Abdolrahim Hooshmand: Plant Direct First Author

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Abdolrahim Hooshmand, co-first author of “Potential application of spectral indices for olive water status assessment in (semi-)arid regions: A case study in Khuzestan Province, Iran”

Current Position: Associate Professor of Irrigation and Drainage

Education: PhD of Irrigation and Drainage

Brief bio: Abdolrahim Hooshmand is a faculty member at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran. He earned his PhD in Irrigation and Drainage Engineering from Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran. Dr. Hooshmand is active in the fields of irrigation and drainage, water quality, water management; Drainage of agricultural land; precision irrigation, agricultural water management, water productivity, water & soil salinity and alkalinity. He has been a mentor for master’s and PhD students and he is currently working in these fields.

Azimeh Asgari: Plant Direct First Author

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Azimeh Asgari, co-first author of “Potential application of spectral indices for olive water status assessment in (semi-)arid regions: A case study in Khuzestan Province, Iran”

Current Position: Postdoctoral candidate in agricultural and natural resources research and education center, Shahrekord, Iran

Education: Ph.D (2020) Irrigation and Drainage, Water and Environmental Engineering College, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran.

Non-scientific Interests: Sports, Music and Gardening

Brief Bio: As a post-doctoral candidate in the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center in Shahrekord, Iran, I completed my Ph.D. studies at Shahid Chamran University in Ahvaz, Iran. During my doctoral research, I focused on evaluating water stress and irrigation scheduling in olive trees using ground-based remote sensing methods. Our findings indicated that the crop water stress index (CWSI) derived from infrared thermometry and thermal imagery, along with spectral indices including water index (WI) and normalized spectral water indices 1-5 (NWI 1-5), offered dependable information on the crop water status and proved effective for irrigation scheduling in olive trees under water stress conditions.

Run Han: The Plant Cell First Author

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Run Han, co-first author of  “SALT OVERLY SENSITIVE2 stabilizes phytochrome-interacting factors PIF4 and PIF5 to promote Arabidopsis shade avoidance”

and

“Phytochromes enhance SOS2-mediated PIF1 and PIF3 phosphorylation and degradation to promote Arabidopsis salt tolerance”

 Current Position: Postdoc, China Agricultural University

Education: B.S. (2015) from Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University; Ph.D. (2021) from China Agricultural University

Non-scientific Interests: Reading and Travelling

Brief bio: After obtaining the bachelor’s degree from Northwest A&F University in 2015, I had the privilege of joining Professor Jigang Li’s Lab at China Agricultural University as a Ph.D. student. Professor Li’s Lab is interested in investigating how plants coordinately respond to combinations of abiotic stresses, and my research has been focused on studying the molecular mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between shade avoidance and salt stress. Our study revealed that the salt tolerance regulator SALT OVERLY SENSITIVE2 (SOS2) promotes shade avoidance in Arabidopsis by stabilizing the phytochrome-interacting factors PIF4 and PIF5. Further analyses indicated that SOS2 directly phosphorylates PIF4 and PIF5 at a serine residue close to their conserved motif for binding to active phyB, thus decreasing their interactions with phyB and promoting their protein stability. In addition, in the companion study by Ma et al. (2023), on which I was the co-first author, we found that SOS2-mediated phosphorylation of PIF1 and PIF3 promotes their degradation, and thus relieves their repressive effect on plant salt tolerance. Interestingly, both studies uncover that the photoreceptors phyA and phyB directly interact with SOS2 and induce its kinase activity in the light. Our study demonstrates that SOS2 serves as a key integrator of external light environment and internal salt stress signaling pathways, providing insight into how plants coordinately respond to multiple environmental stresses. I am very honored to share my work with the peers in The Plant Cell.

 论文：“SALT OVERLY SENSITIVE2 stabilizes phytochrome-interacting factors PIF4 and PIF5 to promote Arabidopsis shade avoidance” and “Phytochromes enhance SOS2-mediated PIF1 and PIF3 phosphorylation and degradation to promote Arabidopsis salt tolerance”

姓名：韩润

目前职位：中国农业大学博士后

教育经历：2015年获得西北农林科技大学农学学士，2021年获得中国农业大学理学博士

个人兴趣爱好：读书，旅行

个人简介：

我于2015年从西北农林科技大学本科毕业后，非常幸运地进入中国农业大学生物学院李继刚教授实验室攻读博士学位。李老师实验室对植物在复杂逆境下的协同响应机制很感兴趣，而我的博士课题是研究SOS2如何帮助植物同时响应遮荫和盐双重逆境胁迫。SOS2是植物响应盐胁迫的关键激酶，我们的研究发现SOS2通过促进PIF4/PIF5蛋白积累，正调控植物的避荫反应，而且该功能在植物处于遮荫和盐胁迫双重逆境下更为显著。进一步研究发现，SOS2通过磷酸化PIF4/PIF5蛋白APB基序附近的一个保守Ser位点，阻碍PIF4/PIF5与活性形式phyB的相互作用，从而促进PIF4/PIF5蛋白的稳定性。此外，我作为共同第一作者发表在The Plant Cell的背靠背论文 (Ma et al., 2023) 揭示了SOS2介导PIF1/PIF3蛋白磷酸化并促进它们降解，从而减缓PIF1/PIF3对植物耐盐的抑制作用。有趣的是，两篇论文同时发现光受体phyA/phyB与SOS2直接相互作用，在光下促进SOS2的激酶活性。我们的研究表明SOS2是植物整合环境光信号和内源盐胁迫响应信号的关键节点，为深入理解植物对复杂逆境的响应机制提供了新的见解。我非常荣幸能够在The Plant Cell杂志与各位同行分享我的研究成果。

Liang Ma: The Plant Cell First Author

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Liang Ma, co-first author of “Phytochromes enhance SOS2-mediated PIF1 and PIF3 phosphorylation and degradation to promote Arabidopsis salt tolerance”

and

“SALT OVERLY SENSITIVE2 stabilizes phytochrome-interacting factors PIF4 and PIF5 to promote Arabidopsis shade avoidance”

Current Position: Postdoc, China Agricultural University, China

Education: Ph.D., China Agricultural University, China

Non-scientific Interests: Travelling, reading and sports

Brief bio:

During my doctoral and postdoctoral training under the supervision of Prof. Yan Guo, I have been engaged in exploring the signaling mechanisms underlying plant responses to saline-alkali stress. In particular, I have been exploring the interplay between light and salt stress pathways, an exciting project in collaboration with Prof. Jigang Li and his team. Our study demonstrated that photoactivated phyA/phyB can significantly enhance salt-induced SOS2 kinase, while the highly activated SOS2 phosphorylates PIF1 and PIF3 to facilitate their rapid turnover under salt stress in the light, thus relieving their repressive effect on plant salt tolerance. This study revealed the central role of the phy-SOS2-PIF module in balancing plant growth and salt tolerance when seedlings are emerging from salinity soil into sunlight, thus providing insights into the understanding of how plants adapt to salt stress according to their dynamic light environment. In the companion study by Han et al. (2023), on which I was the co-first author, we also uncovered that salt-activated SOS2 regulates the coordinated response of plants to salt stress and shade by modulating the phyB-PIF module. I will aim at improving plant saline-alkali tolerance in future research, and hope that my research will contribute to the breeding of new varieties of saline-alkali tolerant crops.

姓名：马亮

目前职位：中国农业大学 博士后

教育经历：中国农业大学 博士

兴趣爱好：旅游，阅读，运动

在郭岩教授的指导下，我博士及博士后期间一直从事植物响应盐碱胁迫信号转导机制的探究。尤其激动人心的一个课题是研究植物光信号和盐胁迫响应通路之间的交叉互作机制，该课题得到了李继刚教授及其团队的大力支持与指导。我们发现光激活的phyA/phyB能够显著增强盐胁迫诱导的SOS2激酶活性，而高活性的SOS2通过磷酸化PIF1/PIF3蛋白，促进其在光下降解，从而解除它们对植物耐盐的负调控作用。本研究揭示了phy-SOS2-PIF模块在平衡植物生长和耐盐过程中的关键调控作用，表明植物会根据不断变化的光环境调整其耐盐策略。此外，我作为共同第一作者发表在The Plant Cell的背靠背论文 (Han et al., 2023) 揭示了盐激活的SOS2通过调控phyB-PIF模块，介导植物对盐和遮荫双重胁迫的协同响应。在未来研究中我的目标是提高植物的耐盐碱能力，期望我的研究能为耐盐碱作物新品种的培育作出贡献。

Guo Yun Wang: Plant Physiology First Author

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Guo Yun Wang, first author of “Multivariate analysis compares and evaluates drought and flooding tolerances of maize germplasm”

Current Position: PhD Student, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Guangxi, Nanning 530004, China

Education:

09/2020–Today: Guangxi University, Crop Science, PhD student

09/2012–06/2015: Shandong Agricultural University, Crop Cultivation and Tillage, Master’s degree

09/2008–06/2012: Shandong Agricultural University, Horticulture, Bachelor’s degree

Non-scientific Interests: Yoga

Brief bio:

Water utilization of field crops has been my research direction in the group of Professor Xun Bo Zhou science the year of 2012, in which, the physiological mechanism of crop drought and flooding tolerances have been mainly focused on. Extreme drought and flooding stresses have severely restricted maize yield in South Asia. In the study, drought- and flooding-tolerant maize varieties had been accurately screened by comprehensive analysis method. The regulation network for drought and waterlogging tolerances in maize can be further researched from the aspects of the physiology, biochemistry and gene based on the result of evaluation in maize germplasm, and the differential regulation mechanisms between drought and flooding tolerances in maize will be clarified.

论文：Multivariate analysis compares and evaluates drought and flooding tolerances of maize germplasm

第一作者：王国云

当前职位：广西大学农学院，在读博士研究生

教育经历：

2020/09–至今：广西大学，作物学专业，在读博士研究生

2012/09–2015/06：山东农业大学，作物栽培学与耕作学专业，硕士学位

2008/09–2012/06：山东农业大学，园艺专业，学士学位

兴趣爱好：瑜伽

个人简介：

从2012年进入硕士研究生开始，一直在周勋波教授课题组从事大田作物水分利用研究，重点关注作物抗旱/涝性生理机制。极端干旱和涝害严重制约南亚热带玉米产量，本研究用综合分析的方法准确筛选出抗旱/涝性玉米品种，并以此为基础，继续从生理生化和基因方面深入研究玉米抗旱/涝性的调控网络关系，阐明玉米抗旱/涝的生理生化和基因表达调控机制。

Huijin Ma: Plant Physiology First Author

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Huijin Ma, co-first author of “Natural Allelic Variation in GRAIN SIZE AND WEIGHT 3 of Wild Rice Regulates the Grain Size and Weight”

Current Position: A postgraduate student in College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University.

Education:

2017 – 2021, studied in Gansu Agricultural University and obtained a bachelor ‘s degree in pratacultural science.

2021-, a postgraduate student in College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University.

Brief Bio:

I have been studied in South China Agricultural University in 2021. My supervisor is associate professor Lan Wang, and I major in gene function of rice grain size and its molecular genetic mechanism. In this paper, the function of gene GSW3 was described. Following, its the mechanism of grain shape regulation will be further explored to develop high-quality and high-yield rice varieties

 

并列一作简介:马卉锦，华南农业大学农学院在读硕士研究生.

教育经历:2017-2021年就读于甘肃农业大学，获得草业科学学士学位。

2021-至今   华南农业大学农学院，在读硕士研究生。

个人介绍:

我于2021年就读于华南农业大学，导师是王兰副教授，主要研究水稻粒型基因功能及其分子遗传机理。本文描述了一个调控水稻粒型基因GSW3，后续将进一步探究粒型调控的作用机制，以期能够培育优质高产的水稻品种。

 

Feng Bai: Plant Physiology First Author

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Feng Bai, co-first author of “Natural Allelic Variation in GRAIN SIZE AND WEIGHT 3 of Wild Rice Regulates the Grain Size and Weight”

Current Position: Teacher in Chengdu primary school

Education: 2015 – 2019, Chengdu Normal University, B.S., Biological Sciences

2019 – 2022, South China Agricultural University, M.S., Genetics,

Interests: Music, movies

Personal Description:

I entered South China Agricultural University in 2019 to pursue my master’s degree in genetics in the College of Agriculture, under the supervision of Associate Professor Lan Wang, and my research interests are cloning and functional studies of rice grain shape genes. In this paper, we find a wild rice natural variant fragment, a QTL (GSW3) located on chromosome 3, which encodes a GTPase regulatory protein. Combined with CRISPR/Cas9 technology, scanning electron microscopy, transcriptome analysis and haplotype analysis showed that GSW3 is a gene that regulates grain shape; functional analysis showed that this gene negatively regulates rice grain length and width by promoting rice seed cell division and longitudinal and lateral cell elongation. Further, GSW3 was found to negatively regulate plant growth through the gibberellin (GA) signaling pathway. In addition, a key SNP in the coding region of GSW3 was significantly associated with seed size variation in core cultivated rice species. This SNP resulted in the substitution of amino acid at position 161 in GSW3 from Gln to Arg, which reduced the seed size. Our study suggests that GSW3 is a negative regulator of grain shape in rice, which can explain the difference in grain shape between modern cultivated rice and wild rice, and can be used to select rice varieties with improved grain shape and higher yield.

论文：Natural Allelic Variation in GRAIN SIZE AND WEIGHT 3 of Wild Rice Regulates the Grain Size and Weight

第一作者：白冯

现在职业：成都小学教师

教育经历：2015 – 2019，成都师范学院，生物科学，学士

2019 – 2022，华南农业大学，遗传学，硕士

兴趣爱好：音乐，电影

个人介绍：

我于2019年进入华南农业大学农学院遗传学专业攻读硕士学位，师从王兰副教授，研究方向为水稻粒型基因的克隆和功能研究。在本文中，我们找到一个野生稻自然变异片段，即位于3号染色体上的QTL（GSW3），它编码一种GTP酶调节蛋白。结合CRISPR/Cas9技术，扫描电子显微镜技术、转录组分析和单倍型分析表明，GSW3是一个调控粒形的基因；功能分析表明该基因通过促进水稻籽粒细胞分裂及纵向和横向细胞伸长，负向调节水稻粒长和粒宽。进一步发现 GSW3通过赤霉素(GA) 信号通路，负向调节植物生长。 此外， GSW3 编码区中的一个关键 SNP 与核心栽培稻种的籽粒大小变化显着相关。 该 SNP 导致 GSW3 中第 161 位的氨基酸从 Gln 替换为 Arg，从而减小了籽粒尺寸。 我们的研究表明 GSW3是水稻粒形的负调控因子，可以解释现代栽培稻和野生稻粒形不同的原因， 可用于选育粒形改良、产量较高的水稻品种。

Parking the phragmoplast: division site positioning via cortical telophase microtubules

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Bellinger and Uyehara et al. characterize a population of microtubules that contribute to division site positioning.

By Aimee N. Uyehara1 and Carolyn G. Rasmussen1

1Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, USA.

Background: Both cell division and proper orientation of the division are important for plant development and growth. Cell division is initiated in the middle of the cell by a structure called the phragmoplast. The phragmoplast is composed of filaments including microtubules and it expands outwards to form the new cell wall. Phragmoplast positioning is mediated by proteins that localize in a ring at the future division location or division site. It is not known how these proteins promote division positioning.

Question: How do proteins at the division site contribute to the phragmoplast reaching the correct location?

Findings: We propose a potential mechanism linking phragmoplast positioning with division site localized proteins using maize epidermal cells expressing a live-cell microtubule marker. We discovered that an extensive network of microtubule filaments accumulates at the cell periphery and are captured at the division site by a microtubule binding protein called TANGLED1, leading to microtubules that are oriented perpendicular to the division site. Pre-oriented microtubules are added into the phragmoplast as it reaches the cell periphery to accurately direct the movement of the phragmoplast.

Next steps: Whether microtubules participate in division positioning and how TANGLED1 might modulate their dynamics in other plant cells is not yet known.

Marschal A. Bellinger, Aimee N. Uyehara, Lindy Allsman, Pablo Martinez, Michael C. McCarthy, and Carolyn G. Rasmussen. (2023). Cortical microtubules contribute to division plane positioning during telophase in maize https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad033

Essay: The coming golden age of lichen biology

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Lichens are remarkable, complex symbiotic organisms. They have evolved multiple times independently, but all lichen include at least one fungal partner (the mycobiont) which they usually resemble morphologically, and at least one cyanobacterial or algal photosynthetic partner (the photobiont). This partnership provides environmental durability plus the power of photosynthesis, making lichen pretty ubiquitous; they can be found almost everywhere. But, as Scharnagl et al. observe, they remain poorly studied and understood. In this essay, the authors highlight the fundamental questions that remain about lichen and what might be gained from further study of these organisms. Some of the most interesting questions address how the two (or more) organisms recognize each other and coordinate the regulation of their genes; how much if any similarity is there with the interactions between plants and fungal pathogens? How are nutrients exchanged between partners, and what can be learned from lichen’s tolerance of extreme environments? The authors conclude with a “call to arms”, encouraging researchers to participate in addressing these and other fundamental questions about lichen biology. (Summary by Mary Williams @PlantTeaching) Curr. Biol. 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.054 (See also the rest of this special issue on Plant Interactions https://www.cell.com/issue/S0960-9822(22)X0012-2).