While the existence of vampires is up for debate, their botanical counterparts are very real – and much easier to find. Parasitic plants, such as Cuscuta campestris, wrap around their hosts, draining them of water and nutrients, and causing serious economic losses in agriculture. The first critical step in their attack is the formation of […]
Resolving phytohormone response zones by fluorescent reporters Phytohormones such salicylic acid (SA), ethylene (ET), and jasmonic acid (JA) are known to regulate plant immunity, but their spatial dynamics has remained unclear. Using a set of fluorescent reporters in Arabidopsis, Calabria et al. resolved the hormonal responses upon Fusarium oxysporum infection at single-cell level. The authors […]
Soybean, originally domesticated in China, is widely recognized for its high protein and oil content, making it a crucial crop for human consumption, animal feed, and biofuel production. Despite its economic and agricultural significance, research tools and genomic resources for soybean have lagged behind those of other model species. The first genome assembly of a […]
FERONIA (FER), a member of the Catharanthus roseus receptor-like kinase 1–like (CrRLK1-like) receptor kinase family, was initially identified as a key regulator of female fertility in Arabidopsis. Later studies revealed that FER is a multifunctional protein involved in nearly all aspects of plant growth and development, including cell proliferation, hormone signaling, reproduction, and responses to […]
The transition of plants from aquatic to terrestrial environments occurred approximately 400 million years ago, leading to the diversification of two major lineages: tracheophytes (vascular plants) and bryophytes (non-vascular plants). While most studies on plant adaptation to environmental stressors focus on angiosperms— which include the majority of crop species—similar research in bryophytes remains less explored. […]
The interaction between plants and pathogens is often described as an evolutionary arms race, in which plants develop multilayered immune signaling to counteract direct extracellular attacks and intracellular chemical effectors. The type III secretion system (T3SS) of Gram-negative bacteria serves as a key weapon, allowing pathogens to inject effectors directly into plant cells to suppress […]
The soil microbiome harbors a vast diversity of microorganisms that can be pathogenic, beneficial, or commensal to plants. A fundamental question in plant biology is how plants actively detect, differentiate, and optimize their associations with the microbiome to maintain optimal fitness. In a recent study, Ordon and colleagues took an alternative approach—exploring how bacteria evade […]
Lichens are complex symbiotic organisms formed by algae or cyanobacteria living within the filaments of multiple fungal species. This unique partnership, which is both stable and self-replicating across generations, represents one of the most successful lifestyle strategies in the biological world. Lichens play a crucial role in nutrient cycling and ecosystem stability, often thriving in […]
Pathogens have evolved diverse infection strategies governed by virulence factors, often targeting specific host organs or tissues. Genome fluidity plays a crucial role in enabling microbial pathogens to adapt to the dynamic selection pressures imposed by co-evolution with their hosts. In a recent study, Paauw and colleagues used a pangenome approach to investigate the genetic […]