Volatile communication in plants relies on a KAI2-mediated signaling pathway.

Plants are constantly exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released during plant-plant communication, within-plant self-signaling, and plant-microbe interactions. Therefore, understanding VOC perception and downstream signaling is vital for unraveling the mechanisms behind information exchange in plants, which remain largely unexplored. Using the hormone-like function of volatile terpenoids in reproductive organ development as a system with a visual marker for communication, we demonstrate that a petunia karrikin-insensitive receptor, PhKAI2ia, stereospecifically perceives the (-)-germacrene D signal, triggering a KAI2-mediated signaling cascade and affecting plant fitness.

Maize ZmBES1/BZR1-1 transcription factor negatively regulates drought tolerance.

Drought stress is a common abiotic factor and restricts plant growth and development. Exploring maize stress-related genes and their regulatory mechanisms is crucial for ensuring agricultural productivity and food security. The BRI1-EMS1 suppressor (BES1)/brassinazole-resistant 1 (BZR1) transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress response.

Molecular and Functional Analysis of Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase Genes Enhancing Salt Tolerance in (Wall.) Lindl.

Trehalose is a reducing disaccharide, acting as a protectant against various environmental stresses in numerous organisms. In plants, trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) plays a crucial role in trehalose biosynthesis. (Wall.

Structure of maize BZR1-type β-amylase BAM8 provides new insights into its noncatalytic adaptation.

Plant β-amylase (BAM) proteins play an essential role in growth, development, stress response, and hormone regulation. Despite their typical (β/α) barrel structure as active catalysts in starch breakdown, catalytically inactive BAMs are implicated in diverse yet elusive functions in plants. The noncatalytic BAM7/8 contain N-terminal BZR1 domains and were shown to be involved in the regulation of brassinosteroid signaling and possibly serve as sensors of yet an uncharacterized metabolic signal.

Characterization of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase genes facilitating flavonoid biosynthesis from two species of medicinal plant .

Background: and , belong to the genus, have been used for Chinese herbal drugs as well as health food. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), the key enzyme in primary metabolism and phenylpropanoid metabolism, produces secondary metabolites (flavonoids) in plants, which are beneficial for the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoid metabolites.

Methods: The genes were cloned from and according to our previous transcriptomic analysis.

Maize ZmBES1/BZR1-3 and -9 Transcription Factors Negatively Regulate Drought Tolerance in Transgenic .

The BRI1-EMS suppressor 1 (BES1)/brassinazole-resistant 1(BZR1) transcription factors play crucial roles in plant growth, development, and stress response. However, little is known about the function of maize's BES1/BZR1s. In this study, the and genes were cloned from maize's inbred line, B73, and they were functionally evaluated by analyzing their expression pattern, subcellular localization, transcriptional activation activity, as well as their heterologous expression in , respectively.

Zinc Transporter ZmLAZ1-4 Modulates Zinc Homeostasis on Plasma and Vacuolar Membrane in Maize.

Zinc is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and development, and functions as a cofactor for hundreds of transcription factors and enzymes in numerous biological processes. Zinc deficiency is common abiotic stress resulting in yield loss and quality deterioration of crops, but zinc excess causes toxicity for biological systems. In plants, zinc homeostasis is tightly modulated by zinc transporters and binding compounds that uptake/release, transport, localize, and store zinc, as well as their upstream regulators.

Alternative Splicing Variants Negatively Regulate Drought Tolerance in Maize.

Serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) dephosphorylates proteins and plays crucial roles in plant growth, development, and stress response. In this study, we characterized a clade B member of maize PP2C family, i.e.

Maize transcription factor ZmBES1/BZR1-5 positively regulates kernel size.

The BES1/BZR1 transcription factors regulate the expression of genes responsive to brassinosteroids and play pivotal roles in plant development, but their role in regulating kernel development in maize remains unclear. In this study, we found that ZmBES1/BZR1-5 positively regulates kernel size. Association analysis of candidate genes in 513 diverse maize inbred lines indicated that three SNPs related to ZmBES1/BZR1-5 were significantly associated with kernel width and whilst four SNPs were related to 100-kernel weight.

Maize ZmBES1/BZR1-5 Decreases ABA Sensitivity and Confers Tolerance to Osmotic Stress in Transgenic .

The BRI1-EMS suppressor 1 (BES1)/brassinazole-resistant 1 (BZR1) transcription factors, key components in the brassinosteroid signaling pathway, play pivotal roles in plant growth and development. However, the function of BES1/BZR1 in crops during stress response remains poorly understood. In the present study, we characterized ZmBES1/BZR1-5 from maize, which was localized to the nucleus and was responsive to abscisic acid (ABA), salt and drought stresses.

Isolation and identification of a vegetative organ-specific promoter from maize.

To avoid the unregulated overexpression of the exogenous genes, specific or inducible expression is necessary for some exogenous genes in transgenic plants. But little is known about organ- or tissue-specific promoters in maize. In the present study, the expression of a maize pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein encoding gene, , was analyzed by RNA-sequencing data and confirmed by quantitative real time PCR.