This mutant produced on average 7.8-fold higher levels of viable pollen and displayed better germination competence under heat stress conditions. The percentage of fully seeded fruits and the number of seeds per fruit were maintained in the mutant under heat stress conditions while decreased in wild-type plants. Our results strongly suggest that increased concentrations of pollen flavonols enhance pollen thermotolerance and reproductive success under heat stress conditions. Thus, the high flavonols trait may help frame the model for improving crop resilience to heat stress.Facultative parthenocarpy is of great practical value. However, the molecular mechanism underlying facultative parthenocarpy remains elusive. Transcriptional co-repressors (TPL) act as a central regulatory hub controlling all nine phytohormone pathways. Previously, we proved that SlTPLs participate in the auxin signaling pathway by interacting with auxin/indole acetic acid (Aux/IAAs) in tomato; however, their function in fruit development has not been studied. In addition to their high expression levels during flower development, the interaction between SlTPL1 and SlIAA9 stimulated the investigation of its functional significance via RNA interference (RNAi) technology, whereby the translation of a protein is prevented by selective degradation of its encoded mRNA. Down-regulation of SlTPL1 resulted in facultative parthenocarpy. Plants of SlTPL1-RNAi transgenic lines produced similar fruits which did not show any pleiotropic effects under normal conditions. However, they produced seedless fruits upon emasculation and under heat stress conditions. Furthermore, SlTPL1-RNAi flower buds contained higher levels of cytokinins and lower levels of abscisic acid.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/td139.html  To reveal how SlTPL1 regulates facultative parthenocarpy, RNA-seq was performed to identify genes regulated by SlTPL1 in ovaries before and after fruit set. The results showed that down-regulation of SlTPL1 resulted in reduced expression levels of cytokinin metabolism-related genes, and all transcription factors such as MYB, CDF, and ERFs. Conversely, down-regulation of SlTPL1 induced the expression of genes related to cell wall and cytoskeleton organization. These data provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism of facultative tomato parthenocarpy and identify SlTPL1 as a key factor regulating these processes.Smut fungi comprise a large group of biotrophic phytopathogens infecting important crops such as wheat and corn. Through the secretion of effector proteins, the fungus actively suppresses plant immune reactions and modulates its host's metabolism. Consequently, how soluble effector proteins contribute to virulence is already characterized in a range of phytopathogens. However, membrane-associated virulence factors have been much less studied to date. Here, we investigated six transmembrane (TM) proteins that show elevated gene expression during biotrophic development of the maize pathogen Ustilago maydis. We show that two of the six proteins, named Vmp1 and Vmp2 (virulence-associated membrane protein), are essential for the full virulence of U. maydis. The deletion of the corresponding genes leads to a substantial attenuation in the virulence of U. maydis. Furthermore, both are conserved in various related smuts and contain no domains of known function. Our biochemical analysis clearly shows that Vmp1 and Vmp2 are membrane-associated proteins, potentially localizing to the U. maydis plasma membrane. Mass photometry and light scattering suggest that Vmp1 mainly occurs as a monomer, while Vmp2 is dimeric. Notably, the large and partially unstructured C-terminal domain of Vmp2 is crucial for virulence while not contributing to dimerization. Taken together, we here provide an initial characterization of two membrane proteins as virulence factors of U. maydis.An F6 8 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the cross between WAOAT2132 (Dw6) and Caracas along with the two parents were used to evaluate the genetic effects of Dw6 dwarfing gene on plant height and other agronomic traits in oat (Avena sativa L.) across three environments, and develop closely linked markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS) for Dw6. The two parents differed in all investigated agronomic traits except for the number of whorls. The RIL lines showed a bimodal distribution for plant height in all three tested environments, supporting the height of this population was controlled by a single gene. Dw6 significantly reduced plant height (37.66∼44.29%) and panicle length (13.99∼22.10%) but without compromising the coleoptile length which was often positively associated with the reduced stature caused by dwarfing genes. Dw6 has also strong negative effects on hundred kernel weight (14.00∼29.55%), and kernel length (4.21∼9.47%), whereas the effects of Dw6 on the kernel width were tional cloning.Populus spp. are among the most economically important species worldwide. These trees are used not only for wood and fiber production, but also in the rehabilitation of degraded lands. Since they are clonally propagated, the ability of stem cuttings to form adventitious roots is a critical point for plant establishment and survival in the field, and consequently for the forest industry. Adventitious rooting in different Populus clones has been an agronomic trait targeted in breeding programs for many years, and many factors have been identified that affect this quantitative trait. A huge variation in the rooting capacity has been observed among the species in the Populus genus, and the responses to some of the factors affecting this trait have been shown to be genotype-dependent. This review analyses similarities and differences between results obtained from studies examining the role of internal and external factors affecting rooting of Populus species cuttings. Since rooting is the most important requirement for stand establishment in clonally propagated species, understanding the physiological and genetic mechanisms that promote this trait is essential for successful commercial deployment.Seed size/weight, a key domestication trait, is also an important selection target during peanut breeding. However, the mechanisms that regulate peanut seed development are unknown. We re-sequenced 12 RNA samples from developing seeds of two cultivated peanut accessions (Lines 8106 and 8107) and wild Arachis monticola at 15, 30, 45, and 60 days past flowering (DPF). Transcriptome analyses showed that ∼36,000 gene loci were expressed in each of the 12 RNA samples, with nearly half exhibiting moderate (2 ≤ FPKM less then 10) expression levels. Of these genes, 12.2% (4,523) were specifically expressed during seed development, mainly at 15 DPF. Also, ∼12,000 genes showed significant differential expression at 30, 45, and/or 60 DPF within each of the three peanut accessions, accounting for 31.8-34.1% of the total expressed genes. Using a method that combined comprehensive transcriptome analysis and previously mapped QTLs, we identified several candidate genes that encode transcription factor TGA7, topless-related protein 2, IAA-amino acid hydrolase ILR1-like 5, and putative pentatricopeptide repeat-containing (PPR) protein.