"Anthropogenic selection of grain traits such as dormancy has shaped the developmental trajectories of crops. In cereals, shortening dormancy provides rapid and even postharvest germination, but increases the risk of weather-induced preharvest sprouting, with yearly harvest losses beyond 1 billion dollars. Our understanding of how, why, when, and where cereal dormancy diversification arose is fragmentary. Here, we show in the founder crop barley (Hordeum vulgare) that dormancy is primarily regulated through a mosaic of locus haplotypes comprising copy number variation and inherent kinase activity of Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3 (MKK3). We provide evidence supporting the historical selection of specific MKK3 haplotypes that shaped dormancy levels according to changing climatic pressures and outline a genetic framework for breeders to balance grain dormancy and preharvest sprouting avoidance".

ALT: a computer generated image of a dna structure

Stemmadenine acetate is a pivotal intermediate in the production of pharmacologically active monoterpene indole alkaloids. Here, we identify orthologs of stemmadenine acetate pathway genes (SGD, GS, G...

We create vector graphics of model organisms and emerging biological research organisms to enhance our publications. We’re sharing these editable graphics under a CC0 license for other scientists to...

Terpenoids are the largest group of specialized metabolites with broad biological activities and applications. While terpenoid biosynthesis was long thought to generate only backbones with multiples of five carbons, the discovery of bacterial 16-carbon terpenoids challenged this view. Here, we expand our understanding of terpenoid biosynthesis by identifying and characterizing 17-carbon terpenoids. Through genome mining and functional analysis, we reveal a diverse array of structurally complex C17 terpenoids synthesized via a conserved pathway. Two methyltransferases successively modify farnesyl diphosphate into a C17 diphosphate precursor, which terpene synthases convert into distinct C17 scaffolds. Phylogenetic analysis shows that C17 terpene synthases evolved multiple times from C16-associated enzymes, while the latter can also generate C17 terpenoids. These findings establish C16 synthases as an evolutionary reservoir for C17 biosynthesis, broadening our understanding of terpenoid diversity and evolution, while paving the way for the biological, chemical, and biotechnological exploration of this new terpenoid class.

In avocado and certain wild relatives in Lauraceae, pollination occurs via a synchronized rhythm of floral sex timing between two hermaphroditic flowering types. A-type plants present female-phase flo...