result of EBR application under Cr stress. The transcriptome analysis unveiled key DEGs and the associated pathways, emphasizing the importance of defense responses, genes encoding photosystem I and II, jasmonate signaling, aquaporins, ABC transporters, and cell wall biogenesis-related genes in the response of EBR to Cr stress.

Euryodendron excelsum H. T. Chang, a rare and endangered evergreen tree that is endemic to China. The micropropagation system of this species has been established, but some challenges associated with in vitro rooting remained to be improved. In this study, the in vitro rooting of E. excelsum plantlets were optimized by dark exposure, and the network of gene expression and endogenous hormones levels during dark-induced adventitious root (AR) formation were revealed. AR formation of E. excelsum plantlets were significantly promoted by dark exposure, especially by dark exposure for 15 d. In the stems of E. excelsum plantlets under the treatment of dark exposure for 15 d, lower level of abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid 1 (GA₁), isopentenyladenine (IP), isopentenyladenosine (IPA) and zeatin (ZT), as well as higher level of GA₇, jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), promoted the whole course of AR formation. The higher level of trans-zeatin riboside (TZR) and T-zeatin (TZT) promoted the elongation of dark-induced AR, while higher level of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) stimulated the process of AR primordia formation. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in hormone biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis participated in the regulation of dark-induced AR development. The weighted gene co-expression network (WGCNA) analysis identified five modules that had highly correlation with phytohormone contents, and numerous hub genes associated with carotenoid biosynthesis, tryptophan metabolism, zeatin biosynthesis, alpha-Linolenic acid metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were revealed. Those result will provide technical reference for in vitro rooting of woody species, and promote biological conservation and genetic engineering of rare and endangered species.

A thorough examination of assumptions in hydrothermal time models revealed areas for enhancing model performance. We introduce the Triangle Area Model (TAM), which uses the area of right-angled triangles to calculate hydrothermal time for predicting population germination fractions (g). TAM is characterized by its depiction of triangles, considering insightful parameters such as the distance of germination temperature (T) to the base (T_b), optimal (T_o), and ceiling (T_c) temperatures, the range of T_c – T_o, T_o – T_b, and the germination water potential (Ψ), i.e. mean base water potential (Ψ_b(g)), along with potential g that may occur with T and Ψ combinations within T_c – T_b when Ψ > Ψ_b(g). Applied to germination data from Ambrosia psilostachya L., Cynanchum acutum L., and Bidens pilosa L., TAM achieves an RMSE of 0.03 for A. psilostachya and C. acutum, and 0.05 for B. pilosa. Moreover, TAM demonstrates an R² of 0.96, 0.97, and 0.98 for the respective species. TAM significantly outperforms earlier models through a comparison with varying T and Ψ. TAM determined T_b for A. psilostachya, C. acutum, and B. pilosa as 0.19, 14.57, and 5.76 °C; T_o as 25.1, 39.9, and 29.8 °C; and T_c as 46.7, 53, and 41°C, for the respective species. It also estimates Ψ_b(g) as -1.48 for A. psilostachya, -0.98 for C. acutum, and -0.97 for B. pilosa. The TAM approach deepens our understanding of temperature-moisture processes influencing plant survival, colonization, and habitat expansion for these three invasive alien species. Furthermore, it can be more widely applied for estimating TT and HTT across different growth stages, enhancing the prediction accuracy of plant phenological development.

The use of microbes capable of beneficially interacting with plants is essential for advancing climate-smart agriculture. This approach aims to reduce chemical use while simultaneously enhancing crop productivity. This implies efforts to optimize the criteria for selecting potential plant growth promoters (PGPs), focusing also on yeasts, only recently investigated for their PGP potential. The present study employed a set of Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes yeasts to test their PGP properties on zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.), chosen as a fast-growing plant with a vast economical interest. Yeasts were tested alone and as consortium. Seed inoculation with yeasts boosted the early phase of growth of the zucchini plants, primarily affecting the root development. Three strains belonging to the species Schwanniomyces etchellsii, Zygotorulaspora florentina and Holtermanniella festucosa induced a strong and significant enhancement of weight and length of both epi- and hypogeal parts of the plant. Furthermore, the presence of yeasts induced strain-specific modulations in the biochemical profiles of soil, primarily detected in the rhizosphere. This suggests an active interaction between the roots and the inoculated yeast cultures.

Although a major grain crop, maize is a deficit in Lysine (Lys), which is one of the essential amino acids (EAAs). Several attempts of molecular biology, conventional breeding, marker-assisted breeding, and single/multiple transgenesis have significantly increased Lys content in maize seed. However, till now, no commercial high-Lys maize for human consumption is available in the global market. Therefore, alternative strategies are needed that be adopted over the above-mentioned techniques to develop high-Lys maize. In addition to microbes, circuit-enabled programming-based synthetic biology has significantly improved the desired characteristics of crops including maize as synthetic mini chromosomes have already been built and transferred into maize. The above technology is advantageous as it is a precisely guided artificially controlled system that acts better in addition to the natural system or over the natural system. During the designing and programming of the synthetic genetic circuit for high-Lys maize, a deep understanding of natural Lys biosynthesis pathways, Lys metabolism, metabolic flux, metabolic interconnections, transporters, and transcription factor, post-translational protein regulation are needed. Hence, major genes in aspartate (Asp) pathway, like dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHPS), aspartate kinase (AK), Lys-ketoglutarate reductase/saccharopine dehydrogenase (LKR/SDH) should be critically analyzed in maize before incorporating these into high-Lys synthetic genetic circuit. Indeed, a prototype of the synthetic high-Lys genetic circuits must have a synthetic switch for precise regulation of multiplex gene expression, memory circuits, synthetic boolean logic gates, and synthetic intercellular communication systems. For proper transformation of the synthetic high-Lys genetic circuit, the landing pad should be specific. Then, precise monitoring and remote regulation of the circuit over several generations might be done to obtain stable programmed high-Lys synthetic maize. Therefore, considering the current advancement of single/multiple transgenesis, conventional breeding, marker-assisted breeding that successfully increased maize Lys, precise programming-based synthetic genetic circuits should be designed for getting high-Lys maize following the mechanism of how the synthetic genetic circuits would work in the maize genome and its remote control. These need deep understanding in maize biology, integration of previously published transgenesis for high-Lys maize, in silico, in vitro and in vivo experiments for successful development of programming-based synthetic genetic circuit enabled high-Lys maize.