PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

Abstract Light is a major environmental factor regulating plant growth and development. Photosynthesis in plants provides the materials and energy necessary for their long-term survival. Autophagy plays a crucial role in the degradation of substances in eukaryotic cells and is essential for plant growth, development, and stress regulation. However, the molecular link between the light response an…

This update discusses the physiological roles of carbonic anhydrase (CA) in plants and algae. It examines some new observations about the functions and assumed functions of CA in plants and algae. Specifically, CA does not regulate pH within plant cells as in blood, which has a high CO2 concentration. Nor do the chloroplast CAs help deliver CO2 to Rubisco during C3 photosynthesis in plants. Howev…

Aluminum (Al) toxicity severely limits agricultural productivity in acidic soils worldwide. Although Al tolerance mechanisms have been extensively studied in crops, the molecular basis in forage crops remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the physiological and transcriptomic responses of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) seedlings to Al toxicity. Al exposure triggered reactive oxygen …

Stems play a crucial role in the growth and survival of plants. Previous studies have implicated expansins (EXPs) in stem development, but the upstream regulatory mechanisms related to this process remain unclear. In this study, we identified an α-expansin subfamily gene PlEXPA15 as being highly expressed in the stems of herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) and localized to the cell wall. …

Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CPKs) are key regulators of plant responses to abiotic stress; however, their roles in grapevine under cold stress remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that cold-repressed VpCPK9 and its counterpart NADPH oxidase VpRBOHD negatively regulate cold tolerance in grapevine. VpCPK9 interacts with VpRBOHD and phosphorylates VpRBOHD at Ser33, Ser132, …

Seed germination is a critical agronomic trait for direct-seeding cultivation in rice. While maintaining reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis is essential for this process, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we reveal that the OsNAC3-OsITPK4-OsMT2b module regulates seed germination by modulating ROS homeostasis. In this module, OsITPK4, a member of the inositol…

Manganese (Mn) is essential for plant growth and development, yet plants in acidic and waterlogged soils are vulnerable to Mn2+ toxicity due to increased bioavailability. Metal tolerance protein 11 (MTP11) is a key Mn transporter in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mediating Golgi-dependent exocytosis under high Mn stress; however, its regulatory mechanisms are thus far unknown. Here, we determ…

Echinochloa crus-galli is a problematic weed that affects rice yield. Understanding the mechanisms underlying herbicide resistance in E. crus-galli is essential for sustainable rice cultivation. This study demonstrated that the R-HY population of E. crus-galli developed a moderate (3.4-fold) resistance to cyhalofop-butyl following prolonged selection pressure. This population also displayed cross…

As the outermost structure of the plant shoot, pubescence is crucial for plant resistance to herbivores. However, the underlying mechanism regulating pubescence density and insect resistance in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] remains largely unclear. Here, we identified the pubescence density-related gene Glycine soja KNOTTED1-like homeobox 1 (GsKNOX1), a member of the KNOX transcription factor …

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to reshape the research paradigm of the life sciences by rapidly advancing the adoption of protein language models and their derivative tools. These technologies are increasingly being applied to protein structure prediction, function analysis, and protein design throughout the life sciences, and have only recently begun to gain attention within the plant sc…

Seed storage proteins (SSPs) are stored in protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) within plant endosperm cells. In rice, glutelins undergo post-Golgi trafficking via dense vesicles (DVs) to protein body II (PBII). Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P) regulates endosomal, autophagic, and vacuolar trafficking, yet its role in glutelin transport remains unclear. Here, we characterized the glutelin precu…

RNA helicases are a large family of ATPases that participate in RNA structure remodeling and ribonucleoprotein rearrangement to regulate plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stress. Here, we observed that the expression of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) DDX6-like RNA helicase genes RH6, RH8, and RH12 was down-regulated by salt stress. Loss-of-function mutants showed enhan…

Bacillus is a beneficial soil microorganism that enhances plant growth and stress resistance, yet its mechanism in boosting drought resistance remains unclear. This study explored its role in enhancing herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora) drought resistance via gradient soil moisture treatments (T0: 75%±5%; T1: 55%±5%; T2: 35%±5%; T3: 15%±5%). Bacillus significantly improved P. lactiflora drough…

Extreme heat constrains global rice production. Polyploidy, a central driver of flowering plant evolution, is frequently associated with enhanced resilience to adverse environments. However, the epigenomic and transcriptomic programs that support heat tolerance in autotetraploid rice remain largely unexplored. In this study, we compared a diploid japonica rice line (GFD 2X) and its isogenic autot…

Plants adapt to environmental changes by adjusting growth and defense, and the role of epigenetic modifications in this process remains unclear. Sensing and adjusting to environmental changes are more pronounced in certain tissues such as epidermis, vasculature, meristem, and reproductive tissues. These tissues possess sensory plastids that are enriched in stress response proteins. We investigate…