Large-scale single-cell profiling of stem cells identifies redundant regulators of shoot development and yield trait variation.

Plant shoot stem cells generate organs essential for food, feed, and biofuels. However, plant single-cell analyses struggled to capture these rare cells or to detect stem cell regulators like CLAVATA3 and WUSCHEL. Here, we dissected stem cell-enriched shoot tissues from maize and Arabidopsis for single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and we optimized protocols to recover thousands of CLAVATA3- and WUSCHEL-expressing cells.

Solanum pan-genetics reveals paralogues as contingencies in crop engineering.

Pan-genomics and genome-editing technologies are revolutionizing breeding of global crops. A transformative opportunity lies in exchanging genotype-to-phenotype knowledge between major crops (that is, those cultivated globally) and indigenous crops (that is, those locally cultivated within a circumscribed area) to enhance our food system. However, species-specific genetic variants and their interactions with desirable natural or engineered mutations pose barriers to achieving predictable phenotypic effects, even between related crops.

Convergent evolution of plant prickles by repeated gene co-option over deep time.

An enduring question in evolutionary biology concerns the degree to which episodes of convergent trait evolution depend on the same genetic programs, particularly over long timescales. In this work, we genetically dissected repeated origins and losses of prickles-sharp epidermal projections-that convergently evolved in numerous plant lineages. Mutations in a cytokinin hormone biosynthetic gene caused at least 16 independent losses of prickles in eggplants and wild relatives in the genus .

Coexpression enhances cross-species integration of single-cell RNA sequencing across diverse plant species.

Single-cell RNA sequencing is increasingly used to investigate cross-species differences driven by gene expression and cell-type composition in plants. However, the frequent expansion of plant gene families due to whole-genome duplications makes identification of one-to-one orthologues difficult, complicating integration. Here we demonstrate that coexpression can be used to trim many-to-many orthology families down to identify one-to-one gene pairs with proxy expression profiles, improving the performance of traditional integration methods and reducing barriers to integration across a diverse array of plant species.

Coexpression enhances cross-species integration of scRNA-seq across diverse plant species.

Single-cell RNA sequencing is increasingly used to investigate cross-species differences driven by gene expression and cell-type composition in plants. However, the frequent expansion of plant gene families due to whole genome duplications makes identification of one-to-one orthologs difficult, complicating integration. Here, we demonstrate that coexpression can be used to identify non-orthologous gene pairs with proxy expression profiles, improving the performance of traditional integration methods and reducing barriers to integration across a diverse array of plant species.

A pan-grass transcriptome reveals patterns of cellular divergence in crops.

Different plant species within the grasses were parallel targets of domestication, giving rise to crops with distinct evolutionary histories and traits. Key traits that distinguish these species are mediated by specialized cell types. Here we compare the transcriptomes of root cells in three grass species-Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor and Setaria viridis.

High-Flow Nasal Cannula in Transport: Process, Results, and Considerations.

Objective: The current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has increased interest in the use of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in the transport setting. The purpose of this report was to outline the clinical workflow of using HFNC in transport and the results of a retrospective chart review of patients undergoing interhospital transfer on HFNC.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patient transfers using HFNC between January 2018 and June 2019.

A facile forward-genetic screen for Arabidopsis autophagy mutants reveals twenty-one loss-of-function mutations disrupting six ATG genes.

Macroautophagy is a process through which eukaryotic cells degrade large substrates including organelles, protein aggregates, and invading pathogens. Over 40 autophagy-related (ATG) genes have been identified through forward-genetic screens in yeast. Although homology-based analyses have identified conserved ATG genes in plants, only a few atg mutants have emerged from forward-genetic screens in Arabidopsis thaliana.