bims-plasge 2025-10-12 papers

Issue of 2025–10–12
two papers selected by
Vera S. Bogdanova, ИЦиГ СО РАН

Plant Cell Rep. 2025 Oct 10. 44(11): 236

Biparental plastid inheritance and its implications in plastid genome engineering.

Sandhya Yadav, Dipanshu Ghosh, Twinkle, Vivek Dogra.

KEY MESSAGE: This review discusses the mechanism of the inherirance of plastids (and other organelles), where maternal inhertiance is predominat. This inheritance can be shifted to be biparental by modulating genetic and environmental factors, which can have implications in plant fitness and plastid genome engneering to attain homoplastomic plants in fewer generations. In most plant species, plastids (and mitochondria) are inherited maternally, a mode of transmission that ensures cytoplasmic and genetic compatibility, thereby supporting plant fitness. However, in certain species, plastids (and mitochondria) can be inherited from both parents, a phenomenon known as biparental plastid inheritance (BPI), which occurs in approximately 20% of angiosperms. In maternal inheritance, these organelles are excluded during male gametogenesis, probably through genetically regulated selective degradation of the organelle genome and other cytoplasmic components from the generative cell (GC) of pollen grains. Environmental factors like temperature also influence this process. While maternal plastid inheritance has been studied extensively, the mechanisms and significance of BPI remain comparatively underexplored. Recent studies showed that modulation of either of the genes involved or temperature conditions during pollen development results in the inheritance of cytoplasm, including plastids from pollen cells, promoting biparental inheritance of plastids (and likely of mitochondria) in plants. Our review discusses the role and evolutionary relevance of BPI, addressing why it is an uncommon yet vital mechanism in plants. An emphasis is given on the mechanisms of maternal inheritance, and on how modulation of genetic and environmental factors can achieve BPI. Furthermore, we underscore the significance of BPI, particularly in producing homoplasmic transplastomic plants with broad applications in agriculture and synthetic biology.

Keywords: Biparental inheritance; Cell factories; Defective in Pollen Degradation; Environmental factors; Plastid inheritance; Transplastomic plants

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-025-03631-6

Theor Appl Genet. 2025 Oct 11. 138(11): 272

Genome wide association study unveils the genetic basis of Orobanche crenata resistance in pea.

Osman Zakaria Wohor, Nicolas Rispail, Diego Rubiales.

KEY MESSAGE: GWAS using DArTseq markers identified novel resistance sources against parasitic broomrape in pea, elucidating candidate genes for marker-selected breeding as leverage for cultivar development and efficient disease control to enhance food security. Crenate broomrape (Orobanche crenata) is an important obligate root parasitic weed that causes severe yield losses in pea (Pisum sativum) production. O. crenata is difficult to eradicate in pea fields due to its high resilience and prolific seed boom capable of hibernating in soils for decades. Existing control strategies are not cost effective in low input legumes like pea. The most efficient ecofriendly mode of control is using resistant cultivars. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) studies based on bi-parental mapping has guided O. crenata resistance discovery, albeit their deployment in pea breeding is hindered by low marker resolution and large genetic distance. This study presents the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) on O. crenata resistance in pea, utilizing 324 diverse accessions and 26,045 diversity array technology sequence (DArTseq) markers. Phenotyping was performed over four seasons under field conditions using alpha lattice design. Results showed a strong phenotypic variation with an environmental influence on O. crenata infection. Novel resistance sources were identified mainly within the wild Pisum fulvum and P. sativum subsp. elatius. GWAS with two models yielded a total of 73 marker-trait associations with Chromosome 5 as major hotspot. Interestingly, some linked markers were detected in close proximity to four previous O. crenata resistance QTL. DArTseq markers identified 24 putative candidate genes participating in different cellular processes, including vesicle trafficking and transports, deoxyribonucleic acid transcription regulation, and defense including some leucine rich repeat receptor-like kinases. These results provide a valuable genetic resource for O. crenata resistance and a step toward its effective sustainable management-to enhance genetic diversity and cultivar improvement for food security.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-025-05051-2