Author summary Blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the world’s most devastating rice diseases. During infection, M. oryzae secretes a diverse set of molecules, known as ...

Pathogens target and degrade the extracellular matrix surrounding plant cells. A central question is how cell wall-derived damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are recognized and integrated to...

Auxin and calcium (Ca2+) are central plant signals that coordinate growth, development, and responses to environmental cues. Typically studied as largely parallel pathways, they are now increasingly recognized as interconnected networks whose activities converge at multiple regulatory levels. Recent advances in live imaging, biosensors, optogenetics, and structural approaches have revealed that auxin can rapidly trigger Ca2+ influx from the apoplast via TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE1 (TIR1)/AUXIN-SIGNALING F-BOX (AFB)-dependent signaling mechanisms and Ca2+ channels, presumably involving cyclic nucleotides produced by TIR1/AFB auxin receptors. Conversely, Ca2+ signals arising from mechanosensing, wounding, and environmental stress can modulate auxin transport, signaling, and transcriptional outputs. Together, these discoveries highlight a dynamic, reciprocal signaling axis where Ca2+ acts both downstream and upstream of auxin to shape growth, development, tropisms, and regeneration.

Angiosperm seed formation requires the coordinated development of the products of double fertilization—the embryo and the endosperm. The endosperm mediates efficient nutrient transfer from surrounding...

The conserved MBS1 protein assembles into chloroplast-associated condensates to sense singlet oxygen and shield chloroplasts against excess light penetration.

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