The C1HDZ plant transcription factor family shapes stress and development responses differently across species, revealing how gene functions evolve while i

Molecular evolution of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR (ARF) effector function.

The authors identify conserved gene networks across fern and angiosperm reproductive development, including between the sporophyte ovule and the fern gametophyte egg-chamber. Repurposing of this netwo...

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

Highlighted Article: Comparative and mathematical analyses reveal that oil body cell patterning in fossil and extant liverworts is consistent with a local activation-lateral inhibition mechanism, poin...

Plant-derived pigments offer sustainable alternatives to synthetic colorants, yet their practical deployment in textiles is limited by restricted chemical diversity and low abundance. Liverworts represent a source of diverse chemical compounds, and the model liverworts Marchantia polymorpha are emerging as chassis for bioengineering and synthetic biology. Here, we report the biotechnological application of auronidins, a rare class of flavonoid pigments, as textile dyes. Using M. polymorpha, we engineered enhanced auronidin production through controlled expression of the R2R3-MYB transcription factor MpMYB14. We systematically benchmarked constitutive and inducible gene expression systems, including heat-shock, glucocorticoid receptor, and β-estradiol (XVE) circuits, identifying inducible strategies that decouple biomass accumulation from secondary metabolite production while achieving high pigment yields. Extracted auronidins were used to dye cotton yarn directly, demonstrating the feasibility of auronidins for textile dyeing. Our results establish M. polymorpha as a versatile plant chassis for programmable secondary metabolite production and introduce auronidins as a promising natural pigment platform for sustainable textile biotechnology.

Monoterpenes (C10) are a large group of specialized metabolites important for plant interactions with the environment. Their biosynthesis is well understood in seed plants, where geranyl diphosphate s...

The emergence of the eukaryotes coincided with the diversification of histone proteins and their post-translational modifications by enzymes that constitute the core of eukaryotic chromatin. Yet the e...

Meristem organization in land plants depends on coordinated auxin distribution, transport and response, yet how these processes are integrated during vegetative growth of the gametophyte of non-seed p...

Recombinant proteins have transformative potential in biomedicine, but their production is often costly and carries contamination risks. Plants offer an attractive alternative, with low growth costs a...

Recombinant proteins have transformative potential in biomedicine, but their production is often costly and carries contamination risks. Plants offer an attractive alternative, with low growth costs a...

Background Sex chromosomes evolve from autosomes and are expected to be initially homomorphic, though they may become heteromorphic over time. In diploid systems, one sex chromosome often degenerates,...

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[Important notice] To maintain nomenclature consistent and systematic, we strongly recommend that gene names/symbols should be registered before publications and presentations.

Kongsted et al. find that, while the red pigments produced in liverworts and seed plants are distinct, they are regulated by homologous MYB-bHLH transcriptional complexes. They also find that in liver...

Plants can propagate their own clones through asexual reproduction. Genetic and hormonal factors regulating asexual reproduction have begun to be eluc…

De novo gene origination from noncoding regions is a major source of genetic innovation. Dong et al. [1] (Nat. Genet. 2025; 57:2562–2569) reveal that bryophytes harbor an exceptionally high abundance of such genes, establishing them as a new and key system for studying the mechanisms and evolutionary consequences of new gene emergence in plants.

A study maps terpene biosynthesis in Marchantia polymorpha oil bodies and identifies the ABC transporter MpABCG1 as a key factor for endogenous sesquiterpene accumulation in oil bodies, informing future metabolic engineering strategies.

Auxin-dependent ARF transcription factors are subject to proteolytic degradation. Using the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, de Roij et al. show that this degradation evolved early in the ARF family, ...

In the Uspallata Valley, agriculture was adopted by local populations, as evidenced by genetic continuity from earlier hunter-gatherers to farmers; maize-dependent groups from the same regional p...

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In many algae, photosynthesis is boosted by biophysical CO2-concentrating mechanisms, which pack the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco into liquid-like organelles called pyrenoids. Engineering C3 crops with a...

A study maps terpene biosynthesis in Marchantia polymorpha oil bodies and identifies the ABC transporter MpABCG1 as a key factor for endogenous sesquiterpene accumulation in oil bodies, informing futu...

Use the OpenPlant toolkit for genetic engineering of the plant synthetic biology model Marchantia polymorpha.