Cell polarity is an ancient organizing principle across kingdoms. As in animal epithelial cells, plant cells asymmetrically distribute proteins to establish functionally distinct membrane domains. In ...

• Seeds are complex reproductive organs consisting of diverse maternal and filial tissues. During development, the embryo and specialized tissues for nutrient storage required for seed germination and early seedling establishment emerge. • To explore the cellular diversity and differentiation of seeds, we performed single cell RNA-sequencing on heart stage Arabidopsis seeds and identified 20,097 cells that were grouped into ≥21 distinct cell clusters. 20 of the 21 clusters were spatially assigned by combining bioinformatic analysis, imaging reporter fusion marker lines, and spatial transcriptomics. • Our analysis revealed a high degree of differentiation of epidermal cell and inner cell layers along the rotational and axial seed axes, highlighting the importance of cell position and ontogenesis. We identified unexpected spatial domains, including a cluster marked by abscission zone-specific transcripts, and a nucellar cluster shaped by developmentally programmed cell death. Surprisingly, embryo and endosperm showed similarities in transcript profiles despite distinct and complementary functions. • In summary, our findings establish seeds as a transcriptionally complex organ with high cell type heterogeneity and provide a basis for investigating the differentiation of diverse cell layers and spatial transcript profiles. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. National Research Foundation of Korea, https://ror.org/013aysd81, RS-2025-00560593, RS-2026-25511199, RS-2019-NR040081 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, EXC-2048/1 - project ID 390686111 (CEPLAS) Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, https://ror.org/012kf4317, Professorship

Certain shallow-water species carry a mutation that reduces translation errors and prevents toxic protein buildup

Abstract. Elongation of flowering stems is crucial for successful sexual reproduction and seed dispersal, yet its cellular mechanisms remain largely unknow

Using cryo-electron tomography, the authors reveal how plasmodesmata (plant cytoplasmic bridges) are gated by cell wall remodelling and how helical protein assemblies scaffold internal membranes, with...

Japanese botanist Kenji Suetsugu studies plants that steal carbon and nutrients from soil fungi

Abstract. Stomatal pores in land plants rapidly and reversibly open and close in response to diurnal changes in leaf carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. St

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Research Fellowship supports you as a highly qualified postdoc from Germany in conducting your research in Japan – regardless of discipline.

Polar localization of the silicon transporter OsLsi1 plays an important role in both efficient uptake and prevention of excess accumulation of metalloids,

How an old gene acquired a new function to exploit an insect’s sense of smell

International Symposium on Boron Nutrition in Plants 2027

ホウ素は植物の必須栄養素の一つで、細胞壁のペクチンと結合することで、植物の形を作ります。これまでに多くの植物で、ホウ素が不足すると種子がつかなくなることが報告されており、農作物の生産にも大きな影響をもたらします。そのため、ホウ素が花の中でど...

Cytoplasmic K63-linked polyubiquitin signals have well-established roles in endocytosis and selective autophagy. However, how these signals help to direct different cargos to different intracellular t...

A small compound uncovers the MAP kinase homeostasis–based signal specificity between plant development and immunity.