Research Progress on Regulatory Mechanisms of Conical Cell Morphogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

Emerging insights into developmental programmed cell death in plants.

This review provides an integrative overview of developmental PCD across vegetative and generative stages, from reproductive development and embryogenesis to vascular differentiation, aerenchyma formation, organ shaping, senescence, and abscission, and summarizes current knowledge of the molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms governing dPCD.

The extracellular regulatory network and key factors governing early embryogenesis in Nicotiana tabacum.

It is reported that NtProRP1, an extracellular protein, localizes to the cell wall immediately after fertilization in Nicotiana tabacum, uncovering a new mechanism for NtProRP1 in regulating early embryogenesis and delivering a unique transcriptomic resource that advances understanding of extracellular signaling in plant embryogenesis.

Coordinated MBW, GIS, and RSL Regulatory Networks in Plant Epidermal Patterning Under Environmental Cues

The plant epidermis, adorned with trichomes and root hairs, represents a critical interface where developmental programming and environmental responses converge. Although the genetic basis of epidermal patterning has been extensively characterized in model systems, how these pathways are modulated under abiotic stress remains incompletely understood. This review integrates recent advances in epidermal development and stress biology, focusing on MYB–bHLH–WD40 (MBW) complexes, GIS-family C2H2 zinc-finger proteins, and ROOT HAIR DEFECTIVE SIX-LIKE (RSL) transcription factors. These regulators participate in interconnected, organ-specific networks that coordinate trichome and root-hair development. Their activities are shaped by gibberellin–brassinosteroid interactions, ethylene–auxin coordination, jasmonate and abscisic acid signaling, and cytokinin- and nutrient-responsive pathways. We further discuss how reactive oxygen species and calcium oscillations translate transcriptional regulation into polarized cell growth. The resulting epidermal plasticity reflects trade-offs among growth, defense, resource acquisition, and conservation. By integrating single-cell transcriptomics, nutrient sensing, and evolutionary perspectives, this review provides a framework for understanding environmentally responsive epidermal development and identifies opportunities for improving crop resilience. The resulting framework identifies testable opportunities for crop improvement, while emphasizing that native network equivalence, pleiotropic effects, and field-level stress benefits remain to be established in crop species.

Quantitatively Analyzing the Structural Organization at the Tip of Growing Tobacco Pollen Tubes.

ERECTA signaling controls the timing of Arabidopsis Guard Cell maturation at the embryonic leaf tip

ERECTA signaling is identified as a local brake on embryonic stomatal cell maturation, discovering another way to push precocious stomatal cell maturation that results in a complex, partially mature cell state that provide insights into the limitations on cell embryonic cell maturation.

Loss Function of ClARF4 Reduces Plant Height and Cell Size in Watermelon

Auxin response factors (ARFs) are key transcription factors regulating plant growth and development, but their functions and molecular mechanisms in stem elongation of cucurbit crops remain unclear. In this study, we identified a nuclear-localized ARF member, ClARF4, in watermelon. ClARF4 knockout lines were generated using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and exhibited significant reductions in plant height, internode number, and internode length. Cytological analysis indicated that the dwarf phenotype resulted from inhibited longitudinal cell elongation in stems. Transcriptome analysis revealed that ClARF4 modulates cell size by regulating the expression of genes involved in auxin signaling and response pathways. Furthermore, using yeast two-hybrid screening, we identified ClPetC, a component of the photosynthetic electron transport chain, as an interacting protein of ClARF4; bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays further confirmed their direct interaction in the plant nucleus. This study not only reveals the key role of ClARF4 in regulating plant height in watermelon, but also provides important insights into the function of chloroplast–nucleus signaling crosstalk in plant architecture establishment by identifying the interaction between ClARF4 and the chloroplast protein ClPetC in the nucleus.