Abscisic acid (ABA) is a crucial plant hormone that plays a decisive role in regulating seed and fruit development and is becoming increasingly important in agricultural applications. This article delves into ABA’s regulatory functions in plant growth, particularly during the stages of seed and fruit development. In the seed phase, elevated ABA levels help maintain seed dormancy, aiding seed survival under unfavorable conditions. During fruit development, ABA regulates pigment synthesis and sugar accumulation, influencing the nutritional value and market quality of the fruit. This article highlights three main strategies for applying ABA in agricultural production: the use of ABA analogs, the development of ABA signal modulators, and breeding techniques based on ABA signaling. ABA analogs can mimic the natural functions of ABA, while ABA signal modulators, including enhancers and inhibitors, are used to finely tune plant responses to ABA, optimizing crop performance under specific growth conditions. Furthermore, breeding strategies based on ABA signaling aim to select crop varieties that effectively utilize ABA pathways through genetic engineering and other technologies. ABA is not only a key regulator of plant growth and development but also holds great potential for modern agricultural practices.

Abscisic acid (ABA)-based chemically induced proximity (CIP) is primarily mediated by the interaction of the ABA receptor pyrabactin resistance 1-like 1 (PYL1) and the 2C-type protein phosphatase ABI1, which confers ABA-induced proximity to their fusion proteins, and offers precise temporal control of a wide array of biological processes. However, broad application of ABA-based CIP has been limited by ABA response intensity. In this study, we demonstrated that ABA-induced interaction between another ABA receptor pyrabactin resistance 1 (PYR1) and ABI1 exhibited higher ABA response intensity than that between PYL1 and ABI1 in HEK293T cells. We engineered PYR1-ABI1 and PYL1-ABI1 into ABA-induced transcriptional activation tools in mammalian cells by integration with CRISPR/dCas9 and found that the tool based on PYR1-ABI1 demonstrated better ABA response intensity than that based on PYL1-ABI1 for both exogenous and endogenous genes in mammalian cells. We further achieved ABA-induced RNA m6A modification installation and erasure by combining ABA-induced PYR1-ABI1 interaction with CRISPR/dCas13, successfully inhibiting tumor cell proliferation. We subsequently improved the interaction of PYR1-ABI1 through phage-assisted continuous evolution (PACE), successfully generating a PYR1 mutant (PYR1m) whose interaction with ABI1 exhibited a higher ABA response intensity than that of the wild-type. In addition, we tested the transcriptional activation tool based on PYRm-ABI1 and found that it also showed a higher ABA response intensity than that of the wild type. These results demonstrate that we have developed a novel ABA-based CIP and further improved upon it using PACE, providing a new approach for the modification of other CIP systems.

Vegetative phase change in plants is regulated by a gradual decline in the level of miR156 and a corresponding increase in the expression of its targets, SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) genes. Gibberellin (GA), jasmonic acid (JA), and cytokinin (CK) regulate vegetative phase change by affecting genes in the miR156-SPL pathway. However, whether other phytohormones play a role in vegetative phase change remains unknown. Here, we show that a loss-of-function mutation in the brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthetic gene, DWARF5 (DWF5), delays vegetative phase change, and the defective phenotype is primarily attributable to reduced levels of SPL9 and miR172, and a corresponding increase in TARGET OF EAT1 (TOE1). We further show that GLYCOGEN SYNTHASE KINASE3 (GSK3)-like kinase BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE2 (BIN2) directly interacts with and phosphorylates SPL9 and TOE1 to cause subsequent proteolytic degradation. Therefore, BRs function to stabilize SPL9 and TOE1 simultaneously to regulate vegetative phase change in plants.

The reduction in blueberry harvest due to pathogen infection was reported to reach 80%. Essential oil (EO) can provide a new way to preserve blueberry. Here, in search for plants volatiles with preservation ability, a novel device was designed for the screening of aromatic plants led to the discovery of hit plant Monarda didyma L. Consequently, antifungi activity of M. didyma EO (MEO) and its nano-emulsion (MNE) were tested. 2 species of pathogenic fungi were isolated from blueberries, namely Alternaria sp. and Colletotrichum sp. were used as the target strains. In the in vitro activity test, the pathogenic were completely inhibited when the EO was 4 mu L or 1.0 mu L/mL. Compared with EO, MNE exhibited superior antimicrobial activity. Moreover, MNE can cause serious morphological changes and result in a decrease in the rot and weightlessness rate of blueberry. Hence, NME represents a promising agent for the preservation of postharvest blueberry.

Panax ginseng Meyer is one of the most valuable plants and is widely used in China, while ginseng anthracnose is one of the most destructive diseases. Colletotrichum panacicola could infect ginseng leaves and stems and causes serious anthracnose disease, but its mechanism is still unknown. Here, transcriptome and metabolism analyses of the host leaves were conducted to investigate the ginseng defense response affected by C. panacicola. Upon C. panacicola infection, ginseng transcripts altered from 14 to 24 h, and the expression of many defense-related genes switched from induction to repression. Consequently, ginseng metabolites in the flavonoid pathway were changed. Particularly, C. panacicola repressed plant biosynthesis of the epicatechin and naringin while inducing plant biosynthesis of glycitin, vitexin/isovitexin, and luteolin-7-O-glucoside. This work indicates C. panacicola successful infection of P. ginseng by intervening in the transcripts of defense-related genes and manipulating the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, which might have antifungal activities.

Background: Gray mold, caused by Botrytis cinerea, is one of the major fungal diseases in agriculture. Biological methods are preferred over chemical fungicides to control gray mold since they are less toxic to the environment and could induce the resistance to pathogens in plants. In this work, we try to understand if ginseng defense to B. cinerea could be induced by fungal hypovirulent strain ABcSpd1. BcSpd1 encodes Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor which regulates fungal pathogenicity and we recently reported ABcSpd1 mutants reduced fungal virulence. Methods: We performed transcriptomic analysis of the host to investigate the induced defense response of ginseng treated by B. cinerea ABcSpd1. The metabolites in ginseng flavonoids pathway were determined by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS and the antifungal activates were then performed. Results: We found that ABcSpd1 enhanced the ginseng defense response when applied to healthy ginseng leaves and further changed the metabolism of flavonoids. Compared with untreated plants, the application of ABcSpd1 on ginseng leaves significantly increased the accumulation of p-coumaric acid and myricetin, which could inhibit the fungal growth. Conclusion: B. cinerea ABcSpd1 could effectively induce the medicinal plant defense and is referred to as the biological control agent in ginseng disease management. (c) 2023 The Korean Society of Ginseng. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Nucleosome is the basic subunit of chromatin, consisting of approximately 147bp DNA wrapped around a histone octamer, containing two copies of H2A, H2B, H3 and H4. A linker histone H1 can bind nucleosomes through its conserved GH1 domain, which may promote chromatin folding into higher-order structures. Therefore, the complexity of histones act importantly for specifying chromatin and gene activities. Histone variants, encoded by separate genes and characterized by only a few amino acids differences, can affect nucleosome packaging and stability, and then modify the chromatin properties. Serving as carriers of pivotal genetic and epigenetic information, histone variants have profound significance in regulating plant growth and development, response to both biotic and abiotic stresses. At present, the biological functions of histone variants in plant have become a research hotspot. Here, we summarize recent researches on the biological functions, molecular chaperons and regulatory mechanisms of histone variants in plant, and propose some novel research directions for further study of plant histone variants research field. Our study will provide some enlightens for studying and understanding the epigenetic regulation and chromatin specialization mediated by histone variant in plant.

Additional file 3: Table S3. Primers used in the study

Background Auxin responsive factor (ARF) family is one of core components in auxin signalling pathway, which governs diverse developmental processes and stress responses. Blueberry is an economically important berry-bearing crop and prefers to acidic soil. However, the understandings of ARF family has not yet been reported in blueberry. Results In the present study, 60 ARF genes ( VcARF ) were identified in blueberry, and they showed diverse gene structures and motif compositions among the groups and similar within each group in the phylogenetic tree. Noticeably, 9 digenic, 5 trigenic and 6 tetragenic VcARF pairs exhibited more than 95% identity to each other. Computational analysis indicated that 23 VcARF s harbored the miRNA responsive element (MRE) of miR160 or miR167 like other plant ARF genes. Interestingly, the MRE of miR156d/h-3p was observed in the 5’UTR of 3 VcARF s, suggesting a potentially novel post-transcriptional control. Furthermore, the transcript accumulations of VcARF s were investigated during fruit development, and three categories of transcript profiles were observed, implying different functional roles. Meanwhile, the expressions of VcARF s to different pH conditions (pH4.5 and pH6.5) were surveyed in pH-sensitive and tolerant blueberry species, and a number of VcARF s showed different transcript accumulations. More importantly, distinct transcriptional response to pH stress (pH6.5) were observed for several VcARF s (such as VcARF6 s and VcARF19-3/19–4 ) between pH-sensitive and tolerant species, suggesting their potential roles in adaption to pH stress. Conclusions Sixty VcARF genes were identified and characterized, and their transcript profiles were surveyed during fruit development and in response to pH stress. These findings will contribute to future research for eliciting the functional roles of VcARF s and regulatory mechanisms, especially fruit development and adaption to pH stress.

In eukaryotes, the nucleus is the regulatory center of cytogenetics and metabolism, and it is critical for fundamental biological processes, including DNA replication and transcription, protein synthesis, and biological macromolecule transportation. The eukaryotic nucleus is surrounded by a lipid bilayer called the nuclear envelope (NE), which creates a microenvironment for sophisticated cellular processes. The NE is perforated by the nuclear pore complex (NPC), which is the channel for biological macromolecule bi-directional transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm. It is well known that NPC is the spatial designer of the genome and the manager of genomic function. Moreover, the NPC is considered to be a platform for the continual adaptation and evolution of eukaryotes. So far, a number of nucleoporins required for plant-defense processes have been identified. Here, we first provide an overview of NPC organization in plants, and then discuss recent findings in the plant NPC to elaborate on and dissect the distinct defensive functions of different NPC subcomponents in plant immune defense, growth and development, hormone signaling, and temperature response. Nucleoporins located in different components of NPC have their unique functions, and the link between the NPC and nucleocytoplasmic trafficking promotes crosstalk of different defense signals in plants. It is necessary to explore appropriate components of the NPC as potential targets for the breeding of high-quality and broad spectrum resistance crop varieties.

以冷敏感自交系B73和耐冷自交系W9816为材料,分析供试材料在冷胁迫条件下的miRNA表达谱.冷处理后,有10种miRNA上调表达,包括 miR156、miR166b/c/d、miR171d/e、miR398a/b、miR399e和miR408等;有21个 miRNA 下调表达,包括 miR159a、miR166h、miR167a/b/c/d/h/i、miR319b/d、miR393a/c 和 miR399a/b/c/h 等.对部分miRNA的荧光定量检测与测序结果基本一致.基于生物信息学的预测,差异表达的miRNA共有84个靶基因,GO分析表明,这些靶基因参与了基因转录和能量代谢过程,并响应胁迫刺激.结果表明,冷处理差异表达miRNA及其靶基因在玉米冷胁迫响应中具有重要的生理作用.

KEY MESSAGE:Transcriptome analysis of maize embryogenic callus and somatic embryos reveals associated genes reprogramming, hormone signaling pathways and transcriptional regulation involved in somatic embryogenesis in maize. Somatic embryos are widely utilized in propagation and genetic engineering of crop plants. In our laboratory, an elite maize inbred line Y423 that could generate intact somatic embryos was obtained and applied to genetic transformation. To enhance our understanding of regulatory mechanisms during maize somatic embryogenesis, we used RNA-based sequencing (RNA-seq) to characterize the transcriptome of immature embryo (IE), embryogenic callus (EC) and somatic embryo (SE) from maize inbred line Y423. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in three pairwise comparisons (IE-vs-EC, IE-vs-SE and EC-vs-SE) was 5767, 7084 and 1065, respectively. The expression patterns of DEGs were separated into eight major clusters. Somatic embryogenesis associated genes were mainly grouped into cluster A or B with an expression trend toward up-regulation during dedifferentiation. GO annotation and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that DEGs were implicated in plant hormone signal transduction, stress response and metabolic process. Among the differentially expressed transcription factors, the most frequently represented families were associated with the common stress response or related to cell differentiation, embryogenic patterning and embryonic maturation processes. Genes include hormone response/transduction and stress response, as well as several transcription factors were discussed in this study, which may be potential candidates for further analyses regarding their roles in somatic embryogenesis. Furthermore, the temporal expression patterns of candidate genes were analyzed to reveal their roles in somatic embryogenesis. This transcriptomic data provide insights into future functional studies, which will facilitate further dissections of the molecular mechanisms that control maize somatic embryogenesis.

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most popular vegetables in the world. In tomato production, due to the effects of diseases, insect pests, drought, and cold damage, large-scale production reduction is often caused. Plant trichomes are protruding attachments distributed on the surface of different plants, providing protection for plants. When the plant is under external stress, the trichomes can play an important role in protecting the plant from damage through its physical structure. The density and type of different trichomes are closely related to the stress resistance of tomatoes. The tomato wo mutant LA3186 (referred to herein as "3186M"), LA3186 (referred to herein as "3186L"), the ln mutant LA3-071 (referred to herein as "3-071"), and the tomato cultivar Jia Ren (referred to herein as "JR", used as the control), which possess different numbers of trichomes on the surface of the leaves, were used as materials; the glandular characteristics, types, and densities of the trichomes were observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM); and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the subcellular structure in the leaves. The relationship between the different tomato trichomes and stress resistance was investigated with treatments of low temperature, drought, disease, and insects. This study provides a theoretical foundation and practical basis for the further utilization and regulation of the trichome-related characteristics of tomatoes.

We determined the chemical composition of the essential oils from flowers, stems and leaves of E. maculatum and their phytotoxicities on germination and seedling growth of Lolium perenne L. and Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv. A total of 31 compounds (accounting for 95.19 %-98.29 % of the whole oil composition) were identified by GC/MS. The beta-cubebene was most abundant compound in flower (52.89 %), leaf (21.86 %) and stem oils (12.97 %). Other major constituents were : alpha-caryophyllene (9.02 %) in flower oil, alpha-calacorene (12.84 %) in stem oil and alpha-cadinol (12.14 %) in leaf oil. These three oils inhibited the seed germination and seedling growth of L. perenne and E. crusgalli, however, the flower oil was most phytotoxic to both weed species. A principal component analysis indicated that minor and major constituents were mostly hydrocarbonated sesquiterpenes, causing the inhibitory activity of flower oil. More research is needed to characterize the reproducibility of the composition of flower oil of E. maculatum to standardize its phytotoxicity for herbicidal use. Its effects in-vivo on the weed species in pot and field assays should also be explored.

A color-tunable pillarene coordination polymer (DCP5-Eu1Tb3) with attractive white-light emission properties and capable of nitroaromatic pollutant detection in biological platforms was constructed.

中国东北地区春季温度较低,玉米容易受冷害影响,导致萎蔫,甚至死亡,最终减产,所以提高玉米适应冷胁迫的能力十分重要.本研究利用RT-PCR的方法从抗冷玉米自交系'W9816'中成功克隆冷响应基因ZmRanBP1 (RanBP1 domain containing protein)并构建过表达载体pCAMBIA-3301-35S-ZmRanBP1.通过农杆菌介导法获得了3个转基因拟南芥株系,逐代自交均获得T3代纯合拟南芥株系.对转基因拟南芥株系、突变体、野生型拟南芥进行耐冷及耐盐表型鉴定及比价分析,结果发现突变体对逆境胁迫的耐受力更强,具有较高的发芽率.利用农杆菌介导法分别侵染玉米'Y423'的幼胚和Ⅱ型愈伤,阳性率分别为3.09％和4.15％.在拟南芥中进行逆境胁迫表型鉴定,并转入玉米自交系,可用于抗冷转基因玉米新种质的创制与遗传改良研究.

Essential oils from fresh roots and leaves of G. wilfordii were analysed by Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 43 and 33 compounds were identified from roots and leaves, respectively. Germacrone was the most abundant compound in oils of both root (45.27%) and leaf (20.22%). Besides, cyclohexanone (24.14%) and beta-eudesmol (4.18%) were the main components of root oil, while ledol (18.82%) and beta-elemenone (14.65%) were the major compounds in leaf oil. The allelopathic potential of these oils was tested on seed germination of 9-plants [Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis Makino var. communis Tsen et Lee, Brassica rapa pekinensis, Brassica campestris L., Cucumis sativus L., Scrophularia ningpoensis Hemsl., Eruca sativa Mill., Lolium perenne L., Clitoria ternatea L. and Portulaca oleracea L]. The seeds of Brassica campestris were the most susceptible to both oils of root and leaf, with RI values lower than -0.93. Furthermore, root oil led to RI values -0.97 for the root length of B. campestris and -0.88 for the shoot length of Lolium perenne. The seedling growth of B. campestris L. and Clitoria ternatea L. exposed to leaf oil showed RI values of about -1. These results suggested that essential oils of G. wilfordii can be used as plant growth regulators.

A bean-shaped and dual-functionalized organic-inorganic hybrid supramolecular system with a GSH-dependent turn-on fluorescence enhancement property and stimuli-responsive drug delivery function endowed with leaning towerarene-based switches has been constructed for simultaneous tumor inhibition and imaging.

Key messageA mutation in the nuclear localization signal of squamosa promoter binding like-protein 9 (SPL9) delays vegetative phase change by disrupting its nuclear localization.AbstractThe juvenile-to-adult phase transition is a critical developmental process in plant development, and it is regulated by a decrease in miR156/157 and a corresponding increase in their targets, squamosa promoter binding protein-like (SPL) genes. SPL proteins contain a conserved SBP domain with putative nuclear localization signals (NLSs) at their C-terminals. Some SPLs promote vegetative phase change by promoting miR172 expression, but the function of nuclear localization signals in those SPLs remains unknown. Here, we identified a loss-of-function mutant, which we named del6, with delayed vegetative phase change phenotypes in a forward genetic screen. Map-based cloning, the whole genome resequencing, and allelic complementation test demonstrate that a G-to-A substitution in the SPL9 gene is responsible for the delayed vegetative phase change phenotypes. In del6, the mutation causes a substitution of the glutamine (Gln) for the conserved basic amino acid arginine (Arg) in the NLS of the SBP domain, and disrupts the normal nuclear localization and function of SPL9. Therefore, our work demonstrates that the NLSs in the SBP domain of SPL9 are indispensable for its nuclear localization and normal function in Arabidopsis.

Somatic embryos (SE) have potential to rapidly form a whole plant. Generally, SE is thought to be derived from embryogenic calli (EC). However, in maize, not only embryogenic calli (EC, can generate SE) but also nonembryogenic calli (NEC, can't generate SE) can be induced from immature embryos. In order to understand the differences between EC and NEC and the mechanism of EC, which can easily form SE in maize, differential abundance protein species (DAPS) of EC and NEC from the maize inbred line Y423 were identified by using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) proteomic technology. We identified 632 DAPS in EC compared with NEC. The results of bioinformatics analysis showed that EC development might be related to accumulation of pyruvate caused by the DAPS detected in some pathways, such as starch and sucrose metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, fatty acid metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Based on the differentially accumulated proteins in EC and NEC, a series of DAPS related with pyruvate biosynthesis and suppression of acetyl-CoA might be responsible for the differences between EC and NEC cells. Furthermore, we speculate that the decreased abundance of enzymes/proteins involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in the EC cells results in reducing of lignin substances, which might affect the maize callus morphology.