The mechanistic basis of tolerance to heat stress was investigated in Oryza sativa and two wild rice species, Oryza meridionalis and Oryza australiensis. The wild relatives are endemic to the hot, arid Australian savannah. Leaf elongation rates and gas exchange were measured during short periods of supra-optimal heat, revealing species differences. The Rubisco activase (RCA) gene from each species was sequenced.

Plant diversity often leads to an increase in ecosystem productivity, but the underpinning mechanisms remain poorly understood. We found that faba bean/maize intercropping enhances productivity, nodulation, and N₂ fixation of faba bean through interspecific root interactions. We provide a mechanism explaining how maize promotes N₂ fixation of faba bean, where root exudates from maize increase root hair deformation and nodulation in faba bean

The secondary metabolites of the Artemisia genus are well known for their important therapeutic properties. This genus is one of the valuable sources of flavonoids and other polyphenols, but due to the low contents of these important metabolites, there is a need to either enhance their concentration in the original plant or seek alternative sources for them. The aim of the current study was to detect and enhance the yield of antioxidant compounds of Artemisia carvifolia Buch. HPLC analysis was performed to detect the antioxidants.

Mediator complex relays the information from transcription factors to RNA polymerase II. Our results show that Mediator transmits auxin-dependent transcription through its compositional change in lateral root formation. The AUXIN/INDOLE 3-ACETIC ACID 14 (IAA14) transcriptional repressor inhibits the transcriptional activity of its binding partners AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 7 (ARF7)

WRKY transcription factors play a central role not only in plant growth and development but also in plant stress responses. However, the role of WRKY transcription factors in herbivore-induced plant defenses and their underlying mechanisms, especially in rice, remains largely unclear.

Research on the genetics of natural populations was revolutionized in the 1990s by methods for genotyping noninvasively collected samples. However, these methods have remained largely unchanged for the past 20 years and lag far behind the genomics era. To close this gap, here we report an optimized laboratory protocol for genome-wide capture of endogenous DNA from noninvasively collected samples,

Construction of next-generation sequencing (NGS) libraries involves RNA manipulation, which often creates noisy, biased, and artifactual data that contribute to errors in transcriptome analysis. In this study, a total of 19 whole transcriptome termini site sequencing (WTTS-seq) and seven RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) libraries were prepared from Xenopus tropicalis adult and embryo samples to determine the most effective library preparation method to maximize transcriptomics investigation

Most of the commercialized Bt crops express cry genes under 35S promoter that induces strong gene expression in all plant parts. However, targeted foreign gene expression in plants is esteemed more important as public may be likely to accept ‘less intrusive’ expression of transgene. We developed plant expression constructs harboring cry1Ac gene under control of wound-inducible promoter (AoPR1) to confine Bt gene expression in insect wounding parts of the plants in comparison with cry1Ac gene under the control of 35S promoter.

OsSRT1 is a NAD⁺-dependent histone deacetylase, closely related to the human SIRT6 that plays key roles in genome stability and metabolic homeostasis. In this work, we investigated the role of OsSRT1 in rice seed development. Down-regulation of OsSRT1 induced higher expression of Rice Starch Regulator1 (RSR1) and amylases genes in developing seeds

Signaling pathways responsive to both external and internal signals are essential for implementation of biological functions in a cell. After perceiving the signal, the signaling needs to be attenuated and terminated, usually mediated by the endocytic trafficking, to ensure a temporal and spatial control of the signaling activities. In mammals, disruption of the vacuolar protein sorting 41 (VPS41)-mediated endocytic pathway was reported to cause pleiotropic diseases such as neurological disorders.