Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences

A pair of chitosan receptors confer broad-spectrum fungal resistance

Chitosan, a major fungal cell wall component, activates plant immunity, yet the underlying perception mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we identified OsFID1, an apoplast-localized DUF26 domain protein, as a chitosan-binding receptor essential for chitosan-triggered immuni...

Spatial and single-nucleus transcriptomics reveal the complexity of genomic imprinting in maize

Genomic imprinting is a classic epigenetic phenomenon first discovered in maize, which occurs predominantly in the triploid endosperm and is thought to mediate parental influences on seed development. Previous studies based on bulk RNA sequencing of manually dissected endosperm h...

Underground Signals: The Ecological Power of Root Volatiles

Root volatiles mediate diverse belowground interactions among plants, microbes, and invertebrates, but biological and environmental conditions strongly influence their production, movement, perception, and ecological effects. This review synthesizes current knowledge through an i...

Experimental evolution reveals biphasic adaptation of Bacillus subtilis to long-chain fatty acid stress

Gram-positive bacteria like Bacillus subtilis are typically sensitive to long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), which serve as both nutrients and antimicrobials, posing an ecological paradox regarding their survival in lipid-rich environments. We experimentally evolved B. subtilis for ~...

Multiple Argonaute complexes orchestrate epigenetic silencing in the Arabidopsis germline

Abstract Small RNAs (sRNAs) are widespread across diverse flowering plant species and play important roles regulating reproduction and environmental responses. However, how sRNAs exert their function is largely unknown, likely due to their typical origin in non-genic regions, the...

Polycomb protein ZmEMF1a restricts endosperm proliferation and directs differentiation via stage‐specific H2Aub1 and H3K27me3 landscapes in maize

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins serve as pivotal epigenetic repressors that govern the transcriptional programs underlying cell growth and differentiation. However, their functional roles in maize endosperm remain largely unexplored. Here, we characterize the recessive maize small-...

N-Acetylcysteine Attacks Phenoloxidase to Inhibit Insect Melanization and Boost Fungal Virulence

The prophenoloxidase (PPO) melanization cascade is a cornerstone of insect humoral immunity against fungal pathogens, yet its direct fungicidal mechanism remains undefined, and strategies to safely manipulate this pathway for biological control are lacking. Here, we demonstrate t...

Herbivory‐Induced Stomatal Opening Triggers the Dispersal of an Invasive Insect Herbivore

Stomata play important roles in plant responses to phytopathogens, but less is known about their roles in plant-herbivore interactions. Herbivore damage commonly closes stomata but also elicits the release of herbivory-induced plant volatiles, important mediators of plant-herbivo...