plant biology papers | Gist.Science

Multimodal antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of Rauwolfia serpentina root extracts in experimental models

This study demonstrates that *Rauwolfia serpentina* root extracts, particularly cold ethanolic fractions rich in phenolics and flavonoids, exert potent, coordinated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in immune cell models relevant to cardiovascular disease, with the alkaloid reserpine identified as a key mediator that suppresses inflammatory signaling via IKK/NF-κB pathway modulation.

Acharya, S., Das, S. R., Ankari, A. + 1 more2026-02-17📄 plant biology

Reprogramming of auxin and brassinosteroid signaling is an early part of the homeostatic response to a viral movement protein

This study reveals that plants maintain intercellular trafficking homeostasis during early viral infection by deploying an antagonistic auxin-brassinosteroid signaling module, where the viral movement protein MP30 rewires hormonal pathways to modulate plasmodesmal permeability and callose dynamics.

Alazem, M., Kreder, J., Baldrich, P. + 2 more2026-02-17📄 plant biology

A Tissue Culture Free Genome Editing Strategy in Plants Using Broad-Host-Range Viral Vectors Derived from Geminiviruses

This study presents a novel, tissue culture-free plant genome editing platform that utilizes the broad-host-range Wheat dwarf India virus (WDIV) and Ageratum yellow leaf curl betasatellite (AYLCB) to efficiently deliver Cas9, Cas12f, and Cas12j nucleases with optimized guide RNA designs, enabling gene editing across a wide range of plant species.

Kumar, J., ALOK, A., Fox, J. + 4 more2026-02-17📄 plant biology

BackBone Builder (B3): A modular Golden Gate standard with a compatible Agrobacterium parts library

The paper introduces BackBone Builder (B3), a modular Golden Gate-based platform utilizing PaqCI to enable the systematic, one-pot assembly of Agrobacterium binary vector backbones from a library of 42 components, thereby establishing a standardized framework for rational vector engineering with demonstrated high efficiency and functionality in both bacterial and plant systems.

De Saeger, J., Vermeersch, M., Aesaert, S. + 2 more2026-02-17📄 plant biology

Unravelling the processes controlling pollen formation and functions with cross-species comparative analysis

This study leverages a comprehensive cross-species comparative analysis of 16,904 RNA-seq samples from 90 plant species to identify conserved and lineage-specific genetic mechanisms governing pollen and anther development, revealing evolutionary patterns in pollen traits and providing experimentally validated insights for future plant reproductive research.

Mutwil, M.2026-02-17📄 plant biology

The role of two GLYCOALKALOID METABOLISM genes in α-tomatine biosynthesis and basal defense in tomato

This study reveals that knocking out the SlGAME4 gene in tomato redirects metabolic flux from the antifungal glycoalkaloid α-tomatine to the saponin uttroside B, which still contributes to basal defense against fungal pathogens like *Botrytis cinerea* through a mechanism involving fungal detoxification enzymes.

You, Y., Balaji, A., Herrera Valderrama, A. L. + 7 more2026-02-17📄 plant biology

Unveiling Hidden Endophytes by Optimising Identification of Endophytic Bacterial Communities from Wild Grassland Plant Roots

This study addresses methodological limitations in characterizing endophytic bacterial communities by developing and validating a streamlined protocol for wild grassland plant roots that effectively minimizes plant DNA contamination to enable accurate 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.

Ajaz, S., Longepierre, M., Haskins, E. + 2 more2026-02-17📄 plant biology

Virus Induced Gene Silencing in Calendula officinalis (pot marigold)

This paper establishes a rapid Virus Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) method in *Calendula officinalis* via *Agrobacterium* leaf midrib injection, demonstrating its efficacy in downregulating cycloartenol synthase to alter phytosterol profiles and providing a versatile tool for functional genomics in the Asteraceae family.

Cuthbert, D., Tansley, C., Salmon, M. + 1 more2026-02-17📄 plant biology

Discrimination of Annonaceae using herbarium leaf reflectance spectra under limited sample size conditions

This study demonstrates that despite variations in preservation history and limited sample sizes, herbarium leaf reflectance spectra can reliably identify Annonaceae species using supervised classification models, though accuracy depends on taxon-specific inter-individual variability.

Boughalmi, K., Santacruz Endara, P. G., Bennett, L. A. + 5 more2026-02-16📄 plant biology

Mechanical coordination of counter-gradient growth maintains organ curvature in the apical hook

This study reveals that the stable maintenance of the plant apical hook's curvature during continuous growth is achieved through a mechanically coordinated, counter-gradient growth mechanism driven by cuticle integrity and apoplastic reactive oxygen species, rather than a simple switch between growth promotion and repression.

Raggi, S., Ratnakaram, H., Heymans, A. + 11 more2026-02-16📄 plant biology

Plant-parasitic nematode microRNAs hijack plant AGO1 to induce host-cell reprogramming

This study demonstrates that root-knot nematodes secrete specific microRNAs that hijack the host plant's AGO1 protein to silence key genes involved in immunity and metabolism, thereby reprogramming root cells into feeding sites essential for parasitism.

Dussutour, A., Noureddine, Y., Da Rocha, M. + 12 more2026-02-16📄 plant biology

← Previous