The near-complete genome assembly of provides insights into its origin, evolution, and the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis.

, native to southern China, is renowned for its therapeutic and nutritional benefits, often called the "king of flavonoids" due to its high dihydromyricetin content. The dried stems, leaves, and shoot tips, known as "vine tea," are consumed as a health beverage and traditional remedy for colds and fever. In this study, we assembled a near-complete reference genome of spanning 555.

Autophagy and glycolysis synergistically mediate Cd²⁺ transport to enhance Cd tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Cadmium (Cd), as a widely investigated heavy metal, demonstrates severe toxicity to plant growth and development. However, the roles of energy metabolism, and protein degradation caused by autophagy in plant Cd tolerance remain poorly characterized. This study reveals that Cd-exposure simultaneously affects both the glycolytic and autophagic in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Loss and recovery dynamics of mitochondria in laticifer vessels of the rubber tree under repeated latex harvesting.

Natural rubber is harvested by periodically incising the laticifer vessels in the bark of rubber trees to release latex, the cytoplasm of laticifers. Although mitochondria are suspended in the cytoplasm and were expected to leak out, some earlier studies failed to detect their presence. In this study, we identified mitochondria and plastids in expelled latex using molecular methods and confocal microscopy, quantifying their abundance at 13 850 ± 800 mitochondria per microliter latex.

CYP82G1 Enzyme Functions as Chromone Hydroxylase in the Biosynthesis of 6-Hydroxy-2-(2-Phenylethyl)chromone in Aquilaria sinensis.

Aquilaria sinensis, a plant of the genus Aquilaria in the family Thymelaeaceae, can form resinous and fragrant agarwood in response to wounding or infection. The resin physically occludes xylem vessels and ray parenchyma, limiting pathogen mobility and resource loss. The quality of agarwood is often evaluated using highly oxygenated 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones, such as agarotetrol, 2-[2-(4-methoxy)phenylethyl]chromone, 4'-methoxyagarotetrol and 6,7-dimethoxy-2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone.

The genomic design of fruit metabolomes.

As a major source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers, fruits are critical elements for ensuring global dietary sufficiency. Domestication and improvement boosted fruit yield and disease resistance but reduced flavor and aroma. With the rapid development of multiomics and gene editing, such as genomics, metabolomics and CRISPR-Cas9, improving fruit quality through genome design has become feasible.

Physiological and Transcriptomic Mechanisms Underlying Vitamin C-Mediated Cold Stress Tolerance in Grafted Cucumber.

Cucumbers ( L.) are highly sensitive to cold, but grafting onto cold-tolerant rootstocks can enhance their low-temperature resilience. This study investigates the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which exogenous vitamin C (Vc) mitigates cold stress in grafted cucumber seedlings.

NRT1.1B acts as an abscisic acid receptor in integrating compound environmental cues for plants.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is the most crucial phytohormone for plants in adapting to environmental conditions. While the ABA signaling network in plants has been extensively explored, our understanding of the diverse ABA sensing systems remains limited. Here, we found that the transcriptional response to ABA is suppressed under high-nitrate conditions but substantially increases under low-nitrate conditions, suggesting a tight integration of ABA signaling with nutrient conditions.

Natural Variation of a Specific NLR Gene RGA4L Confers Strong Chilling Tolerance in Rice.

Low temperature limits rice geographical distribution. However, japonica rice, characterised by its chilling tolerance, can be planted in high-altitude and temperate regions, and the molecular mechanisms underlying this adaptation remain partially understood. Here, we identified a novel major chilling-tolerant QTL, qCSS12, through map-based cloning using a chromosome segment substitution line (CSSL) previously developed from a cross between the chilling-tolerant japonica rice Koshihikari and the indica rice Nona Bokra.

A unique three-enzyme cascade mediates efficient regioselective and stereospecific epoxytetrahydrofuran ring formation in deoxyverrucosidin biosynthesis.

The fungal octaketide deoxyverrucosidin shares the same α-pyrone core with several nonaketides, including aurovertins, citreoviridin, and asteltoxin. Deoxyverrucosidin features a unique epoxytetrahydrofuran ring. In this study, we demonstrate that this ring system is formed a flavin-containing monooxygenase-mediated epoxidation on the polyene chain, followed by rearrangement with an epoxide expandase and a second epoxidation on the resulting 2,5-dihydrofuran ring with a cytochrome P450 enzyme.

Trihelix transcription factors are involved in drought stress response of Mangifera indica.

Background: Trihelix transcription factors (THs) are plant-specific regulators known to play important roles in development and abiotic stress responses. Although extensively studied in several crops, the Trihelix gene family has not yet been characterized in Mangifera indica (mango), a tropical fruit tree highly sensitive to drought stress.

Results: In this study, a total of 49 Trihelix genes (MiTHs) were identified in the Mangifera indica genome.

DSP1 gene silencing boosts the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana in controlling bean flower thrips.

Entomopathogenic fungi are eco-friendly biological method to control various agricultural pests. However, it takes time during the practical application of Beauveria bassiana in thrip management. This study investigates the role of Megalurothrips usitatus Dorsal switch protein 1 (MuDSP1), which is an immune regulatory gene during fungus infection.

HiMT: An integrative toolkit for assembling organelle genomes using HiFi reads.

Chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes, which coexist with the nuclear genome, are extensively used in gene function studies, evolutionary analyses, and targeted breeding. However, assembling these organelle genomes remains challenging due to frequent recombination events and abundant repetitive sequences. Although some assembly tools are available, many are difficult to install or require extensive parameter tuning and computational resources.

Multi-omics approach reveals differences in aroma and metabolic characteristics of two types of jackfruits.

Consumers are particularly fond of jackfruit for its strong tropical aroma and distinctive flavor. However, significant differences in aroma and taste exist among various jackfruit varieties. This study investigated the aroma characteristics and metabolic profiles of two representative jackfruit cultivars, QY1H and XM1H.

Dynamic Modeling of the Sulfur Cycle in Urban Sewage Pipelines Under High-Temperature and High-Salinity Conditions.

This study addresses the microbial corrosion of cement-based materials in coastal urban sewer networks, systematically investigating the kinetic mechanisms of sulfur biogeochemical cycling under seawater infiltration conditions. Through dynamic monitoring of sulfide concentrations and environmental parameter variations in anaerobic pipelines, a multiphase coupled kinetic model integrating liquid-phase, gas-phase, and biofilm metabolic processes was developed. The results demonstrate that moderate salinity enhances the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and accelerates sulfate reduction rates, whereas excessive sulfide accumulation inhibits SRB activity.

The BELL-KNOX module qSH1-OSH71 regulates rice seed shattering via direct activation of OsXTH12 xyloglucanase.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) seed shattering is an important agronomic trait closely associated with yield. This study identified the interaction between Oryza sativa HOMEOBOX 71 (OSH71) and the essential seed shattering gene quantitative trait locus of seed shattering on chromosome 1 (qSH1) in rice.

Genome-wide association studies reveal genetic diversity and regulatory loci underlying dwarfing traits in banana.

Bananas (Musa ssp.) are globally important staple crops increasingly constrained by biotic stressors, climatic instability, and the high labor demands of cultivation. The genetic improvement of dwarf phenotypes offers a strategic pathway to enhance mechanization and reduce production costs.

The cytonuclear interactions during grapevine domestication.

DNAs from the cytoplasmic genomes often communicate with the nuclear genome during regulation, development, and evolution. However, the dynamics of cytonuclear interaction during crop domestication have still been rarely investigated. Here, we examine cytonuclear interactions during grapevine domestication using pan-mitogenome, pan-plastome, and haplotype-resolved nuclear genomes, all assembled from long-read sequences across 33 wild and domesticated grapevine accessions.

Comprehensive genomic and phenotypic analyses reveal the genetic basis of fruit quality in litchi.

Background: Litchi, an economically important fruit crop in Southeast Asia, is renowned for its distinctive flavor and nutrient value, but its genetic diversity and genetic basis underlying fruit quality regulation remain largely unexplored.

Results: We re-sequence 276 litchi accessions collected globally and identify 54 million high-quality biallelic SNPs. We then analyze the population structure and reveal four main subgroups within the population.

The CpxR-regulated periplasmic protease DegP coordinates the environmental stress adaptation, motility, and virulence in Edwardsiella piscicida.

Edwardsiella piscicida is a serious aquatic pathogen that infects a diverse spectrum of economically valuable fish species, inflicting substantial economic damage on the aquaculture industry. DegP, a periplasmic protein endowed with dual chaperone-protease activity, is vital for bacteria to preserve homeostasis and acclimate to environmental stresses. Nevertheless, studies about DegP in E.

Epicatechin inhibits inflammatory injury in preeclampsia extravillous trophoblasts.

In Brief: Preeclampsia is a severe pregnancy-related complication that can result in adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Current therapeutic options for preeclampsia remain limited. This study demonstrates that epicatechin can inhibit pyroptosis in extravillous trophoblasts and block the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby offering a novel therapeutic approach for the management of preeclampsia.

Two new species of Ascomycota on bamboo leaves in Fujian, China.

Introduction: Bamboo is the largest member of the family , and these fast-growing plants have many beneficial ecological effects. Both mutualistic and pathogenic fungi associate with bamboo, however, only a limited number of such fungal species have been identified, and information concerning the diversity of fungi that parasitizes bamboo leaves is sparse.

Methods: Fungi were isolated from diseased leaves of bamboo from Fujian Province, China.

Novel mangiferin derivatives attenuate adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and ameliorate diet induced obesity in C57BL/6J mice.

Mangiferin with a xanthone scaffold exhibited potent anti-obesity activities and thus has attracted interest. However, some shortcomings, including limited solubility and moderate potency, restrict its application. To develop novel and efficient anti-obesity agents, a series of mangiferin (MGF) amino acid derivatives were synthesized, optimized and evaluated for anti-obesity activities and .