An active Helitron transposon family in wheat

Haoran Peng
, 05/06/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 05 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02319-3

Helitrons are a recently identified category of transposons. This study reveals that heat stress combined with reduced DNA methylation can mobilize a Helitron family in wheat. Its mobilization is genetically linked to a specific full-length member catalysing the full Helitron life cycle.

A discarded allele boosts protein

Jun Lyu
, 03/06/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 03 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02316-6

A discarded allele boosts protein

A hidden pollutant is changing how the world's forests breathe

Anonymous, 02/06/2026 | Source: Agriculture and Food News -- ScienceDaily

A massive global analysis found that nitrogen pollution can either speed up or dramatically slow the natural "breathing" of forest soils, depending on the ecosystem's condition. The results reveal hidden tipping points that could affect how forests store carbon and cope with climate change.

This blood-feeding fly sacrifices its sight after finding a host

Anonymous, 02/06/2026 | Source: Agriculture and Food News -- ScienceDaily

Deer keds rely on flight and vision to find a host, but everything changes once they land. After shedding their wings forever, these parasites reduce the activity of key vision-related genes by about half. Scientists believe they are effectively trading sharp eyesight for extra energy that can be used for feeding and reproduction.

The amino terminus of PetD is essential for cytochrome <i>b</i><sub>6</sub> <i>f</i> function and the negative feedback control of STT7 kinase

Afifa Zaeem
, 02/06/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 02 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02310-y

This study reveals that the cytochrome b6f subunit PetD regulates the STT7 kinase. In particular, the N terminus is required for kinase activation, while Thr4 phosphorylation provides feedback that impairs kinase activity and state transitions.

Feedback control of state transition kinase activity by phosphorylation of its target PetD

Anonymous, 02/06/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 02 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02312-w

We investigate how the interaction between the thylakoid kinase STT7 and the cytochrome b6f complex regulates state transitions. We find that b6f-dependent activation of STT7 is coupled to feedback control through phosphorylation of the b6f subunit PetD. This mechanism inactivates the kinase after its activation to tune excitation between the photosystems.

A sweet solution to nicotine biosynthesis

Tsubasa Shoji
, 02/06/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 02 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02314-8

Whereas the origins of nicotine’s pyridine and pyrrolidine rings have long been established, the mechanism by which these two branches are coupled into the final scaffold has remained unclear. Two studies now converge to resolve this long-standing puzzle, revealing an unexpected role for glycosylation and a highly coordinated biosynthetic system that reshapes our understanding of plant specialized metabolism.

Scientists say evolution may work differently than we thought

Anonymous, 29/05/2026 | Source: Agriculture and Food News -- ScienceDaily

A major research study is challenging one of evolution’s most influential ideas: that most genetic changes that become permanent are essentially neutral. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that beneficial mutations are actually far more common than scientists have long assumed. The puzzle is that these advantageous mutations rarely spread through entire populations. Their answer? Nature keeps changing the rules.

A New York cemetery was hiding 5.5 million bees underground

Anonymous, 28/05/2026 | Source: Agriculture and Food News -- ScienceDaily

A casual walk through an Ithaca cemetery led to the discovery of a gigantic hidden bee population — roughly 5.5 million ground-nesting bees packed beneath the soil. Scientists believe it may be one of the largest bee aggregations ever documented and say the insects are crucial pollinators for apple orchards and other crops. The bees have likely lived there for more than 100 years, thriving in the cemetery’s undisturbed sandy soil.

Ubiquitin-dependent mitochondrial protein degradation ensures seedling emergence by regulating ER–mitochondrial interaction and mitophagy

Zhen Tian
, 28/05/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 28 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02306-8

This study reveals a mechanism by which plants control mitochondrial quality during seedling emergence. The authors identify the protein SPL2, which tags damaged mitochondria for degradation, thereby ensuring sufficient energy for the seedling to break through the soil. This finding provides new insights into early plant development.