
Reprogramming trees: Hairy root-mediated transformation unlocks genetic engineering in poplar
Plant Science Research WeeklyAgrobacterium tumefaciens, through its natural capacity to deliver foreign DNA into plant genomes, has enabled efficient transformation across many plant species and cultivars. Despite these advancements, persistent challenges remain, including genotype-dependent recalcitrance, potential off-target DNA…

Bypassing hormones: Engineering pluripotency through a minimal transcription factor module
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlants possess the remarkable ability to regenerate lost or damaged tissues, a trait that underpins both their survival in nature and their utility in modern biotechnology. This intrinsic regenerative capacity forms the basis of tissue culture systems used for species preservation, breeding, and crop…

The hidden power of water in plant regeneration
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlants are renowned for their remarkable ability to regenerate tissues and organs. Two typical regeneration pathways—de novo root regeneration (DNRR) and wound-induced callus (WIC) formation—enable recovery from injury but involve entirely different cell fate outcomes. These processes also form the…

Unveiling REF1: A key regulator of plant regeneration
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlants frequently encounter damage during growth and development, necessitating remarkable regenerative abilities to repair damaged tissues. Plants can regenerate organs or even entire plants from callus or a single cell, a capacity underpinning asexual reproduction and various biotechnological applications.…

Establishment of regeneration capability of callus cells
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellXu et al. demonstrate the transcriptional regulatory steps responsible for establishing the regenerating capability of callus during Arabidopsis regeneration.
https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad255
By Chongyi Xu1, Pengjie Chang1,2, Shiqi Guo1,2, Xiaona Yang1,2, Xinchun Liu1,2, Baofeng Sui1,2,…

Regeneration finds a new friend
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellBisht et al. Identify key factors in wound-activated regenerative cell division.
Jefri Heyman1,2 and Lieven De Veylder1,2
1Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, B-9052, Belgium.
2VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, B-9052, Belgium.
Background:…

A successful genetic transformation procedure for turnip
Plant Science Research WeeklyGenome editing has strong potential for crop improvement, but its application is restricted by low plant regeneration frequencies and genotype dependencies. Despite its agricultural significance, research on turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa) is hindered by a low efficiency of transformation and shoot…
