Drought severely jeopardizes global apple production, yet the core molecular mechanisms enabling stress resistance remain insufficiently understood. This study reveals that strigolactones (SLs) significantly enhance drought tolerance by activating the gene MsABI5, which promotes proline biosynthesis via MsP5CS2.2. Meanwhile, MsABI5 also increases MsNAC022 expression and suppresses the negative regulator MsSMXL1, relieving transcriptional inhibition that limits stress responses. Together, the regulatory architecture improves water retention, reduces membrane damage, and maintains chlorophyll stability under drought. These findings uncover a hormone-responsive module that can serve as a valuable genetic target for developing drought-resilient apple cultivars.

Leaf lobes play a critical role in improving gas exchange, canopy architecture, and enabling high-density planting, which benefits Brassica crops in agricultural practices. Despite their importance, the genetic mechanisms behind leaf lobe formation in Brassica species, particularly Brassica rapa, have been unclear. In this study, researchers identify a key gene, BrRCO, that regulates leaf lobe formation. Using CRISPR/Cas9 and overexpression techniques, they demonstrate that BrRCO controls leaf lobe presence by repressing the expression of BrACP5, offering new insights into the genetic pathways of leaf morphology.

Gray blight poses a major threat to global tea production, yet the epigenetic mechanisms regulating plant immunity have remained unclear. A new study uncovers that the arginine methyltransferase CsPRMT5 suppresses disease resistance by mediating H4R3 symmetric dimethylation, which inhibits immune-related genes. When CsPRMT5 is reduced, histone H4R3sme2 levels decline, allowing stronger activation of defense pathways, including enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and elevated expression of CsMAPK3. Both gene-silenced tea leaves and Arabidopsis mutants showed improved resistance after infection. The discovery highlights histone methylation as a regulatory switch controlling tea plant immunity and offers a potential molecular target for breeding disease-resistant cultivars.

Leaf drooping increases leaf breakage during mechanical harvesting, lowering tea yield and quality. The study reveals that CsTPR, a TETRATRICOPEPTIDE REPEAT gene, plays a key role in maintaining leaf straightness by suppressing brassinosteroid-induced droopiness. A single-base mutation in CsTPR promoter strengthens repression by the transcription factor CsBES1.2, reducing CsTPR expression and ultimately enhancing leaf drooping. Functional verification using gene-silenced plants confirmed that CsTPR acts as a negative regulator of leaf drooping, influencing vascular development and leaf tip angle. This work uncovers a molecular mechanism that links promoter variation to drooping traits, providing genetic targets for breeding cultivars suitable for mechanical harvesting.

Parthenocarpy, the ability of plants to set fruit without fertilization, is a key trait for breeding high-yielding blueberry cultivars, especially in the context of pollination deficits. This study investigates genomic selection (GS) and other molecular breeding methods to accelerate the development of parthenocarpic blueberries. Through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and predictive analysis, researchers identified several promising genetic markers linked to parthenocarpic fruit set, offering a strategic approach to improve blueberry cultivation.

Tanshinones are major bioactive components in Salvia miltiorrhiza and are widely used in cardiovascular therapies. However, their naturally low content limits pharmaceutical utilization. This study reveals a transcriptional regulatory module involving SmWRKY32, SmbHLH65, and SmbHLH85 that directly shapes tanshinone biosynthesis. The researchers demonstrate that SmbHLH65 and SmbHLH85 act as positive regulators promoting tanshinone accumulation, while SmWRKY32 functions as a suppressor by downregulating SmbHLH65. Overexpressing SmbHLH65 or SmbHLH85 significantly increases tanshinone levels, whereas silencing these factors decreases production. These findings uncover a coordinated gene–protein interaction network providing new molecular targets for metabolic engineering to enhance tanshinone yield.

Terpenoids are among the most pharmacologically valuable plant metabolites, yet their biosynthetic gene clusters in Euphorbiaceae have remained largely unexplored. This study establishes a comprehensive genome-wide identification framework and analyzes terpene gene clusters using multi-omics data. A total of 1824 candidate clusters were detected in seven Euphorbiaceae species, and 16 were confirmed as high-confidence terpene clusters after strict screening based on TPS/CYP pairing, copathway linkage, and coexpression patterns. Notably, casbene and casbene-derived diterpenoid gene clusters were identified, providing new clues to the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds such as neocembrene, ingenanes, and jatrophanes. This work lays a foundation for metabolic engineering and drug development linked to Euphorbiaceae terpenoids.

Tea plants are known for their ability to accumulate aluminum (Al), a trait that is beneficial for growth at optimal levels but may pose health risks when consumed in excess. This study identifies a key gene, CsWRKY17, that plays a crucial role in the accumulation of aluminum in the leaves of tea plants. By enhancing pectin deesterification in the cell walls, this gene helps facilitate the binding of aluminum, which is essential for managing Al toxicity. This discovery provides a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating aluminum accumulation in tea plants, offering potential strategies for breeding tea varieties with reduced aluminum content and improved safety.

Flowering time is essential for regulating production cycles and commercial value in chrysanthemum. Researchers have identified a photoperiod-regulated mechanism in which the gene CmARF3 suppresses the transcription factor CmTCP7, relieving inhibition of the floral transition pathway. Silencing CmTCP7 leads to earlier flowering, while CmARF3 overexpression accelerates floral initiation. Reduced CmTCP7 protein level enhances activity of the CmFTL3–CmFDL1 complex and promotes the expression of the floral meristem gene CmCDM111L. This work outlines a multilayer regulatory network controlling short-day flowering and offers potential molecular targets for breeding early-blooming cultivars.

Recently, Professor Fei Wang's research group at Nankai University developed an aromatic radical substitution reaction based on aniline protonation-induced polarity reversal, achieving the direct meta-selective amination of aromatic amines to synthesize m-phenylenediamine compounds. The authors transformed the amine group, originally an ortho/para directing group, into a strongly electron-withdrawing ammonium functional group with meta-directing effects through aniline protonation. Simultaneously, they combined this with aryl hydrocarbon amination mediated by highly reactive ammonium radical cations/pyridinium radicals, thus solving the challenge of meta-selective hydrocarbon amination of aniline compounds. The article was published as an open access communication in CCS Chemistry, the flagship journal of the Chinese Chemical Society.