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1. In Vivo Maternal Haploid Induction by Disrupting KOKOPELLI in Medicago truncatula

   https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.70628  

   Wang, Na; Feng, Yan; Cao, Jinting; Gao, Yiran; Pei, Yanxi; Wen, Jiangqi; Mysore, Kirankumar S; Lin, Hao; Niu, Lifang (March 2026, Plant Biotechnology Journal)
2. FgPal1 regulates morphogenesis and pathogenesis in Fusarium graminearum

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15266  

   Yin, Jinrong; Hao, Chaofeng; Niu, Gang; Wang, Wei; Wang, Guanghui; Xiang, Ping; Xu, Jin‐Rong; Zhang, Xue (December 2020, Environmental Microbiology)

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3. Intragenomic 18S Sequence Variability in the Termite Symbionts Kofoidia loriculata and Kofoidia repleta n. sp. (Parabasalia)

   https://doi.org/10.1111/jeu.70039  

   Mirza, Ezhan; Jasso‐Selles, Daniel E; Mizumoto, Nobuaki; Gile, Gillian H (September 2025, Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology)

   ABSTRACT Kofoidia loriculatais an obligate symbiont of the desert dampwood termiteParaneotermes simplicicornis(Kalotermitidae). Its 18S rRNA genes were reported to show high sequence variability, but whether the variability was intragenomic, intraspecific, or even interspecific remained unclear. Here, we have cloned and sequenced PCR‐amplified 18S genes from individually isolatedKofoidiacells. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that two species ofKofoidiainhabitP. simplicicornisin Arizona. Both species show intragenomic 18S sequence variability, with as little as 96.4% sequence identity between clones from a single cell, while the mean interspecific pairwise identity was 92.4%. Using RT‐PCR on DNase‐treated cells, we also observed sequence variability among the expressed 18S rRNAs. 

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4. Facilitative Effects of Alnus viridisssp.fruticosa on Betula nanassp.exilis Growth in Arctic Alaska

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73535  

   Drew, Jackson W; Bret‐Harte, Marion Syndonia; Buchwal, Agata; Ruess, Roger (June 2026, Ecology and Evolution)

   ABSTRACT Arctic deciduous shrubs have responded to warming by increasing cover and extent, but how plant interactions (i.e., facilitation and competition) among deciduous shrub species might influence their climate sensitivities and overall growth remains unclear. Here, we investigate two deciduous shrubs:Betula nanassp.exilis(dwarf birch) andAlnus viridisssp.fruticosa(Siberian alder), the Arctic's only tall N‐fixing shrub, to determine how Siberian alder affects the growth of nearby dwarf birch. We harvested dwarf birch shrubs growing ‘near’ (i.e., within 1 m) and ‘away’ (≥ 3 m) from Siberian alders growing along the Sagwon Bluffs in Arctic Alaska for dendrochronological analysis. Dwarf birch traits and other site characteristics, including height, leaf N, catkin production, frost damage, and snow depth, were measured at additional sites nearby. We discovered locations ‘near’ Siberian alder had greater snow depth, which delayed the growing season for nearby dwarf birch, but likely protected them from early‐season frost damage. We estimated that radial growth occurring within 1979–2016 was delayed by 9 days, and peak radial growth was delayed by 2 weeks, for dwarf birch growing ‘near’ as compared to ‘away’ from alder. This resulted in different climate sensitivities for dwarf birch between locations. Measures of dwarf birch height, catkin abundance, leaf N, and average growth ring area were greater for plants ‘near’ alder than those ‘away’ from alder. This suggests that Siberian alder increased N mineralization and soil N availability under the deeper snowpack. Siberian alder facilitated dwarf birch growth. Through plant–plant interactions, Siberian alder altered the strength and type of stressors dwarf birch experienced, resulting in a change to the seasonality of its radial growth. Therefore, high‐spatial resolution species composition data could be included in vegetation models to predict future tundra growth responses more accurately to a changing climate. 

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5. Manganese‐dependent transcription regulation by MntR and PerR in Thermus thermophilus HB8

   https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.15278  

   Barrows, John K; Stubbs, Kamya A; Padilla‐Montoya, Irina F; Leeper, Thomas C; Van Dyke, Michael W (May 2024, Molecular Microbiology)

   Abstract Bacteria contain conserved mechanisms to control the intracellular levels of metal ions. Metalloregulatory transcription factors bind metal cations and play a central role in regulating gene expression of metal transporters. Often, these transcription factors regulate transcription by binding to a specific DNA sequence in the promoter region of target genes. Understanding the preferred DNA‐binding sequence for transcriptional regulators can help uncover novel gene targets and provide insight into the biological role of the transcription factor in the host organism. Here, we identify consensus DNA‐binding sequences and subsequent transcription regulatory networks for two metalloregulators from the ferric uptake regulator (FUR) and diphtheria toxin repressor (DtxR) superfamilies inThermus thermophilusHB8. By homology search, we classify the DtxR homolog as a manganese‐specific, MntR (TtMntR), and the FUR homolog as a peroxide‐sensing, PerR (TtPerR). Both transcription factors repress separate ZIP transporter genes in vivo, andTtPerR acts as a bifunctional transcription regulator by activating the expression of ferric and hemin transport systems. We showTtPerR andTtMntR bind DNA in the presence of manganese in vitro and in vivo; however,TtPerR is unable to bind DNA in the presence of iron, likely due to iron‐mediated histidine oxidation. Unlike canonical PerR homologs,TtPerR does not appear to contribute to peroxide detoxification. Instead, theTtPerR regulon and DNA binding sequence are more reminiscent of Fur or Mur homologs. Collectively, these results highlight the similarities and differences between two metalloregulatory superfamilies and underscore the interplay of manganese and iron in transcription factor regulation. 

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