Science Shared: October 24

It's a diverse selection of papers this week. As usual, papers behind a paywall are marked 💰. Otherwise, they're free to access at time of checking.

1. Shoot to root transport of the HY5 transcription factor drives root developmental plasticity under neighbour shade.
van der Velde, K. et al. · bioRxiv · 2 posts · 75 likes · 34 reposts on Bluesky

This work showcases in detail how a small general transcription factor functions as a long-distance signal between shoot and root and integrates environmental signalling over long distances in the plant.

2. Functional diversification of ERF transcription factors in land plants
Bonter, I. et al. · bioRxiv · 1 post · 45 likes · 26 reposts on Bluesky

These findings provide an evolutionary framework for understanding the functional evolution of ERF transcription factors and how conserved transcriptional regulators are co-opted into novel developmental programs during the radiation of land plants.

3. Virus‐Induced Genome Editing in the Parasitic Plant Phtheirospermum japonicum
Ruwe, H. et al. · Plant, Cell & Environment · 1 post · 34 likes · 12 reposts on Bluesky

Here, we combined Agrobacterium rhizogenes‐mediated transformation with virus‐assisted delivery of the ultracompact TnpB nuclease to achieve stable, transgene‐free, heritable genome editing in Phtheirospermum japonicum.

4. Multiscale drivers of accidental epiphytism in temperate Europe
Hoensbroech, M., de Rivera, O. R., Zotz, G. · Frontiers of Biogeography · 2 posts · 23 likes · 10 reposts on Bluesky

We combined field surveys along a coastal western European transect, from the Netherlands to northern Spain, with curated community-science records and used Bayesian models to test whether accidental epiphyte occurrence, abundance and richness are associated with habitat setting, host size and macroclimatic positioning within each species’ climatic envelope.

5. Estimating self-fertilization rates from the diploid genotype spectrum
McKenzie, P. F., Wu, F. L., Hopkins, R. · bioRxiv · 1 post · 23 likes · 11 reposts on Bluesky

Here we present the diploid genotype spectrum (DGS) as a useful genomic data summary for characterizing populations undergoing partial self-fertilization (selfing). This statistic provides a straightforward baseline for estimating selfing rates from population genomic data.

6. Supergene control of chiral development in mirror-image flowers
Xue, H. et al. · Science · 1 post · 60 likes · 14 reposts on Bluesky 💰

Here, we identified that in butterfly lilies, female and male organs deflect by a combination of genetically controlled chirality and gravitropism, orienting left and right with respect to an external rather than internal reference axis.

7. The class VIII myosin ATM2 stabilizes actin–plasma membrane contacts in tobacco pollen tubes by locally promoting PtdIns(4,5)P₂ formation
Wagner, V. et al · Nature Plants · 1 post · 23 likes · 8 reposts on Bluesky

Using pollen tube cells as a model, we describe how ATM2 enables actin–PM contacts by modulating membrane lipid nano-organization.

8. Comparative genomics of dark septate endophytes: shedding light on the enigmatic lifestyle and biology of DSEs
Csíkos, S. et al. · New Phytologist · 1 post · 9 likes · 8 reposts on Bluesky

Dark septate endophytes (DSE) are widespread root‐colonising fungi with poorly understood lifestyle and ecological functions. We investigated their genomic traits, sexual reproduction signatures, carbohydrate‐active enzyme (CAZyme) and secondary metabolites profiles, and tested whether genomic features distinguish DSEs and other endophytes from fungi with other lifestyles. We also reconstructed ancestral states to clarify the evolutionary origins of DSEs.

9. Crossing thermal limits: functional collapse of the surfgrass Phyllospadix scouleri under simulated extreme marine heatwave
Vivanco-Bercovich, M. et al · Journal of Experimental Botany · 1 post · 8 likes · 8 reposts on Bluesky 💰

Our findings indicate that intensifying marine heatwaves may rapidly erode the thermal safety margin of temperate seagrasses, pushing foundational coastal ecosystems toward metabolic instability under continued ocean warming.

10. Breeding on Time: Plant Chronobiology in the Face of Climate Change
Anton-Sales, C. et al. · Plant and Cell Physiology · 1 post · 9 likes · 7 reposts on Bluesky

In this review, we compile current knowledge at the intersection of circadian clocks and environmental responses, namely light and temperature sensing and signalling mechanisms in model and non-model species.

11. Species with U‐shaped geographic ranges as an opportunity to study early stages of divergence: The case of Ipomoea microsepala
Piña‐de la Rosa, I. A., Cacho, N. I. · American Journal of Botany · 1 post · 14 likes · 5 reposts on Bluesky

We selected Ipomoea microsepala, a species of morning‐glory with a markedly U‐shaped distribution, as a candidate to evaluate potential incipient evolutionary divergence.

12. Anticipate, acclimate, recuperate and remember: How spatiotemporal signal integration controls flooding stress resilience in plants
Rodriguez-Cisneros, C. et al. · Journal of Experimental Botany · 1 post · 11 likes · 6 reposts on Bluesky 💰

Here, we discuss how such integrative ethylene- and hypoxia-dependent signalling enables plants to anticipate and prepare for potential flooding-induced hypoxia stress, fine-tune acclimation according to the environmental and internal metabolic context, and effectively orchestrate re-oxygenation responses.

13. The homologous GRAS transcription factors RAM1 and RAD1 coordinate shared and separate gene networks to regulate arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis
Zeng, T. et al. · New Phytologist · 1 post · 11 likes · 6 reposts on Bluesky

We revisited the role of Lotus japonicus RAM1 and RAD1 and asked whether they act together in mediating arbuscule development and gene expression, or whether they act additively.

14. Structural basis for size-selective perception of chitin in plants
Gysel, K. et al. · Science · 1 post · 27 likes · 11 reposts on Bluesky 💰

We identified the CHITIN ELICITOR RECEPTOR KINASE (CERK) class as low-affinity, yet essential, co-receptors and propose a mechanistic model for a ligand-induced core signaling heterocomplex.

15. Engineering root development with high precision
Bilas, R. D., Guiziou, S. · New Phytologist · 1 post · 8 likes · 6 reposts on Bluesky

Here, we discuss how lineage tracing, genetic recording of developmental history, cell‐type‐specific engineering and programmable genetic circuits can be integrated to understand and control root architecture.

16. From seawater to pyrenoid – The molecular architecture of the diatom CO2-concentrating mechanism
Shimakawa, G. et al. · Plant Physiology · 1 post · 8 likes · 6 reposts on Bluesky 💰

In this review, we focus on recent progress in understanding the molecular details of the diatom CCM [CO2-concentrating mechanism] to provide an updated model.

17. Brassinosteroid receptors reveal conserved features of exon-embedded gene regulation
Denia-Mondéjar, R. et al. · bioRxiv · 1 post · 11 likes · 5 reposts on Bluesky

Here we used BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1) as a model locus and found that it contains an exonic enhancer (EE), which is essential to establish the spatial BRI1 expression pattern.

18. Using high-throughput 13CO2 labeling to determine if photorespiration can be engineered to increase flux to one-carbon metabolism
Gashu, K., Walker, B. J. · Journal of Experimental Botany · 1 post · 8 likes · 5 reposts on Bluesky

To determine if flux to C1 metabolism via formate can be increased through metabolic engineering, we developed a high-throughput 13CO2 labeling system and used it to investigate wild-type (WT), catalase (cat) knockout, formate dehydrogenase (fdh) knockout, and fdh×cat double knockout Arabidopsis thaliana leaves.

19. Floral morphology tracks divergence time despite radical ecological shifts in southern South American mistletoes
Muñoz-Domínguez, F. et al. · Annals of Botany · 2 posts · 7 likes · 4 reposts on Bluesky

We studied floral divergence in four southern South American Loranthaceae mistletoes: Tristerix aphyllus, T. corymbosus, T. verticillatus and Desmaria mutabilis, spanning three nested divergence times (Eocene–Pleistocene): an Eocene intergeneric split, a Miocene intrageneric divergence and a Pleistocene sister-species speciation event.

20. Climate-driven decoupling of a coevolved mutualism between Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia and Y. jaegeriana, Asparagaceae) and pollinating yucca moths (Tegeticula synthetica and T. antithetica, Prodoxidae)
Millikin, P. W., Yoder, J. B. · bioRxiv · 1 post · 11 likes · 4 reposts on Bluesky

Here, we use TARDIS (Temporal Analysis of Reproduction Distributed in Space) to examine how annual weather variation drives flowering in Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia and Y. jaegeriana; Asparagaceae), and subsequent fruit production that relies on obligate yucca moth pollinators (Tegeticula antithetica and T. synthetica; Prodoxidae).