The conserved spliceosomal protein AtSF3B2 controls the floral transition by regulating transcription and splicing in Arabidopsis (Zhou Zhou , Xuan-Ru Yin , Yu-Yi Wang , Jing-Jing Ren , et al) doi.org/10.1093/plce... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

The conserved spliceosomal protein AtSF3B2 controls the floral transition by regulating transcription and splicing in Arabidopsis

A spliceosomal protein controls flowering time by coordinating gene transcription and RNA splicing of key flowering regulators through interactions with pr

doi.org

Happy to share the final version of our study on the evolution of chromatin states across eukaryotes, out today in @natgenet.nature.com Led by @crisnava.bsky.social and @seanamontgomery.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41... Some highlights below

Diversity and evolution of chromatin regulatory states across eukaryotes - Nature Genetics

This study introduces iChIP2, a low-input chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing method that profiles histone post-translational modifications (hPTMs) simultaneously across diverse eukar...

nature.com

🌱🧬 Phenotypic plasticity enables one genotype to express different phenotypes across environments. This review covers its genetic basis, quantification methods, and breeding applications—including genomic prediction and field trials—for climate adaptation. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

Plant Phenotypic Plasticity: From Molecular Mechanisms to Breeding and Climate Change Adaptation

Phenotypic plasticity (PP) is a fundamental property of plants, enabling a single genotype to produce different phenotypes in response to environmental variation. This ability is crucial for survival ...

annualreviews.org

ICYMI: New Online! Exchange dynamics and kinetic control of gene regulation complexes

Exchange dynamics and kinetic control of gene regulation complexes

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41580-026-00991-zRecent evidence reveals how gene expression complexes form transient assemblies that continually exchange their subunits under kinetic control. This Perspective proposes that these dynamics form the basis of RNA processing and gene regulation.

dlvr.it

Working in maize, they showed that chromosomal crossing over is directly linked to the exchange of inherited traits, providing the first experimental evidence that genes reside on chromosomes. 2/3🧵

On August 1, 1931, Harriet Creighton and Barbara McClintock published the first experimental proof that genes are physically located on chromosomes—a discovery that transformed genetics. 1/3🧵

A conserved role of EIN3 in the development of rooting structures in land plants (Dongdong Kong , Jie Meng , Yidong Wang , Jiao Liu , Wenxiu Cui , Legong Li , Chuanli Ju) doi.org/10.1093/plph... #PlantScience @aspbofficial

A conserved role of EIN3 in the development of rooting structures in land plants

The ethylene signaling transcription factor EIN3 regulates rooting structure development in a conserved manner in land plants.

doi.org

Photosynthetic assimilate determines branch size and biomass more than branch number in Arabidopsis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.29.741629v1

That’s a beautiful story that shows again how powerful long reads are for studying transposable elements. Exciting times! For accessing the Perspective piece without a paywall: www.science.org/eprint/NIKHD...

Why the X chromosome is rich in L1 mobile elements

Preferential insertion into the late-replicating inactive X explains L1 accumulation in this chromosome

science.org

#Climate adaptation in #plants requires precise regulation of carbon export. This study shows that siRNA-guided methylation of a sucrose transporter gene modulates its expression with temperature, revealing a mechanism linking epigenetics to adaptive carbon transport. 🧪 #AcademicSky plos.io/4wxF4Ug

Our latest mini-review is now published! Strengthening global biosecurity for synthetic nucleic acid technology: from sequence screening to risk-based governance in the AI era. Read: doi.org/10.3389/fbio... More: synbioforall.org/research-pub...

Our latest mini-review is now published! Strengthening global biosecurity for synthetic nucleic acid technology: from sequence screening to risk-based governance in the AI era. Read: doi.org/10.3389/fbio... More: synbioforall.org/research-pub...

1/7 New preprint: we found that Chlamydomonas carries a giant and unexpectedly elaborate chloroplast RNA polymerase with 12 previously unknown subunits, overturning the idea that the complexity of this organellar enzyme emerged during plant terrestrialization! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

The structure of a 2-MDa chloroplast RNA polymerase reveals unexpected evolutionary complexity

Transcription in chloroplasts depends on the Plastid-Encoded RNA polymerase (PEP), a bacterial-derived enzyme whose catalytic core remains encoded by the highly reduced genome inherited from the cyano...

biorxiv.org

CRISPR-mediated centromere fission generates neochromosomes with distorted meiotic inheritance in Arabidopsis biorxiv.org/content/10.6... new preprint from us - includes changing the Arabidopsis karyotype from 5 -> 6 chromosomes using Cas9 & outcomes of 5/6 chromosome hybrid meiosis

How do transcription factors bind DNA strongly, and in a switch like manner, while remaining sequence specific? Our new paper on a canonical plant TF suggests the answer is a previously underappreciated assembly state: transcription factor nanoclusters. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Nanoclustering of a plant transcription factor enables strong yet specific DNA binding

Transcription factor nanoclusters balance the DNA binding trade-off between weakly binding oligomers and nonspecific condensates.

science.org

Diversity at the HYP1 locus in potato cyst nematodes does not result from developmentally-programmed somatic mutations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.21.739894v1

This is a brutal but important read.

Science Magazine@science.org · 2w ago

Exclusive: A cutting-edge gene-editing trial in China went disastrously wrong. A family wants accountability. https://scim.ag/3RuHuDB

Exclusive: A cutting-edge gene-editing trial in China went disastrously wrong. A family wants accountability. https://scim.ag/3RuHuDB

Exclusive: Death of girl in Chinese gene-editing trial was never made public

Parents want accountability after study went disastrously wrong, Science and Retraction Watch investigation reveals

scim.ag

1/5 Every paper has a story. Ours started with a dataset and ended with a conceptual advance. But what I'm most proud of is the development of the people behind it. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

SHOOT GRAVITROPISM 9 links sensory timing to the initial lateral root growth angle | PNAS

Plants strategically respond to gravity and actively set defined growth angles. These gravitropic set-point angles (GSAs) shape the width and depth...

pnas.org

Mobility shapes plasmid GC content evolution https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.20.739530v1

📣 CALL FOR PAPERS 📣 Engineering Photosynthesis 🍃 🧬 - Special Issue guest edited by Ben Long @botbml.bsky.social Submission deadline: 1st April 2027 Find out more 🔗 buff.ly/IFz7Xlo #plantscience 🧪 @aabiologists.bsky.social @sebiology.bsky.social @wileylifesci.bsky.social

AraRoot: a tissue-specific metabolic model of roots by Lohani Esterhuizen, Nicholas Ampimah, Marna D Yandeau-Nelson, Basil J Nikolau, Erin Sparks, Rajib Saha buff.ly/z4y1mN9 #PlantScience #RootScience

AraRoot—a comprehensive genome-scale metabolic model for the Arabidopsis root system

Abstract. Being the first plant to have its genome sequenced, Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) is a well-established genetic model plant system. Studies

buff.ly

Excited to share our latest publication! 🎉 Here @sophiezoe.bsky.social reveals an early developmental time window determining initial growth direction of lateral roots. Wonderful collaboration with @wabniklab.bsky.social and @matesf.bsky.social lab www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... @cibss.bsky.social

SHOOT GRAVITROPISM 9 links sensory timing to the initial lateral root growth angle | PNAS

Plants strategically respond to gravity and actively set defined growth angles. These gravitropic set-point angles (GSAs) shape the width and depth...

pnas.org

Benzyl Cyanide Triggers A Regeneration Program in Arabidopsis https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.20.738417v1

Starting with the DNA sequence of a #phage genome, #PholdAPhage will create a 3D reconstruction of the complete phage, almost like you did cryoEM on it! Check out Renee's awesome software github.com/reneegreen81... to assemble unknown phage particles one protein at a time

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #microsky

Rational design of T-DNA vectors enables predictable, single-copy integration in Arabidopsis thaliana

Agrobacterium -mediated transformation is the dominant method for plant transgenesis, yet it frequently produces multi-copy, structurally complex T-DNA insertions associated with transgene silencing, ...

biorxiv.org

We're excited to be collaborating with @ox.ac.uk on a major new project to digitise over a million natural history specimens for climate research. Read more: tinyurl.com/ynb2rk7z @docbroc.bsky.social @jackdashby.bsky.social @cambridgebiosci.bsky.social @cam.ac.uk 🧪 #DigitalCollections #DiSSCoUK

1/ Excited to share the newest tool in the pangenome MUMiverse: Shredtools! Shredtools enables a user to navigate the pangenome coordinate system with multi-MUMs. More in the thread🧵 Code: github.com/vikshiv/shredtools Interactive tool for querying HPRC assemblies: vikshiv.github.io/shredtools

Navigating the pangenome coordinate system with Shredtools

Existing notions of pangenome coordinates rely on hard-to-compute multiple sequence alignments. On the other hand, pangenome-wide exact unique matches (multi-MUMs) can be computed efficiently, and rep...

biorxiv.org

✨ Paper spotlight ✨ (🧵 1/8) The roads most traveled: genetic convergence in plant repeated evolution nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

CREation of an expanded plant memory gene circuit toolkit www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #PlantResearch #PlantScience #PlantSci #PlantBiology @jamespblloyd.bsky.social

CREation of an expanded plant memory gene circuit toolkit

Genetic circuits rely on modular, well-characterized genetic parts to achieve predictable cellular behaviour. Despite their widespread adoption, biological parts are complex and when used in a new mol...

biorxiv.org