Medicago, a member of the Leguminosae or Fabaceae family, encompasses the most significant forage crops globally, notably alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Its close diploid relative, Medicago truncatula, serves as an exemplary model plant for investigating leguminous growth and development, as well as its symbiosis with rhizobia. Over the past decade, advancements in Medicago genomics have significantly progressed our understanding of the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying various traits. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the progress made in the fields of genomics research, growth and development (comprising compound leaf development, shoot branching, flowering time regulation, inflorescence development, floral organ development, and seed dormancy), resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses, symbiotic nitrogen fixation with rhizobia, as well as molecular breeding. Furthermore, we propose avenues for future research endeavors in Medicago molecular biology for the upcoming decade, highlighting those areas that have yet to be untapped or remain ambiguous.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2024.12.015 | DOI Listing |
Mol Plant
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address:
Herbivore insects deploy salivary effectors to manipulate the defense of their host plants. However, it remains unclear whether small RNAs from insects function as effectors in regulating plant-insect interactions. Here, we report that a microRNA (miR29-b) found in the saliva of phloem-feeding whitefly (Bemisa tabaci) can transfer into the host plant phloem during feeding and fine-tune the defense response of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Plant Biol
January 2025
Maize and Millet Research Institute, Yousafwala, Sahiwal, Pakistan.
Heat stress poses a significant challenge for maize production, especially during the spring when high temperatures disrupt cellular processes, impeding plant growth and development. The B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) associated athanogene (BAG) gene family is known to be relatively conserved across various species. It plays a crucial role as molecular chaperone cofactors that are responsible for programmed cell death and tumorigenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Plant Biol
January 2025
Agricultural College, Faculty of Agricultural College, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010019, China.
Background: Drought stress is a major environmental constraint affecting crop yields. Plants in agricultural and natural environments have developed various mechanisms to cope with drought stress. Identifying genes associated with drought stress tolerance in potato and elucidating their regulatory mechanisms is crucial for the breeding of new potato germplasms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Plants
January 2025
Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Hornworts, one of the three bryophyte phyla, show some of the deepest divergences in extant land plants, with some families separated by more than 300 million years. Previous hornwort genomes represented only one genus, limiting the ability to infer evolution within hornworts and their early land plant ancestors. Here we report ten new chromosome-scale genomes representing all hornwort families and most of the genera.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
Rising atmospheric CO generally increases yield of indica rice, one of the two main Asian cultivated rice subspecies, more strongly than japonica rice, the other main subspecies. The molecular mechanisms driving this difference remain unclear, limiting the potential of future rice yield increases through breeding efforts. Here, we show that between-species variation in the DNR1 (DULL NITROGEN RESPONSE1) allele, a regulator of nitrate-use efficiency in rice plants, explains the divergent response to elevated atmospheric CO (eCO) conditions.
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