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All Outputs (169)

Elucidating tissue and sub-cellular specificity of the entire SUMO network reveals how stress responses are fine-tuned in a eukaryote (2025)
Journal Article
Banda, J., Ghosh, S., Roy, D., Ingole, K. D., Clark, L., Sharma, E., Kakkunath, S., Sue-Ob, K., Bhosale, R., Band, L., Ghosh, S., Wells, D., Atkinson, J., Provart, N. J., Bennett, M. J., Lilley, K. S., Jones, A., De Lucas, M., Bishopp, A., & Sadanandom, A. (2025). Elucidating tissue and sub-cellular specificity of the entire SUMO network reveals how stress responses are fine-tuned in a eukaryote. Science Advances, 11(35), Article eadw9153. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adw9153

SUMOylation is essential in plant and animal cells, but it remains unknown how small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) components act in concert to modify specific targets in response to environmental stresses. In this study, we characterize every SUMO... Read More about Elucidating tissue and sub-cellular specificity of the entire SUMO network reveals how stress responses are fine-tuned in a eukaryote.

Redox-regulated Aux/IAA multimerization modulates auxin responses (2025)
Journal Article
Roy, D., Mehra, P., Clark, L., Mukkawar, V., Bellande, K., Martin-Arevalillo, R., Ghosh, S., Ingole, K. D., Bhagat, P. K., Brown, A., Sue-ob, K., Jones, A., Vermeer, J. E., Vernoux, T., Lilley, K., Mullineaux, P., Bechtold, U., Bennett, M. J., & Sadanandom, A. (2025). Redox-regulated Aux/IAA multimerization modulates auxin responses. Science, 389(6757), Article eadu1470. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu1470

INTRODUCTION

Plasticity in branching patterns is a critical determinant of the foraging capacity of roots because water and nutrients are often heterogeneously distributed in their surrounding soil environment. When growing root tips lose contact... Read More about Redox-regulated Aux/IAA multimerization modulates auxin responses.

Genetic control of the leaf ionome in pearl millet and correlation with root and agromorphological traits (2025)
Journal Article
Nakombo-Gbassault, P., Arenas, S., Affortit, P., Faye, A., Flis, P., Sine, B., Moukouanga, D., Gantet, P., Komba, E. K., Kane, N., Bennett, M., Wells, D., Cubry, P., Bailey, E., Grondin, A., Vigouroux, Y., & Laplaze, L. (2025). Genetic control of the leaf ionome in pearl millet and correlation with root and agromorphological traits. PLoS ONE, 20(5), Article e0319140. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319140

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) thrives in arid and nutrient-poor environments, establishing its role as a crucial cereal crop for food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its remarkable adaptability, its yields remain below genetic potential,... Read More about Genetic control of the leaf ionome in pearl millet and correlation with root and agromorphological traits.

Missing the input: the underrepresentation of plant physiology in global soil carbon research (2025)
Journal Article
Raza, S., Cooper, H. V., Girkin, N. T., Kent, M. S., Bennett, M. J., Mooney, S. J., & Colombi, T. (2025). Missing the input: the underrepresentation of plant physiology in global soil carbon research. SOIL, 11(1), 363-369. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-11-363-2025

Plant processes regulating the quantity and quality of soil organic carbon inputs such as photosynthesis, above- and below-ground plant growth, and root exudation are integral to our understanding of soil carbon dynamics. However, based on a bibliome... Read More about Missing the input: the underrepresentation of plant physiology in global soil carbon research.

Single-cell transcriptomics reveal how root tissues adapt to soil stress (2025)
Journal Article
Zhu, M., Hsu, C.-W., Peralta Ogorek, L. L., Taylor, I. W., La Cavera, S., Oliveira, D. M., Verma, L., Mehra, P., Mijar, M., Sadanandom, A., Perez-Cota, F., Boerjan, W., Nolan, T. M., Bennett, M. J., Benfey, P. N., & Pandey, B. K. (2025). Single-cell transcriptomics reveal how root tissues adapt to soil stress. Nature, 642, 721-729. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08941-z

Land plants thrive in soils showing vastly different properties and environmental stresses1. Root systems can adapt to contrasting soil conditions and stresses, yet how their responses are programmed at the individual cell scale remains unclear. Usin... Read More about Single-cell transcriptomics reveal how root tissues adapt to soil stress.

Future crop breeding needs to consider future soils (2025)
Journal Article
Raza, S., Pandey, B. K., Hawkesford, M. J., Griffiths, S., Bennett, M. J., & Mooney, S. J. (2025). Future crop breeding needs to consider future soils. Nature Plants, 11, 939-941. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-01977-z

Modern crop breeding and seed certification agencies ignore the known spatial heterogeneity of soils and develop cultivars to thrive in a ‘one-size-fits-all’ soil environment. Neglecting the evolving dynamics of soils substantially undermines the cap... Read More about Future crop breeding needs to consider future soils.

Tuberculosis in found dead badgers at the edge of the expanding bovine tuberculosis epidemic (2025)
Journal Article
Powell, S. M., Dessi, N., Bennett, M., Wang, B., Robertson, A., Waller, E., Smith, G. C., & Delahay, R. J. (2025). Tuberculosis in found dead badgers at the edge of the expanding bovine tuberculosis epidemic. Scientific Reports, 15(1), Article 10547. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86930-y

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a major disease of cattle in the UK, placing a significant economic burden on the taxpayer. The causative agent, Mycobacterium bovis, has a wide host range, including the European badger (Meles meles). While badgers have... Read More about Tuberculosis in found dead badgers at the edge of the expanding bovine tuberculosis epidemic.

Root Growth and Development in “Real Life”: Advances and Challenges in Studying Root–Environment Interactions (2025)
Journal Article
Mehra, P., Banda, J., Ogorek, L. L. P., Fusi, R., Castrillo, G., Colombi, T., Pandey, B. K., Sturrock, C. J., Wells, D. M., & Bennett, M. J. (2025). Root Growth and Development in “Real Life”: Advances and Challenges in Studying Root–Environment Interactions. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 76, 18.1–18.26. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-083123-074506

Plant roots play myriad roles that include foraging for resources in complex soil environments. Within this highly dynamic soil environment roots must sense, interact with, and acclimate to factors such as water availability, microbiota, and heteroge... Read More about Root Growth and Development in “Real Life”: Advances and Challenges in Studying Root–Environment Interactions.

Roles of hormones in regulating root growth–water interactions (2025)
Journal Article
Sharma, S., Bennett, M. J., & Mehra, P. (2025). Roles of hormones in regulating root growth–water interactions. Journal of Experimental Botany, 76(7), 1987-1995. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf063

Water stress presents a critical challenge affecting plant growth and agricultural productivity, with drought alone causing substantial yield losses. Roots serve as the primary site for water uptake, enabling plants to detect water stress by sensing... Read More about Roles of hormones in regulating root growth–water interactions.

Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm (2025)
Journal Article
Kieber, J., Zheng, Z., Schnable, P. S., Dinneny, J. R., Banda, J., Sturrock, C. J., Pandey, B. K., Bennett, M., Scharwies, J. D., Clarke, T., Dinneny, A., Birkeland, S., Veltman, M. A., Torres-Martínez, H. H., Viana, W. G., & Khare, R. (2025). Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm. Science, 387(6734), 666-673. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ads5999

Plants grow complex root systems to extract unevenly distributed resources from soils. Spatial differences in soil moisture are perceived by root tips, leading to the patterning of new root branches toward available water in a process called hydropat... Read More about Moisture-responsive root-branching pathways identified in diverse maize breeding germplasm.

Genetic control of the leaf ionome in pearl millet and correlation with root and agromorphological traits (2025)
Preprint / Working Paper
Nakombo-Gbassault, P., Arenas, S., Affortit, P., Faye, A., Flis, P., Sine, B., Moukouanga, D., Gantet, P., Kosh Komba, E., Kane, N., Bennett, M., Wells, D., Cubry, P., Bailey, E., Grondin, A., Vigouroux, Y., & Laplaze, L. Genetic control of the leaf ionome in pearl millet and correlation with root and agromorphological traits

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) thrives in arid and nutrient-poor environments, establishing its role as a crucial cereal crop for food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its remarkable adaptability, its yields remain below genetic potential,... Read More about Genetic control of the leaf ionome in pearl millet and correlation with root and agromorphological traits.

ABA-auxin cascade regulates crop root angle in response to drought (2025)
Journal Article
Xiong, Y., Song, X., Mehra, P., Yu, S., Li, Q., Tashenmaimaiti, D., Bennett, M., Kong, X., Bhosale, R., & Huang, G. (2025). ABA-auxin cascade regulates crop root angle in response to drought. Current Biology, 35(3), 542-553.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.12.003

Enhancing drought resistance through the manipulation of root system architecture (RSA) in crops represents a crucial strategy for addressing food insecurity challenges. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays important roles in drought tolerance; yet, its molecul... Read More about ABA-auxin cascade regulates crop root angle in response to drought.

Auxin-dependent post-translational regulation of MONOPTEROS in the Arabidopsis root (2024)
Journal Article
Cavalleri, A., Astori, C., Truskina, J., Cucinotta, M., Farcot, E., Chrysanthou, E., Xu, X., Muino, J. M., Kaufmann, K., Kater, M. M., Vernoux, T., Weijers, D., Bennett, M. J., Bhosale, R., Bishopp, A., & Colombo, L. (2024). Auxin-dependent post-translational regulation of MONOPTEROS in the Arabidopsis root. Cell Reports, 43(12), Article 115083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115083

Auxin plays a pivotal role in plant development by activating AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORs (ARFs). Under low auxin levels, ARF activity is inhibited by interacting with Aux/IAAs. Aux/IAAs are degraded when the cellular auxin concentration increases, causin... Read More about Auxin-dependent post-translational regulation of MONOPTEROS in the Arabidopsis root.

Root RADAR: how 'rhizocrine' signals allow roots to detect and respond to their soil environment and stresses (2024)
Journal Article
Pandey, B. K., George, T. S., Cooper, H. V., Sturrock, C. J., Bennett, T., & Bennett, M. J. (2025). Root RADAR: how 'rhizocrine' signals allow roots to detect and respond to their soil environment and stresses. Journal of Experimental Botany, 76(9), 1500-1509. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erae490

Agricultural intensification coupled with changing climate are causing soils to become increasingly vulnerable to stresses such as drought, soil erosion and compaction. The mechanisms by which roots detect and respond to soil stresses remains poorly... Read More about Root RADAR: how 'rhizocrine' signals allow roots to detect and respond to their soil environment and stresses.

Root metaxylem area influences drought tolerance and transpiration in pearl millet in a soil texture dependent manner (2024)
Preprint / Working Paper
Affortit, P., Faye, A., Jones, D. H., Benson, E., Sine, B., Burridge, J., Ndoye, M. S., Barry, L., Moukouanga, D., Barnard, S., Bhosale, R., Pridmore, T., Gantet, P., Vadez, V., Cubry, P., Kane, N., Bennett, M., Atkinson, J. A., Laplaze, L., Wells, D. M., & Grondin, A. (2024). Root metaxylem area influences drought tolerance and transpiration in pearl millet in a soil texture dependent manner

Pearl millet is a key cereal for food security in drylands but its yield is strongly impacted by drought. We investigated how root anatomical traits contribute to mitigating the effects of vegetative drought stress in pearl millet.

We examined ass... Read More about Root metaxylem area influences drought tolerance and transpiration in pearl millet in a soil texture dependent manner.

A histopathological study in road-killed European badgers (Meles meles) from the English midlands with isolation of novel non-tuberculous atypical mycobacteria (2024)
Journal Article
Corbetta, D., Grau-Roma, L., Rees, C., Swift, B. M. C., O’Cathail, C., Barron, E. S., Verin, R., Morey-Matamalas, A., Sorley, M., & Bennett, M. (2024). A histopathological study in road-killed European badgers (Meles meles) from the English midlands with isolation of novel non-tuberculous atypical mycobacteria. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 70(6), Article 112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-024-01866-4

European badgers (Meles meles) play an important role in the epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis (caused by Mycobacterium bovis) in England, but little is known about the prevalence of atypical mycobacteriosis. Badgers are also known to be infected b... Read More about A histopathological study in road-killed European badgers (Meles meles) from the English midlands with isolation of novel non-tuberculous atypical mycobacteria.

Multiple novel caliciviruses identified from stoats (Mustela erminea) in the United Kingdom (2024)
Journal Article
Hinds, J., Apaa, T., Parry, R. H., Withers, A. J., MacKenzie, L., Staley, C., Morrison, J., Bennett, M., Bremner-Harrison, S., Chadwick, E. A., Hailer, F., Harrison, S. W., Lambin, X., Loose, M., Mathews, F., Tarlinton, R., & Blanchard, A. (2024). Multiple novel caliciviruses identified from stoats (Mustela erminea) in the United Kingdom. Access Microbiology, 6(7), Article 000813.v4. https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000813.v4

The Caliciviridae family, comprising positive-sense RNA viruses, is characterised by its non-enveloped, small virions, broad host range, and notable tendency for host switching. These viruses are primarily associated with gastroenteric disease, thoug... Read More about Multiple novel caliciviruses identified from stoats (Mustela erminea) in the United Kingdom.

Trace metal accumulation through the environment and wildlife at two derelict lead mines in Wales (2024)
Journal Article
Sartorius, A., Johnson, M. F., Young, S., Bennett, M., Baiker, K., Edwards, P., & Yon, L. (2024). Trace metal accumulation through the environment and wildlife at two derelict lead mines in Wales. Heliyon, 10(14), Article e34265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34265

Trace metal pollution is globally widespread, largely resulting from human activities. Due to the persistence and high toxicity of trace metals, these pollutants can have serious effects across ecosystems. However, few studies have directly assessed... Read More about Trace metal accumulation through the environment and wildlife at two derelict lead mines in Wales.

Version 3: Multiple novel caliciviruses identified from stoats (Mustela erminea) in the United Kingdom (2024)
Preprint / Working Paper
Hinds, J., Apaa, T., Parry, R. H., Withers, A. J., MacKenzie, L., Staley, C., Morrison, J., Bennett, M., Bremner-Harrison, S., Chadwick, E. A., Hailer, F., Harrison, S. W., Lambin, X., Loose, M., Mathews, F., Tarlinton, R., & Blanchard, A. (2024). Version 3: Multiple novel caliciviruses identified from stoats (Mustela erminea) in the United Kingdom

The Caliciviridae family, comprising positive-sense RNA viruses, is characterised by its non-enveloped, small virions, broad host range, and notable tendency for host switching. These viruses are primarily associated with gastroenteric disease, thoug... Read More about Version 3: Multiple novel caliciviruses identified from stoats (Mustela erminea) in the United Kingdom.