Plastid-localized ZmENR1/ZmHAD1 complex ensures maize pollen and anther development through regulating lipid and ROS metabolism.

Lipid metabolism is critical for male reproduction in plants. Many lipid-metabolic genic male-sterility (GMS) genes function in the anther tapetal endoplasmic reticulum, while little is known about GMS genes involved in de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in the anther tapetal plastid. In this study, we identify a maize male-sterile mutant, enr1, with early tapetal degradation, defective anther cuticle, and pollen exine.

Functional Mechanisms and the Application of Developmental Regulators for Improving Genetic Transformation in Plants.

Enhancing the genetic transformation efficiency of major crops remains a significant challenge, primarily due to their suboptimal regeneration efficiency. Developmental regulators, known as key regulatory genes, involved in plant meristem and somatic embryo formation, play a crucial role in improving plant meristem induction and regeneration. This review provides a detailed summary of the molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks of many developmental regulators, in the context of enhancing the genetic transformation efficiency in major crops.

Regulatory balance between ear rot resistance and grain yield and their breeding applications in maize and other crops.

Background: Fungi are prevalent pathogens that cause substantial yield losses of major crops. Ear rot (ER), which is primarily induced by Fusarium or Aspergillus species, poses a significant challenge to maize production worldwide. ER resistance is regulated by several small effect quantitative trait loci (QTLs).

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Lignin Synthesis Genes in Maize.

Lignin is a crucial substance in the formation of the secondary cell wall in plants. It is widely distributed in various plant tissues and plays a significant role in various biological processes. However, the number of copies, characteristics, and expression patterns of genes involved in lignin biosynthesis in maize are not fully understood.

Fatty acid de novo biosynthesis in plastids: Key enzymes and their critical roles for male reproduction and other processes in plants.

Fatty acid de novo biosynthesis in plant plastids is initiated from acetyl-CoA and catalyzed by a series of enzymes, which is required for the vegetative growth, reproductive growth, seed development, stress response, chloroplast development and other biological processes. In this review, we systematically summarized the fatty acid de novo biosynthesis-related genes/enzymes and their critical roles in various plant developmental processes. Based on bioinformatic analysis, we identified fatty acid synthase encoding genes and predicted their potential functions in maize growth and development, especially in anther and pollen development.

Receptor-like kinases and their signaling cascades for plant male fertility: loyal messengers.

Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are evolved for plant cell-cell communications. The typical RLK protein contains an extracellular and hypervariable N-terminus to perceive various signals, a transmembrane domain to anchor into plasma membrane, and a cytoplasmic, highly conserved kinase domain to phosphorylate target proteins. To date, RLKs have manifested their significance in a myriad of biological processes during plant reproductive growth, especially in male fertility.

Characterization of Glycosyltransferase Family 1 (GT1) and Their Potential Roles in Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Maize.

Glycosyltransferase family 1 (GT1) is a large group of proteins that play critical roles in secondary metabolite biosynthesis in plants. However, the GT1 family is not well studied in maize. In this study, 107 unigenes were identified in the maize reference genome and classified into 16 groups according to their phylogenetic relationship.

Mining genic resources regulating nitrogen-use efficiency based on integrative biological analyses and their breeding applications in maize and other crops.

Nitrogen (N) is an essential factor for limiting crop yields, and cultivation of crops with low nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) exhibits increasing environmental and ecological risks. Hence, it is crucial to mine valuable NUE improvement genes, which is very important to develop and breed new crop varieties with high NUE in sustainable agriculture system. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) and genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis are the most common methods for dissecting genetic variations underlying complex traits.

CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing of 14 lipid metabolic genes reveals a sporopollenin metabolon ZmPKSB-ZmTKPR1-1/-2 required for pollen exine formation in maize.

Lipid biosynthesis and transport are essential for plant male reproduction. Compared with Arabidopsis and rice, relatively fewer maize lipid metabolic genic male-sterility (GMS) genes have been identified, and the sporopollenin metabolon in maize anther remains unknown. Here, we identified two maize GMS genes, ZmTKPR1-1 and ZmTKPR1-2, by CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis of 14 lipid metabolic genes with anther stage-specific expression patterns.

Structural and molecular basis of pollen germination.

Pollen germination is a prerequisite for double fertilization of flowering plants. A comprehensive understanding of the structural and molecular basis of pollen germination holds great potential for crop yield improvement. The pollen aperture serves as the foundation for most plant pollen germination and pollen aperture formation involves the establishment of cellular polarity, the formation of distinct membrane domains, and the precise deposition of extracellular substances.

The Genetic Structures and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Ear Traits in Maize ( L.).

Maize ( L.) is one of the world's staple food crops. In order to feed the growing world population, improving maize yield is a top priority for breeding programs.

ZmMS1/ZmLBD30-orchestrated transcriptional regulatory networks precisely control pollen exine development.

Because of its significance for plant male fertility and, hence, direct impact on crop yield, pollen exine development has inspired decades of scientific inquiry. However, the molecular mechanism underlying exine formation and thickness remains elusive. In this study, we identified that a previously unrecognized repressor, ZmMS1/ZmLBD30, controls proper pollen exine development in maize.

Single-cell RNA sequencing profiles reveal cell type-specific transcriptional regulation networks conditioning fungal invasion in maize roots.

Stalk rot caused by Fusarium verticillioides (Fv) is one of the most destructive diseases in maize production. The defence response of root system to Fv invasion is important for plant growth and development. Dissection of root cell type-specific response to Fv infection and its underlying transcription regulatory networks will aid in understanding the defence mechanism of maize roots to Fv invasion.

Promoting genotype-independent plant transformation by manipulating developmental regulatory genes and/or using nanoparticles.

This review summarizes the molecular basis and emerging applications of developmental regulatory genes and nanoparticles in plant transformation and discusses strategies to overcome the obstacles of genotype dependency in plant transformation. Plant transformation is an important tool for plant research and biotechnology-based crop breeding. However, Plant transformation and regeneration are highly dependent on species and genotype.

Bibliometric Analysis of Functional Crops and Nutritional Quality: Identification of Gene Resources to Improve Crop Nutritional Quality through Gene Editing Technology.

Food security and hidden hunger are two worldwide serious and complex challenges nowadays. As one of the newly emerged technologies, gene editing technology and its application to crop improvement offers the possibility to relieve the pressure of food security and nutrient needs. In this paper, we analyzed the research status of quality improvement based on gene editing using four major crops, including rice, soybean, maize, and wheat, through a bibliometric analysis.

A Systematic Investigation of Lipid Transfer Proteins Involved in Male Fertility and Other Biological Processes in Maize.

Plant lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) play essential roles in various biological processes, including anther and pollen development, vegetative organ development, seed development and germination, and stress response, but the research progress varies greatly among , rice and maize. Here, we presented a preliminary introduction and characterization of the whole 65 LTP genes in maize, and performed a phylogenetic tree and gene ontology analysis of the LTP family members in maize. We compared the research progresses of the reported LTP genes involved in male fertility and other biological processes in and rice, and thus provided some implications for their maize orthologs, which will provide useful clues for the investigation of LTP transporters in maize.

A Systemic Investigation of Genetic Architecture and Gene Resources Controlling Kernel Size-Related Traits in Maize.

Grain yield is the most critical and complex quantitative trait in maize. Kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), kernel thickness (KT) and hundred-kernel weight (HKW) associated with kernel size are essential components of yield-related traits in maize. With the extensive use of quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyses, thousands of QTLs and quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) have been discovered for controlling these traits.

Genetic structure and molecular mechanism underlying the stalk lodging traits in maize ( L.).

Stalk lodging seriously affects yield and quality of crops, and it can be caused by several factors, such as environments, developmental stages, and internal chemical components of plant stalks. Breeding of stalk lodging-resistant varieties is thus an important task for maize breeders. To better understand the genetic basis underlying stalk lodging resistance, several methods such as quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and genome-wide association study (GWAS) have been used to mine potential gene resources.

Health Effects of Whole Grains: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Whole grains have been recommended in the diet in most countries, with numerous publications focusing on their health effect. A systematic analysis of these publications on different research methods, regions and perspectives will contribute to an understanding of the innovation pattern in this field. This bibliometric study analyzes the global publication characteristics, hotspots and frontiers of whole grain health benefit research, and discusses the trends and prospects of this topic.

Plant (di)terpenoid evolution: from pigments to hormones and beyond.

Covering: up to 2014-2022.Diterpenoid biosynthesis in plants builds on the necessary production of (,,)-geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) for photosynthetic pigment production, with diterpenoid biosynthesis arising very early in land plant evolution, enabling stockpiling of the extensive arsenal of (di)terpenoid natural products currently observed in this kingdom. This review will build upon that previously published in the Annual Review of Plant Biology, with a stronger focus on enzyme structure-function relationships, as well as additional insights into the evolution of (di)terpenoid metabolism since generated.

Plant nitrogen availability and crosstalk with phytohormones signallings and their biotechnology breeding application in crops.

Nitrogen (N), one of the most important nutrients, limits plant growth and crop yields in sustainable agriculture system, in which phytohormones are known to play essential roles in N availability. Hence, it is not surprising that massive studies about the crosstalk between N and phytohormones have been constantly emerging. In this review, with the intellectual landscape of N and phytohormones crosstalk provided by the bibliometric analysis, we trace the research story of best-known crosstalk between N and various phytohormones over the last 20 years.

Enabling Trade in Gene-Edited Produce in Asia and Australasia: The Developing Regulatory Landscape and Future Perspectives.

Genome- or gene-editing (abbreviated here as 'GEd') presents great opportunities for crop improvement. This is especially so for the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to more than half of the world's growing population. A brief description of the science of gene-editing is provided with examples of GEd products.

Genetic Analysis and Fine Mapping of Conferring Glufosinate Herbicide Tolerance in Maize ( L.).

Weed interference in the crop field is one of the major biotic stresses causing dramatic crop yield losses, and the development of herbicide-resistant crops is critical for weed control in the application of herbicide technologies. To identify herbicide-resistant germplasms, we screened 854 maize inbreed lines and 25,620 seedlings by spraying them with 1 g/L glufosinate. One plant (L336R), possibly derived from a natural variation of line L336, was identified to have the potential for glufosinate tolerance.