Article
Agronomy
WenQian Kong, Pheonah Nabukalu, T. S. Cox, Valorie H. Goff, Jon S. Robertson, Gary J. Pierce, Cornelia Lemke, Rosana Compton, Andrew H. Paterson
Summary: Comparing populations derived from polyploid Sorghum halepense and its progenitors helped improve understanding of plant architecture, revealing genetic novelty in S. halepense that may be valuable for sorghum improvement. Analysis of quantitative traits in tetraploid S. halepense showed potential opportunities for sorghum improvement through the discovery of new alleles associated with elite sorghum traits. The abundance of unique QTLs in S. halepense populations, potentially arising from polyploidy and 'diploidization' processes, indicate a rich collection of novel alleles that could be beneficial for sorghum enhancement.
THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Chunge Cui, Qiumei Lu, Zhangchen Zhao, Shan Lu, Shan Duan, Yang Yang, Yue Qiao, Liang Chen, Yin-Gang Hu
Summary: In this study, the region of Rht5 gene was narrowed down and a possible candidate gene was predicted. Rht5 had pleiotropic effects on plant height, spike length, culm diameter, grain size, and grain yield.
Article
Plant Sciences
Richard Barker, Maria Nieves Fernandez Garcia, Stephen J. Powers, Simon Vaughan, Malcolm J. Bennett, Andrew L. Phillips, Stephen G. Thomas, Peter Hedden
Summary: Root elongation is dependent on gibberellin growth hormones, which promote cell production in the root meristem and cell expansion in the elongation zone. The study showed that GA biosynthesis in roots occurs in multiple tissues, with the endodermis playing a major role in synthesis.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiao Liu, Yanqing Wu, Guichun Dong, Guanglong Zhu, Guisheng Zhou
Summary: Salt stress negatively affects germination and seedling growth of sorghum, but exogenous gibberellin (GA) can alleviate the effects to some extent. Current research on sorghum salt tolerance primarily focuses on the morphological and physiological levels, including transcriptome analysis, salt tolerance metabolic pathways, and key salt tolerance regulation genes. High-throughput sequencing technology plays a significant role in studying crop resistance, which is important for gene discovery and mechanism elucidation. This review investigates the effects of exogenous GA on leaf morphology and physiological responses in sorghum seedlings, contributing to a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of growth and development under salt stress and providing references for salt stress-related gene discovery and new sorghum variety development.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hao Wu, Beibei Bai, Xiaoduo Lu, Haiyan Li
Summary: The reduction in endogenous gibberellin improved drought resistance, but decreased cellulose and lignin contents, which made the mutant prone to lodging.
PLANT CELL REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Somashekhar M. Punnuri, Addissu G. Ayele, Karen R. Harris-Shultz, Joseph E. Knoll, Alisa W. Coffin, Haile K. Tadesse, J. Scott Armstrong, Trahmad K. Wiggins, Hanxia Li, Scott Sattler, Jason G. Wallace
Summary: This study identified genomic regions associated with sorghum aphid resistance through field evaluation and reflectance data analysis. Several common markers were found to be associated with aphid count and plant damage, and loci for reflectance-based traits were identified on different chromosomes. Genes related to sorghum growth and flowering time were also identified. The markers identified in this study will facilitate marker-assisted breeding for sorghum aphid resistance.
Article
Plant Sciences
Francesco Mignolli, Lorenzo Mariotti, Maria Laura Vidoz
Summary: Auxin plays a central role in tomato fruit growth and development, with its action mediated by gibberellins (GAs). The diageotropica (dgt) mutant exhibits defective auxin sensitivity and affects gibberellin biosynthesis regulation in tomatoes. The mutant shows lower levels of active GAs and reduced expression of GA 20-oxidase genes, leading to inhibited fruit growth. Exogenous GA(3) treatment has little effect and the lack of DELLA-mediated constraint on GA signal does not increase fruit size. This research highlights the importance of gibberellins in tomato fruit growth and the role of the dgt mutation in inhibiting growth.
PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Maria L. Federico, Augusto L. Diniz, Glaucia M. Souza, Rod Snowdon, Luis Erazzu
Summary: In this study, researchers used sorghum as a reference crop to identify regions associated with bioenergy production in the sugarcane genome. Comparative genomics revealed highly conserved chromosome blocks between sorghum and sugarcane. A targeted candidate search identified genes involved in sugar and cell wall metabolism, providing insights for genomics-assisted breeding in sugarcane.
Article
Agronomy
Yuxin Zhang, Qinghao Liu, Wangcang Su, Lanlan Sun, Hongle Xu, Fei Xue, Chuantao Lu, Renhai Wu
Summary: The study found that exogenous gibberellin A(3) (GA(3)) can alleviate the phytotoxicity of S-metolachlor (MET) on sorghum. GA(3) alleviated the MET-induced deficiency of GA(3) by absorbing exogenous GA(3), and restored the homeostasis of abscisic acid (ABA) and GA(3) by promoting ABA synthesis.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Katherine M. Murphy, Tyler Dowd, Ahmed Khalil, Si Nian Char, Bing Yang, Benjamin J. Endelman, Patrick M. Shih, Christopher Topp, Eric A. Schmelz, Philipp Zerbe
Summary: In maize, two major groups of specialized metabolites, kauralexins and dolabralexins, are involved in defending against pathogens, herbivores, and other stressors. This study examined the dolabralexin pathway and found new metabolites and characterized their production. Genetic analysis showed that dolabralexin biosynthesis occurs mainly in primary roots and varies across different maize lines. Loss-of-function mutants for the diterpene synthase gene ZmKSL4 demonstrated deficient dolabralexin production and exhibited altered root architecture in response to water deficit. These findings suggest that maize dolabralexins play a role in plant vigor during abiotic stress.
Article
Agronomy
Ye-Jin Lee, Baul Yang, Woon Ji Kim, Juyoung Kim, Soon-Jae Kwon, Jae Hoon Kim, Joon-Woo Ahn, Sang Hoon Kim, Eui-Shik Rha, Bo-Keun Ha, Chang-Hyu Bae, Jaihyunk Ryu
Summary: This study used genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to evaluate agronomic traits and phenolic compounds in 96 sorghum genotypes, and conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify the genetic basis of biomass-related traits. The research found six major phenolic compounds in sorghum biomass. Additionally, 40 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with heading date, plant height, dry yield, and phenolic compounds were identified. The findings highlight the potential value of sorghum as a biomass resource and the possibility of selecting sorghum genotypes with reduced phenolic contents for use in the bioindustry.
Article
Agronomy
Oshry Markovich, Nerya Zexer, Boaz Negin, Yotam Zait, Shula Blum, Alon Ben-Gal, Rivka RivkaElbaum
Summary: This study examines the role of silicon in soil-grown plants under drought conditions using a sorghum mutant plant lacking the key silicon root channel. The mutant plants showed reduced transpiration and photosynthesis rate under water stress, mainly due to early stomatal closure. These findings suggest that silicon may delay the onset of drought physiology by reducing stress signaling or reaction.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jae-Ryoung Park, Yoon-Hee Jang, Eun-Gyeong Kim, Sang-Sun Hur, Kyung-Min Kim, Deyong Ren
Summary: In this study, QTLs and candidate genes related to rice plant height regulation were identified, which can provide information and foundation for marker-assisted selection and breeding.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Horticulture
Yang Lu, Shuangxia Luo, Qiang Li, Na Li, Wenchao Du, Ping Yu, Xing Wang, Weiwei Zhang, Shuxin Xuan, Xuan Zhou, Jiajia Shen, Jianjun Zhao, Yanhua Wang, Xueping Chen, Shuxing Shen
Summary: Dwarfism is a desirable trait in eggplant breeding for its benefits in lodging resistance and management simplification. A newly discovered dwarf mutant, dwf, showed differences in gene expression and gibberellin content compared to the wild-type parent, indicating the important role of gibberellin in regulating the dwarf phenotype. The findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms of dwarfism in eggplant and provide a potential germplasm resource for future breeding efforts.
Article
Plant Sciences
Pradeep Ruperao, Nepolean Thirunavukkarasu, Prasad Gandham, Sivasubramani Selvanayagam, Mahalingam Govindaraj, Baloua Nebie, Eric Manyasa, Rajeev Gupta, Roma Rani Das, Damaris A. Odeny, Harish Gandhi, David Edwards, Santosh P. Deshpande, Abhishek Rathore
Summary: The study constructed the sorghum pan-genome, revealing its structural and functional characteristics, and analyzing its role in genetic gain and drought adaptation. Results showed that the sorghum genome has rich gene diversity that can be utilized in crop improvement.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Michaela S. Matthes, Zoe Darnell, Norman B. Best, Katy Guthrie, Janlo M. Robil, Jen Amstutz, Amanda Durbak, Paula McSteen
Summary: Meristems are crucial for plant architecture and are sensitive to boron deficiency. In this study, the boron-deficient maize mutant, tls1, was used to investigate the impact of boron deficiency on meristem development. We found that reduced boron uptake in tls1 led to impaired meristem development, resulting in vegetative and reproductive defects. Our results also revealed that specific meristem maintenance and hormone pathways were affected in tls1, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of boron deficiency in maize shoot meristem development.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2022)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rocio Deanna, Bethann Garramon Merkle, Kwok Pan Chun, Deborah Navarro-Rosenblatt, Ivan Baxter, Nora Oleas, Alejandro Bortolus, Patricia Geesink, Luisa Diele-Viegas, Valeria Aschero, Maria Jose de Leone, Sonia Oliferuk, Rui Zuo, Andrea Cosacov, Mariana Grossi, Sandra Knapp, Alicia Lopez-Mendez, Elina Welchen, Pamela Ribone, Gabriela Auge
Summary: Mentor relationships are crucial for the retention, success, and well-being of women and underrepresented minority scientists in academia. A diverse network of mentors can support the achievement of long-term career goals, advancement, and retention of both mentors and mentees, thereby enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ben F. Lucker, Joshua A. Temple, Nicolas L. Panchy, Urs F. Benning, Jacob D. Bibik, Peter G. Neofotis, Joseph C. Weissman, Ivan R. Baxter, Shin-Han Shiu, David M. Kramer
Summary: This study demonstrates an approach to produce hybrid algal strains with increased photosynthetic productivity through breeding and competition methods. The results indicate that the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has untapped directed evolution capacity that can be harnessed to improve photosynthetic efficiency and biomass production. By mapping selection-enriched genomic loci, further insights into the genetic and mechanistic basis of photosynthetic productivity can be obtained.
ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jared M. Simons, Tim C. Herbert, Coleby Kauffman, Marc Y. Batete, Andrew T. Simpson, Yuka Katsuki, Dong Le, Danielle Amundson, Elizabeth M. Buesche, Clifford Weil, Mitch Tuinstra, Charles Addo-Quaye
Summary: This study focuses on improving the accuracy of detecting EMS-induced mutations in a mutant population by implementing new methods, demonstrating high concordance between different variant-calling algorithms, and uncovering additional false-negative mutations. The final dataset contains a substantial increase in SNP detection, providing a valuable genetic resource for sorghum research.
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Ivan Baxter
Article
Plant Sciences
Hoang Tang, David L. Berryman, Jorrel Mendoza, Jessica P. Yactayo-Chang, Qin-Bao Li, Shawn A. Christensen, Charles T. Hunter, Norman Best, Eric Soubeyrand, Tariq A. Akhtar, Gilles J. Basset, Anna K. Block
Summary: Zea mays produces high levels of zealexins, an important defense compound, without negatively affecting its growth by partitioning the production of farnesyl diphosphate, the precursor for zealexins, between different farnesyl diphosphate synthases. Specifically, FPS3 is responsible for zealexin production, while FPS1 is responsible for the production of the essential respiratory co-factor ubiquinone.
Article
Plant Sciences
Norman B. Best, Brian P. Dilkes
Summary: The plant hormone gibberellin (GA) has different effects on floral development and plant height in maize tassels depending on the developmental context. The study reveals the role of GA signaling and repression in regulating floral development in the presence and absence of excess GA. The study also shows that genotype affects all GA-regulated phenotypes, but there is no correlation between these phenotypes, indicating the complexity of the relationship between GA and development.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Takeshi Yoshihara, Nathan D. Miller, Fernando A. Rabanal, Hannah Myles, Il-Youp Kwak, Karl W. Broman, Boris Sadkhin, Ivan Baxter, Brian P. Dilkes, Matthew E. Hudson, Edgar P. Spalding
Summary: By conducting large-scale experiments on two plant species, we have discovered four naturally varying components of a conserved process in gravitropism.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Valerian Meline, Denise L. Caldwell, Bong-Suk Kim, Rajdeep S. Khangura, Sriram Baireddy, Changye Yang, Erin E. Sparks, Brian Dilkes, Edward J. Delp, Anjali S. Iyer-Pascuzzi
Summary: A major challenge in global crop production is mitigating yield loss due to plant diseases. One of the best strategies to control these losses is through breeding for disease resistance. Image-based, non-destructive measurements of plant morphology after pathogen infection can capture subtle quantitative differences between genotypes and enable the identification of new disease resistance loci. This study on tomato plants infected with a soilborne pathogen found that image-based phenotyping allows earlier detection of disease and identifies new genetic components of resistance compared to human assessment.
Article
Plant Sciences
Alexander J. Cummins, C. J. Siler, Jacob M. Olson, Amanpreet Kaur, Adam K. Hamdani, L. Kate Olson, Brian P. Dilkes, Leslie E. Sieburth
Summary: A study on Arabidopsis thaliana found that the BPS1 gene releases a small molecule called dalekin through the root-to-shoot signaling pathway, leading to severe growth arrest in the bps1-2 mutant phenotype in Col-0. Through a natural variant screen, researchers identified a semi-dominant suppressor gene, Apost-1, which partially restored shoot development in bps1 mutant but still overproduced dalekin. The study also identified a paralog of BPS1, BPS2, which is highly conserved in land plants and likely contributes to the suppression of the bps1 mutant phenotype.
Article
Plant Sciences
Meng Li, Sergio Perez-Limon, M. Rosario Ramirez-Flores, Benjamin Barrales-Gamez, Marco Antonio Meraz-Mercado, Gregory Ziegler, Ivan Baxter, Victor Olalde-Portugal, Ruairidh J. H. Sawers
Summary: This study evaluated the effect of symbiotic relationships on the concentration of 20 mineral elements in the leaves and grain of maize. The compatibility of AMF was associated with differences in element concentrations, suggesting genotypic variations in the impact of AMF on plant nutrition.
Article
Plant Sciences
Norman Best, Brian Dilkes
Summary: The developmental genetics of reproductive structure control in maize involve multiple mechanisms including gibberellin deficiency, jasmonic acid (JA) and gibberellin (GA) acting independently, and the silkless1 mutant suppressing silks in the ear. The persistence of pistils in the tassel can be induced by JA deficiency, GA excess, genetic control of floral determinacy, and organ identity, while the silkless1 mutant suppresses silk growth in both the ear and tassel. Additionally, the silkless1 mutant exhibits other phenotypes such as weakly penetrant ear fasciation and anther persistence in the ear florets.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Krittikan Chanpaisaeng, Perla C. Reyes-Fernandez, Brian Dilkes, James C. Fleet
Summary: Genetics and dietary calcium both play critical roles in regulating bone mass and microarchitecture, with genetics impacting bone traits significantly and influencing the physiological response of bone to dietary calcium restriction. The study identified novel genetic loci controlling bone mass/microarchitecture and their adaptation to inadequate dietary calcium intake.