Plant genetics articles within Nature

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    We build a polyploid reference genome for hybrid sugarcane cultivar R570, improving on its current ‘mosaic monoploid’ representation, enabling fine-grain description of genome architecture and the exploration of candidate genes underlying the Bru1 brown rust resistance locus.

    • A. L. Healey
    • , O. Garsmeur
    •  & A. D’Hont

  • Article |

    Auxin-binding protein 1 (ABP1) is an auxin receptor that, in complex with transmembrane kinase 1 (TMK1), has a key role in the auxin-induced global phosphorylation of proteins and downstream responses such as vascular regeneration.

    • Jiří Friml
    • , Michelle Gallei
    •  & Hana Rakusová

  • Article |

    Tamlo-R32, an engineered wheat mutant allele of the Mildew resistance locus O (MLO) gene, confers resistance to powdery mildew, retains robust wheat growth, and can be transferred to other agriculturally important wheat varieties.

    • Shengnan Li
    • , Dexing Lin
    •  & Caixia Gao

  • Article |

    OsTCP19 is a modulator of the tillering response to nitrogen in rice, and introgression of an allele of OsTCP19 associated with a high tillering response into modern rice cultivars markedly improves their nitrogen-use efficiency.

    • Yongqiang Liu
    • , Hongru Wang
    •  & Chengcai Chu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chromosome-scale sequence assemblies of 20 diverse varieties of barley are used to construct a first-generation pan-genome, revealing previously hidden genetic variation that can be used by studies aimed at crop improvement

    • Murukarthick Jayakodi
    • , Sudharsan Padmarasu
    •  & Nils Stein

  • Article |

    Resequencing analyses of three species of wild sunflower identify large non-recombining haplotype blocks that correlate with ecologically relevant traits, soil and climate characteristics, and that differentiate species ecotypes.

    • Marco Todesco
    • , Gregory L. Owens
    •  & Loren H. Rieseberg

  • Review Article |

    Genetic strategies for improving the yield and sustainability of agricultural crops, and the resilience of crops in the face of biotic and abiotic stresses contingent on projected climate change, are evaluated.

    • Julia Bailey-Serres
    • , Jane E. Parker
    •  & Julian I. Schroeder

  • Letter |

    The yeast one-hybrid network for nitrogen-associated metabolism in Arabidopsis reveals the transcription factors that regulate the architecture of root and shoot systems under conditions of changing nitrogen availability.

    • Allison Gaudinier
    • , Joel Rodriguez-Medina
    •  & Siobhan M. Brady

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Constructing a reference genome for quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) allows for genetic diversity during the evolution of sub-genomes in quinoa to be characterized and markers that may be used to develop sweet commercial varieties are identified.

    • David E. Jarvis
    • , Yung Shwen Ho
    •  & Mark Tester

  • Letter
    | Open Access

    The genome sequence and genetic diversity of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) trees reveals the species’ varying susceptibility to ash dieback.

    • Elizabeth S. A. Sollars
    • , Andrea L. Harper
    •  & Richard J. A. Buggs

  • Article |

    Insights into the genomic architecture of heterosis for grain yield in rice are presented, and further mapping of grain yield loci resolves candidate genes that could be useful for breeding.

    • Xuehui Huang
    • , Shihua Yang
    •  & Bin Han

  • Letter |

    Structural, biochemical, mass spectrometry and genetic analyses define Arabidopsis thaliana AtD14 as a non-canonical hormone receptor for strigolactone, which hydrolyses strigolactone into a covalently linked intermediate molecule and undergoes an open-to-closed state transition for interaction with D3 to trigger strigolactone signalling.

    • Ruifeng Yao
    • , Zhenhua Ming
    •  & Daoxin Xie

  • Letter |

    The plant enzyme Rubisco is the main enzyme converting atmospheric carbon dioxide into biological compounds, however, this enzymatic process is inefficient in vascular plants; this study demonstrates that tobacco plants can be engineered to fix carbon with a faster cyanobacterial Rubisco, thus potentially improving plant photosynthesis.

    • Myat T. Lin
    • , Alessandro Occhialini
    •  & Maureen R. Hanson

  • Letter
    | Open Access

    A full genome sequence is presented of sugar beet Beta vulgaris, the first plant belonging to Caryophyllales to have its genome sequenced; spinach was sequenced to enable inter-clade comparisons, and intraspecific variation was analysed by comparative genomics of a progenitor of all beet crops and additional sugar beet accessions.

    • Juliane C. Dohm
    • , André E. Minoche
    •  & Heinz Himmelbauer

  • Outlook |

    Improved crops have helped farmers maintain yields in times of drought. But as climate change looms, will the gains keep coming?

    • Michael Eisenstein

  • Letter
    | Open Access

    The genome sequence of the African oil palm, the main source of oil production, is used to predict at least 34,802 genes, including oil biosynthesis genes; comparison with the draft sequence of the South American oil palm reveals that the two species may have diverged in the New World and that segmental duplications of chromosome arms define the palaeotetraploid origin of palm trees.

    • Rajinder Singh
    • , Meilina Ong-Abdullah
    •  & Ravigadevi Sambanthamurthi

  • Letter |

    Genetic mapping and whole-genome sequencing studies identify the SHELL gene (a homologue of Arabidopsis SEEDSTICK) as responsible for the three different fruit forms in oil palm (Elaeis guineesis); this has important economic implications for modulating SHELL activity to breed desired fruit forms and enhance oil yields.

    • Rajinder Singh
    • , Eng-Ti Leslie Low
    •  & Robert A. Martienssen

  • Letter |

    In Arabidopsis, RNA-directed DNA methylation is a poorly understood gene silencing pathway in which small interfering RNAs generated by RNA polymerase IV (Pol-IV) target a DNA methyltransferase to its sites of action; here structural and genomic analyses demonstrate that SHH binds chromatin via repressive histone modifications and recruits Pol-IV to enable siRNA production.

    • Julie A. Law
    • , Jiamu Du
    •  & Steven E. Jacobsen

  • Letter
    | Open Access

    The Gossypium genus is used to investigate emergent consequences of polyploidy in cotton species; comparative genomic analyses reveal a complex evolutionary history including interactions among subgenomes that result in genetic novelty in elite cottons and provide insight into the evolution of spinnable fibres.

    • Andrew H. Paterson
    • , Jonathan F. Wendel
    •  & Jeremy Schmutz

  • News & Views |

    The wheat genome is large and complex, and has defied complete sequencing. But the most comprehensive analysis so far of the plant's genes will support efforts to optimize the supply of this vital food crop. See Letter p.705

    • Peter Langridge

  • Article
    | Open Access

    An integrated high-resolution genetic, physical and shotgun sequence assembly of the barley genome, one of the earliest domesticated and most important crops, is described; it will provide a platform for genome-assisted research and future crop improvement.

    • Klaus F. X. Mayer
    • , Robbie Waugh
    •  & Nils Stein

  • News & Views |

    The identification of an enzyme in rice that confers improved plant yields on phosphorus-deficient soils could open up new avenues for generating nutrient-efficient crops that can thrive on marginally fertile soils. See Letter p.535

    • Leon V. Kochian

  • Letter |

    Sequencing of the Arabidopsis thaliana root microbiome shows that its composition is strongly influenced by location, inside or outside the root, and by soil type.

    • Derek S. Lundberg
    • , Sarah L. Lebeis
    •  & Jeffery L. Dangl

  • Letter
    | Open Access

    This paper reports the genome sequence of domesticated tomato, a major crop plant, and a draft sequence for its closest wild relative; comparative genomics reveal very little divergence between the two genomes but some important differences with the potato genome, another important food crop in the genus Solanum.

    • Shusei Sato
    • , Satoshi Tabata
    •  & René M. Klein Lankhorst

  • Letter |

    The diffusion limited stereospecific enzyme chalcone isomerase represents the adaptive evolution of a catalytically perfected enzyme from non-catalytic, fatty-acid-binding proteins (FAPs) with contemporary roles in plant fatty-acid metabolism as evidenced by altered fatty acid content and marked reproductive defects in Arabidopsis thaliana plants bearing FAP knockouts.

    • Micheline N. Ngaki
    • , Gordon V. Louie
    •  & Joseph P. Noel

  • News |

    A genetic analysis reveals the ancient, complex — and symbiotic — roots of photosynthesis in plants.

    • David Biello

  • Comment |

    If African countries can't plant genetically modified crops to produce more and healthier food, vulnerable populations will be at risk, argues Calestous Juma.

    • Calestous Juma

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