Brassinosteroids promote sugar synthesis by inhibiting BIN2 phosphorylation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

Hongliang Zhang
, 28/08/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 28 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02379-5

Whether growth-promoting hormones boost sugar synthesis has remained unclear. Brassinosteroids were found to do so by relieving BIN2-mediated inhibition of PCK1, a key enzyme in gluconeogenesis and photosynthesis.

Your dislike of eating bugs may be 9,000 years old

Anonymous, 27/08/2026 | Source: Agriculture and Food News -- ScienceDaily

Ancient teeth and human DNA are revealing a surprising history of insect eating. Modern humans in northern Eurasia appear to have eaten insects only occasionally, while Neanderthals may have consumed them much more regularly. Populations near the tropics also retained genes that make insect exoskeletons easier to digest.

324-million-year-old fossil reveals how insects conquered land

Anonymous, 27/08/2026 | Source: Agriculture and Food News -- ScienceDaily

Ancient fossils suggest insects conquered land through a long amphibious phase rather than making an abrupt jump from water to dry ground. A newly identified 324-million-year-old species still carried paddle-like abdominal limbs, revealing an evolutionary bridge between aquatic ancestors and modern six-legged insects.

PAX-regulated self-organizing polarity drives procambial strand formation

Alkistis E. Lanassa Bassukas
, 27/08/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 27 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02382-w

PAX, a polarly localized protein kinase, converts auxin cues into coordinated cell polarity, propagating polarity between neighbouring cells to align procambial cells and form connected veins. PAX reinforces PIN-mediated auxin patterning and vascular connectivity.

Evolutionary tuning of the molecular charge state of UBP24 shapes responses to high temperature

Shao-Li Yang
, 26/08/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02345-1

Yang et al. reveal a conserved heat-adaptation mechanism in plants and yeast. Elevated temperatures increase protein negative charges, stabilizing key proteins. In Arabidopsis, UBP24 stabilization promotes stomatal opening and improves heat survival.

A paradigm shift in the regulation of plant invertases

Christine H. Foyer
, 25/08/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 25 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02397-3

Sugar signalling is a cornerstone of anatomical plasticity and reproductive success, tailoring plant development to metabolic and environmental cues. The demonstration of a C-terminal hexapeptide-dependent mechanism for the autoinhibition of cytosolic invertase activity that is controlled by protein phosphorylation and 14-3-3 protein binding is pivotal to our understanding of carbohydrate metabolism and sugar signalling, as is the knowledge of how this mechanism has been tailored to optimize function during evolution.

Atypical E2F transcription factors couple Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 to endosperm cell division and differentiation

Yongyan Wang
, 25/08/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 25 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02386-6

Atypical E2F transcription factors recruit the PRC2 complex to catalyse H3K27me3 deposition at G1/S-phase loci within plant endosperm, curbing premature G1/S transitions and sustaining endosperm developmental homeostasis.

A conserved hexapeptide switch controls autoinhibition of plant cytosolic invertases

Yujie Fan
, 25/08/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 25 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02383-9

The study reveals an evolved molecular switch that controls plant sucrose-cleaving enzymes. Altering this switch increases enzyme activity and stimulates plant growth, offering a potential strategy for crop improvement.

Bird flu is spreading. Your backyard feeder could make it worse

Anonymous, 24/08/2026 | Source: Agriculture and Food News -- ScienceDaily

Backyard bird feeders could become unexpected hotspots for H5N1 as Australia’s bird flu outbreak spreads, bringing species together in ways that rarely occur naturally. Experts say stopping feeding is safest, while smaller amounts of food, no hand-feeding, and careful cleaning can reduce the danger.

PAF1 integrates conserved and plant-specific mechanisms in response to DNA replication stress

Anonymous, 24/08/2026 | Source: Nature Plants - nature.com science feeds

Nature Plants, Published online: 24 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41477-026-02390-w

DNA replication stress can compromise genome stability, but the mechanisms of protective responses in plants remain unclear. We show that PAF1 counteracts DNA replication stress through plant-specific WEE1-mediated protein stabilization and conserved recruitment of replication factor C to replication forks, where it drives H2B monoubiquitination to protect fork stability.