Skip to content
Log in

Author

Y. El-Kassaby

View on Semantic Scholar

2 papers indexed here

We haven’t gathered this author’s papers yet. Follow them and we’ll fetch their work.

Not the right person? Other researchers publish under this name.

Open access Aug 2026

The PtoERF1-PtomiR393a-PtoFBL4 module confers drought tolerance via ABA-auxin crosstalk in Populus.

Drought stress limits forest tree growth and adaptation, with xylem vessels critical for hydraulic transport and structural integrity. However, the molecular mechanisms of abscisic acid (ABA)-auxin interaction in regulating vessel morphogenesis under water-deficit conditions remain unclear. Here, we identified PtomiR393a, a drought-responsive microRNA in Populus tomentosa that mediates crosstalk between ABA and auxin signaling pathways under drought stress. Suppressing PtomiR393 enhanced drought tolerance and growth, whereas its overexpression had the opposite effect. Under drought conditions, suppression of PtomiR393 resulted in reduced vessel size (12.18-13.57%) and increased vessel density (27.22-30.14%), while its overexpression exhibited increased vessel size (15.42-16.01%) and reduced vessel density (19.80-20.62%). Functional assays showed that PtomiR393 specifically targets PtoFBL4, an F-box auxin receptor, modulating auxin signaling in response to drought stress. Expression analyses further revealed that PtomiR393 downregulates genes involved in vessel and fiber formation and secondary cell wall biosynthesis by repressing PtoFBL4-mediated auxin signaling. Furthermore, drought-induced ABA signaling activated PtoERF1 expression via PtoAREB13, thereby inhibiting PtomiR393a expression. The study revealed a PtoERF1-PtomiR393a-PtoFBL4 cascade that links ABA-auxin crosstalk and regulates vessel development under drought stress. These findings offer new insights into drought tolerance mechanisms in trees and suggest potential strategies to enhance forest tree resilience to water-deficit conditions.

Yong-Ming Chen, Mingyang Quan, Dan Wang et al. · 0 citations
Jul 2026

BlOFP1 is associated with reduced secondary cell wall formation and interacts with BlKNOX9 and BlBLH9 in Betula luminifera.

Timber quality is strongly influenced by the structure of the secondary cell wall (SCW). Ovate family proteins (OFPs) have been reported to regulate SCW formation in Arabidopsis. However, the functions of OFP proteins in woody plants remain unclear. In this study, an OFP gene, BlOFP1, was identified by co-expression analysis in Betula luminifera. BlOFP1 was co-expressed with multiple genes associated with lignin and cellulose biosynthesis. The subcellular localization showed that BlOFP1 was localized in the nucleus of tobacco leaf epidermal cells. Overexpression of BlOFP1 in Arabidopsis reduced cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin contents and resulted in thinner SCW. In B. luminifera hairy roots, overexpression of BlOFP1 also led to thinner SCW, suggesting that elevated BlOFP1 expression is associated with reduced SCW formation in these experimental systems. Yeast two-hybrid, bimolecular fluorescence complementation and co-immunoprecipitation assays further showed that BlOFP1 physically interacted with BlKNOX9 and BlBLH9. Overall, our results suggest that BlOFP1 is associated with reduced SCW formation in these experimental systems, whereas the endogenous function of BlOFP1 in B. luminifera remains to be established. BlOFP1 may act together with BlKNOX9 and BlBLH9 in a proposed regulatory module.

F. Ni, Xiange Hu, Hebi Zhuang et al. · 0 citations