Transcription factor bHLH121 regulates root cortical aerenchyma formation in maize.

Root anatomical phenotypes present a promising yet underexploited avenue to deliver major improvements in yield and climate resilience of crops by improving water and nutrient uptake. For instance, the formation of root cortical aerenchyma (RCA) significantly increases soil exploration and resource capture by reducing the metabolic costs of root tissue. A key bottleneck in studying such phenotypes has been the lack of robust high-throughput anatomical phenotyping platforms.

Maize () is a gene affecting endosperm starch metabolism.

() is a naturally occurring mutant allele involved in starch metabolism in maize endosperm. It is a recessive modifier of () and commercially important in modern sweet corn breeding, but its molecular identity and mode of action remain unknown. Here, we developed a pair of near-isogenic lines, W822Gse () and W822GSe (), that Mendelize the phenotype in an background.

Constitutive Expression of Arabidopsis SMALL AUXIN UP RNA19 (SAUR19) in Tomato Confers Auxin-Independent Hypocotyl Elongation.

The plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA or auxin) mediates the elongation growth of shoot tissues by promoting cell expansion. According to the acid growth theory proposed in the 1970s, auxin activates plasma membrane H-ATPases (PM H-ATPases) to facilitate cell expansion by both loosening the cell wall through acidification and promoting solute uptake. Mechanistically, however, this process is poorly understood.

GA signalling and cross-talk with other signalling pathways.

Gibberellins (GAs) are phytohormones that regulate growth and development. DELLA proteins repress GA responses. GA binding to its receptor triggers a series of events that culminate in the destruction of DELLA proteins by the 26S proteasome, which removes the repression of GA signalling.

Uncovering DELLA-Independent Gibberellin Responses by Characterizing New Tomato procera Mutants.

Gibberellin (GA) regulates plant development primarily by triggering the degradation/deactivation of the DELLA proteins. However, it remains unclear whether all GA responses are regulated by DELLAs. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has a single DELLA gene named PROCERA (PRO), and its recessive pro allele exhibits constitutive GA activity but retains responsiveness to external GA.

Targeted mutagenesis of the tomato PROCERA gene using transcription activator-like effector nucleases.

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