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Summary: Mutations play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory and outcomes of a species evolution and domestication. Maize (Zea mays) has been a major staple crop and model for genetic research for more than 100 yr. With the arrival of site‐directed mutagenesis and genome editing (GE) driven by the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), maize mutational research is once again in the spotlight. If we combine the powerful physiological and genetic characteristics of maize with the already available and ever increasing toolbox of CRISPR‐Cas, prospects for its future trait engineering are very promising. This review aimed to give an overview of the progression and learnings of maize screening studies analyzing forward genetics, natural variation and reverse genetics to focus on recent GE approaches. We will highlight how each strategy and resource has contributed to our understanding of maize natural and induced trait variability and how this information could be used to design the next generation of mutational screenings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A hybrid convergent approach (endocardial and epicardial ablation) demonstrated superior effectiveness in a recent randomized study for long‐standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF). Yet, there is a lack of real‐world, long‐term evidence as to which patients are best candidates for a hybrid convergent approach compared to standard endocardial cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation (CB PVI). Methods and Results: This single‐center, retrospective analysis spanning from 2010 to 2015 compared two distinctly different atrial fibrillation (AF) cohorts; one treated with stand‐alone cryoablation and one treated with a hybrid convergent approach. Baseline characteristics described candidates for each approach. The following criteria were utilized to determine CB PVI candidacy: (1) paroxysmal AF (PAF) (stage 3A) with failed class I/III antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) or (2) persistent/LSPAF (stage 3B/3C/3D) with failed class I/III AAD unwilling to undergo hybrid procedure. Selection criteria for the hybrid procedure included: (1) PAF refractory to both class I/III AAD and prior CB PVI (stage 3D) or (2) persistent/LSPAF (stage 3B/3C/3D) with failed class I/III AAD agreeable to hybrid procedure. Prior sternotomy was excluded. Serial electrocardiograms and continuous monitoring evaluated primary efficacy outcome of time‐to‐first recurrence of atrial arrhythmia after a 90‐day blanking period. Secondary outcomes were procedure‐related complications and AAD use (at discharge, 12, and 36 months). Kaplan‐Meier methods evaluated arrhythmia recurrence. Of 276 patients, 197 (64.2 ± 10.6 years old; 66.5% male; 74.1% 3A‐PAF; 18.3% 3B/3D‐persistent AF; 1.0% 3C‐LSPAF; 6.6% undetermined) underwent CB PVI and 79 (61.4 ± 8.1 years old; 83.5% male; 41.8% 3D‐PAF; 45.5% 3B/3D‐persistent AF; 12.7% 3C/3D‐LSPAF) underwent hybrid procedure. Arrhythmia freedom through 36 months was 55.2% for CB PVI and 50.4% for hybrid (p =.32). Class I AAD utilization at discharge occurred in 38 (19.3%) patients in the CB PVI group and 5 (6.3%) patients in the hybrid group (p =.01). CB PVI class I AAD utilization at 12 months occurred in 14 (9.0) patients versus 0 patients for hybrid convergent (p =.004). Patients with one or more adverse event were as follows: two (1.0%) in the CB PVI group (both transient phrenic nerve palsy) and three (3.7%) in the hybrid group (two with significant bleeding and one with wound infection) (p =.14). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that patients with more complex forms of AF (3D‐PAF or 3B/3C/3D‐persistent/LSPAF) could be well managed with a convergent approach. In a real‐world evaluation, outcomes match safety and efficacy thresholds achieved for patients with earlier, less complex AF etiologies treated by CB PVI alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study published in the journal Plant Cell explores the role of osGRF7 in regulating salinity resistance in rice through arbutin biosynthesis. Soil salinity poses a significant challenge to agricultural crops, affecting growth and yield. The researchers found that high levels of OsGRF7 were associated with increased arbutin content and higher salt tolerance in rice. They also discovered that OsGRF7 upregulates the expression of UGT1 and UGT5, enzymes involved in arbutin biosynthesis. Additionally, the study identified an F-box protein, OsFBO13, as a negative regulator of rice salt stress responses. These findings provide insights into the potential application of arbutin in rice breeding for salt tolerance. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the importance of phosphorus (P) uptake in soybean plants and the limitations of current methods for acquiring phosphates. The authors identify a regulatory module composed of three genes that control low-phosphate associated traits in soybeans. They demonstrate that these genes play a crucial role in improving phosphate deficiency tolerance and enhancing soybean yield. The researchers propose a model that explains how this module regulates low-phosphate tolerance by remodeling root architecture traits. This study provides valuable insights for developing new varieties of soybeans that can better mine phosphates and improve crop performance. [Extracted from the article]

ABSTRACT Drought is one of the most devastating causes of yield losses in crops like maize, and the anticipated increases in severity and duration of drought spells due to climate change pose an imminent threat to agricultural productivity. To understand the drought response, phenotypic and molecular studies are typically performed at a given time point after drought onset, representing a steady‐state adaptation response. Because growth is a dynamic process, we monitored the drought response with high temporal resolution and examined cellular and transcriptomic changes after rehydration at 4 and 6 days after leaf four appearance. These data showed that division zone activity is a determinant for full organ growth recovery upon rehydration. Moreover, a prolonged maintenance of cell division by the ectopic expression of PLASTOCHRON1 extends the ability to resume growth after rehydration. The transcriptome analysis indicated that GROWTH‐REGULATING FACTORS (GRFs) affect leaf growth by impacting cell division duration, which was confirmed by a prolonged recovery potential of the GRF1‐overexpression line after rehydration. Finally, we used a multiplex genome editing approach to evaluate the most promising differentially expressed genes from the transcriptome study and as such narrowed down the gene space from 40 to seven genes for future functional characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Modern biotechnology is one of the last century's major advances in human science. Particularly in the agronomical field, the landscape of crop improvement technologies has witnessed a great expansion, driven by the integration of molecular and genetic engineering methodologies into the breeding toolbox. Latin America (LATAM) serves as a pioneering region in incorporating such techniques with several countries swiftly embracing these technologies., Scope: This review aims to give a comprehensive overview of the elements that influenced agrobiotech acceptance in LATAM countries and how such cases could provide support for upcoming technologies to be considered worldwide., Conclusions: Nearly 50 years of biotech breakthroughs have provided humankind with an impressive portfolio of tools already integrated into several life-sciences areas. The agronomical field has greatly progressed thanks to technologies derived from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and high promises are being made to also incorporate genome -editing products. LATAM's case is a prime example of how early introduction of novelties in the crop production chain can result in improved yields, paving the way for future developments to be easily integrated into the technological ecosystem of a region. The example set by LATAM can also be useful for the present gene-editing regulatory scenario. With several countries presently on the path to approving these methods in their current crop systems, basing their next steps on the southern continent's example, could represent a safe and practical pathway towards a new agronomical revolution., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)