bims-plasge Biomed News
on Plastid genes
Issue of 2024‒04‒28
two papers selected by
Vera S. Bogdanova, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences



  1. Physiol Plant. 2024 May-Jun;176(3):176(3): e14310
      Semi-leafless represents an advantageous plant architecture in pea breeding due to its ability to enhance resistance to lodging and potentially to powdery mildew. The introduction of semi-leafless pea varieties is considered a seminal advancement in pea breeding over the past half-century. The afila (af) mutation leads to the replacement of lateral leaflets by highly branched tendrils; combined with the semi-dwarfing le mutation, it forms the semi-leafless cultivated variety. In this study, we identified that mutations in two tandemly-arrayed genes encoding Cys(2)His(2) zinc finger transcription factors, PsPALM1a and PsPALM1b, were closely associated with the afila phenotype. These two genes may be deleted in the af mutant. In situ hybridization showed that both genes exhibit specific expression in early leaflet primordia. Furthermore, suppression of PsPALM1a/PsPALM1b resulted in a high frequency of conversion of lateral leaflets into tendrils. In conclusion, our study provides genetic evidence demonstrating that mutations in PsPALM1a and PsPALM1b are responsible for the af locus, contributing to a better understanding of compound leaf formation in peas and offering new insights for breeding applications related to afila.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.14310
  2. Plant Physiol Biochem. 2024 Apr 22. pii: S0981-9428(24)00322-X. [Epub ahead of print]210 108654
      Fatty acid de novo biosynthesis in plant plastids is initiated from acetyl-CoA and catalyzed by a series of enzymes, which is required for the vegetative growth, reproductive growth, seed development, stress response, chloroplast development and other biological processes. In this review, we systematically summarized the fatty acid de novo biosynthesis-related genes/enzymes and their critical roles in various plant developmental processes. Based on bioinformatic analysis, we identified fatty acid synthase encoding genes and predicted their potential functions in maize growth and development, especially in anther and pollen development. Finally, we highlighted the potential applications of these fatty acid synthases in male-sterility hybrid breeding, seed oil content improvement, herbicide and abiotic stress resistance, which provides new insights into future molecular crop breeding.
    Keywords:  Enzyme; Fatty acid de novo biosynthesis; Molecular breeding; Plastid
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108654