The above-ground plant surface is a well-adapted tissue layer that acts as an interface between the plant and its surrounding environment. As such, its primary role is to protect against desiccation and maintain the gaseous exchange required for photosynthesis. Further, this surface layer provides a barrier against pathogens and herbivory, while attracting pollinators and agents of seed dispersal. In the context of agriculture, the plant surface is strongly linked to post-harvest crop quality and yield. The epidermal layer contains several unique cell types adapted for these functions, while the non-lignified above-ground plant organs are covered by a hydrophobic cuticular membrane. This review aims to provide an overview of the latest understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying crop cuticle and epidermal cell formation, with focus placed on genetic elements contributing towards quality, yield, drought tolerance, herbivory defence, pathogen resistance, pollinator attraction, and sterility, while highlighting the inter-relatedness of plant surface development and traits. Potential crop improvement strategies utilizing this knowledge are outlined in the context of the recent development of new breeding techniques.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erad321 | DOI Listing |
BMC Microbiol
January 2025
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou Key Laboratory of Biomedicine and Advanced Dosage Forms, School of Life Sciences, Taizhou University, Taizhou, 318000, Zhejiang Province, China.
The microbiota inhabiting the surface of fish mucosal tissue play important roles in the nutrition, metabolism and immune system of their host. However, most investigations on microbial symbionts have focused on the fish gut, but the microbiota associated with external mucosal tissues (such as the skin and gill) is poorly understood. This study characterised the traits and dynamic of microbial communities associated with the skin, gill and gut of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) culturing with net enclosures or pens at different sampling times (with seasonal transition).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
January 2025
School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd Ll57 2UW, UK.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health challenge, with hospitals and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) serving as significant pathways for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This study investigates the potential of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as an early warning system for assessing the burden of AMR at the population level. In this comprehensive year-long study, effluent was collected weekly from three large hospitals, and treated and untreated wastewater were collected monthly from three associated community WWTPs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Manage
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; Research Center of Environmental Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China. Electronic address:
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, threatening the security of aquatic organisms. Identifying the emission node and hot spot of MPs holds significant importance in the pollution control of MPs. Wastewater is widely recognized as sink and source of MPs, while the direct evidence is insufficient.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Radioact
January 2025
Hama Agricultural Regeneration Research Centre, Fukushima Agricultural Technology Center, Minami-soma, Fukushima, 975-0036, Japan.
Radioactive cesium released into the atmosphere caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011 has contaminated the surrounding area. We confirmed the applicability of in-situ methods to evaluate the depth distribution of Cs by employing the ratio of Compton-scattering and photo-peak components (r) obtained from measured gamma-ray spectra. In the present study, we applied the in-situ method to farmlands in Fukushima Prefecture whose sites were disturbed by decontamination and plowing operations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Exp Bot
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan USA.
Plastid-localized plastoglobules (PGs) are monolayer lipid droplets typically associated with the outer envelope of thylakoid membranes in chloroplasts. The size and number of PGs can vary significantly in response to different environmental stimuli. Since the early 21st century, a variety of proteins attached to the surface of PGs have been identified and experimentally characterized using advanced biotechnological techniques, revealing their biological functions.
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