Strigolactones (SLs), a group of carotenoid derived terpenoid lactones, are root-to-shoot phytohormones suppressing shoot branching by inhibiting the outgrowth of axillary buds. DWARF 53 (D53), the key repressor of the SL signaling pathway, is speculated to regulate the downstream transcriptional network of the SL response. However, no downstream transcription factor targeted by D53 has yet been reported. Here we report that Ideal Plant Architecture 1 (IPA1), a key regulator of the plant architecture in rice, functions as a direct downstream component of D53 in regulating tiller number and SL-induced gene expression. We showed that D53 interacts with IPA1 in vivo and in vitro and suppresses the transcriptional activation activity of IPA1. We further showed that IPA1 could directly bind to the D53 promoter and plays a critical role in the feedback regulation of SL-induced D53 expression. These findings reveal that IPA1 is likely one of the long-speculated transcription factors that act with D53 to mediate the SL-regulated tiller development in rice.

No abstract

Plant breeding, one of the oldest agricultural activities, parallels human civilization. Many crops have been domesticated to satisfy human's food and aesthetical needs, including numerous specialty horticultural crops such as fruits, vegetables, ornamental flowers, shrubs, and trees. Crop varieties originated through selection during early human civilization. Other technologies, such as various forms of hybridization, mutation, and transgenics, have also been invented and applied to crop breeding over the past centuries. The progress made in these breeding technologies, especially the modern biotechnology-based breeding technologies, has had a great impact on crop breeding as well as on our lives. Here, we first review the developmental process and applications of these technologies in horticultural crop breeding. Then, we mainly describe the principles of the latest genome-editing technologies and discuss their potential applications in the genetic improvement of horticultural crops. The advantages and challenges of genome-editing technologies in horticultural crop breeding are also discussed.

SUMMARYCrassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a CO 2 fixation pathway that maximizes water-use efficiency (WUE), compared with the C3/C4 CO 2 pathway, which permits CAM plants to adapt to arid environments. The CAM pathway provides excellent opportunities to genetically design plants, especially bioenergy crops, with a high WUE and better photosynthetic performance than C3/C4 in arid environments. The information available on the origin and evolution of CAM is scant, however. Here, we analyzed transcriptomes from 13 orchid species and two existing orchid genomes, covering CAM and C3 plants, with an emphasis on comparing 13 gene families involved in the complete carbon fixation pathway. The dosage of the core photosynthesisrelated genes plays no substantial role in the evolution of CAM in orchids; however, CAM may have evolved primarily by changes at the transcription level of key carbon fixation pathway genes. We proposed that in both dark and light, CO 2 is primarily fixed and then released through two metabolic pathways via known genes, such as PPC1, PPDK and PPCK. This study reports a comprehensive comparison of carbon fixation pathway genes across different photosynthetic plants, and reveals the importance of the level of expression of key genes in the origin and evolution of CAM.

Tillering in rice is one of the most important agronomic traits. Rice tiller development can be divided into two main processes: the formation of the axillary bud and its subsequent outgrowth. Several genes critical for bud formation in rice have been identified by genetic studies; however, their molecular functions and relationships are still largely unknown. Here, we report that MONOCULM 1 (MOC1) and MONOCULM 3/ TILLERS ABSENT 1/STERILE AND REDUCED TILLERING 1 (MOC3/TAB1/SRT1), two vital regulators for tiller formation in rice, physically interact to regulate tiller bud outgrowth through upregulating the expression of FLORAL ORGAN NUMBER1 (FON1), the homolog of CLAVATA1 in rice. We found that MOC3 is able to directly bind the promoter of FON1 and subsequently activate FON1 expression. MOC1 functions as a coactivator of MOC3, whereas it could not directly bind the FON1 promoter, and further activated FON1 expression in the presence of MOC3. Accordingly, FON1 is highly expressed at axillary meristems and shows remarkably decreased expression levels in moc1 and moc3 mutants. Loss-of-function mutants of FON1 exhibit normal bud formation but defective bud outgrowth and reduced tiller number. Collectively, these results shed light on a joint transcriptional regulatory mechanim by MOC1 and MOC3, and establish a new framework for the control of tiller bud formation and outgrowth.

No abstract

Establishment of symbiosis between legumes and nitrogen-fixing rhizobia depends on bacterial Nod factors (NFs) that trigger symbiosis-related NF signaling in host plants. NFs are modified oligosaccharides of chitin with a fatty acid moiety. NFs can be cleaved and inactivated by host enzymes, such as MtNFH1 (MEDICAGO TRUNCATULA NOD FACTOR HYDROLASE1). In contrast to related chitinases, MtNFH1 hydrolyzes neither chitin nor chitin fragments, indicating a high cleavage preference for NFs. Here, we provide evidence for a role of MtNFH1 in the symbiosis with Upon rhizobial inoculation, MtNFH1 accumulated at the curled tip of root hairs, in the so-called infection chamber. Mutant analysis revealed that lack of MtNFH1 delayed rhizobial root hair infection, suggesting that excess amounts of NFs negatively affect the initiation of infection threads. MtNFH1 deficiency resulted in nodule hypertrophy and abnormal nodule branching of young nodules. Nodule branching was also stimulated in plants expressing driven by a tandem CaMV 35S promoter and plants inoculated by a NF-overproducing strain. We suggest that fine-tuning of NF levels by MtNFH1 is necessary for optimal root hair infection as well as for NF-regulated growth of mature nodules.

Pathogen invasion leads to fast, local-to-systemic signal transduction that initiates plant defense responses. Despite tremendous progress in past decades, aspects of this process remain unknown, such as which cell types respond first and how signals are transferred among cell types. Here, we used single-cell RNA-seq of more than 50 000 single cells to document the gene expression landscape in leaves of woodland strawberry during infection by Botrytis cinerea and identify major cell types. We constructed a single-cell atlas and characterized the distinct gene expression patterns of hydathode, epidermal, and mesophyll cells during the incubation period of B. cinerea infection. Pseudotime trajectory analysis revealed signals of the transition from normal functioning to defense response in epidermal and mesophyll cells upon B. cinerea infection. Genes related to disease resistance showed different expression patterns among cell types: disease resistance-related genes and gene encoding transcription factors were highly expressed in individual cell types and interacted to trigger plant systemic immunity to B. cinerea. This is the first report to document the of single-cell transcriptional landscape of the plant pathogenic invasion process, it provides new insights into the wholistic dynamics of host-pathogen interactions and can guide the identification of genes and the formulation of strategies for resistant cultivar development.