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Abstract We present experimental and numerical investigations of high-energy mid-infrared filamentation with multi-octave-spanning supercontinuum generation (SCG), pumped by a 2.4 μm, 250 fs Cr:ZnSe chirped-pulse laser amplifier. The SCG is demonstrated in both anomalous and normal dispersion regimes with YAG and polycrystalline ZnSe, respectively. The formation of stable and robust single filaments along with the visible-to-mid-infrared SCG is obtained with a pump energy of up to 100 μJ in a 6-mm-long YAG medium. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the highest-energy multi-octave-spanning SCG from a laser filament in a solid. On the other hand, the SCG and even-harmonic generation based on random quasi-phase matching (RQPM) are simultaneously observed from the single filaments in a 6-mm-long polycrystalline ZnSe medium with a pump energy of up to 15 μJ. The numerical simulations based on unidirectional pulse propagation equation and RQPM show excellent agreement with the measured multi-octave-spanning SCG and even-harmonic generation. They also reveal the temporal structure of mid-infrared filaments, such as soliton-like self-compression in YAG and pulse broadening in ZnSe. 

Cytokinin has strong connections to development and a growing role in the abiotic stress response. Here we show that CYTOKININ RESPONSE FACTOR 2 (CRF2) is additionally involved in the salt (NaCl) stress response. CRF2 promoter‐GUS expression indicates CRF2 involvement in the response to salt stress as well as the previously known cytokinin response. Interestingly, CRF2 mutant seedlings are quite similar to the wild type (WT) under non‐stressed conditions yet have many distinct changes in response to salt stress. Cytokinin levels measured by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) that increased in the WT after salt stress are decreased incrf2, potentially from CRF2 regulation of cytokinin biosynthesis genes. Ion content measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP‐OES) was increased in the WT for Na, K, Mn, Ca and Mg after salt stress, whereas the corresponding Ca and Mg increases are lacking incrf2. Many genes examined by RNA‐seq analysis were altered transcriptionally by salt stress in both the WT andcrf2, yet interestingly approximately one‐third of salt‐modifiedcrf2transcripts (2655) showed unique regulation. Different transcript profiles for salt stress incrf2compared with the WT background was further supported through an examination of co‐expressed genes by weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCMA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Additionally, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment terms found from salt‐treated transcripts revealed most photosynthesis‐related terms as only being affected incrf2, leading to an examination of chlorophyll levels and the efficiency of photosystem II (via the ratio of variable fluorescence to maximum fluorescence,F_v/F_m) as well as physiology after salt treatment. Salt stress‐treatedcrf2plants had both reduced chlorophyll levels and lowerF_v/F_mvalues compared with the WT, suggesting that CRF2 plays a role in the modulation of salt stress responses linked to photosynthesis.

 

Auxin phytohormones control most aspects of plant development through a complex and interconnected signaling network. In the presence of auxin, AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID (AUX/IAA) transcriptional repressors are targeted for degradation by the SKP1-CULLIN1-F-BOX (SCF) ubiquitin-protein ligases containing TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESISTANT 1/AUXIN SIGNALING F-BOX (TIR1/AFB). CULLIN1-neddylation is required for SCF^TIR1/AFBfunctionality, as exemplified by mutants deficient in the NEDD8-activating enzyme subunit AUXIN-RESISTANT 1 (AXR1). Here, we report a chemical biology screen that identifies small molecules requiring AXR1 to modulate plant development. We selected four molecules of interest, RubNeddin 1 to 4 (RN1 to -4), among which RN3 and RN4 trigger selective auxin responses at transcriptional, biochemical, and morphological levels. This selective activity is explained by their ability to consistently promote the interaction between TIR1 and a specific subset of AUX/IAA proteins, stimulating the degradation of particular AUX/IAA combinations. Finally, we performed a genetic screen using RN4, the RN with the greatest potential for dissecting auxin perception, which revealed that the chromatin remodeling ATPase BRAHMA is implicated in auxin-mediated apical hook development. These results demonstrate the power of selective auxin agonists to dissect auxin perception for plant developmental functions, as well as offering opportunities to discover new molecular players involved in auxin responses.