Uauy Cristóbal, Nelissen Hilde, Chan Raquel Lía, Napier Johnathan A, Seung David, Liu Linsan, McKim Sarah M
John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent B-9052, Belgium.
Plant Cell. 2025 May 9;37(5). doi: 10.1093/plcell/koaf059.
The significance of research conducted on Arabidopsis thaliana cannot be overstated. This focus issue showcases how insights from Arabidopsis have opened new areas of biology and directly advanced our understanding of crops. Here, experts intimately involved in bridging between Arabidopsis and crops share their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for translation. First, we examine the translatability of genetic modules from Arabidopsis into maize, emphasizing the need to publish well-executed translational experiments, regardless of outcome. Second, we highlight the landmark success of HB4, the first GM wheat cultivar on the market, whose abiotic tolerance is borne from direct translation and based on strategies first outlined in Arabidopsis. Third, we discuss the decades-long journey to engineer oilseed crops capable of producing omega-3 fish oils, with Arabidopsis serving as a critical intermediary. Fourth, we explore how direct translation of starch synthesizing proteins characterized in Arabidopsis helped uncover novel mechanisms and functions in crops, with potential valuable applications. Finally, we illustrate how shared molecular factors between Arabidopsis and barley exhibit distinct molecular wiring as exemplified in cuticular and stomatal development. Together, these vignettes underscore the pivotal role of Arabidopsis as a foundational model plant while highlighting the challenges of translating discoveries into field-ready, commercial cultivars with enhanced knowledge-based traits.
对拟南芥开展的研究，其重要性无论如何强调都不为过。本专题展示了来自拟南芥的见解如何开辟了新的生物学领域，并直接推动了我们对作物的理解。在这里，深度参与拟南芥与作物之间联系研究的专家们分享了他们对转化研究中的挑战与机遇的看法。首先，我们研究了从拟南芥到玉米的遗传模块的可转化性，强调无论结果如何，都需要发表执行良好的转化实验。其次，我们强调了市场上首个转基因小麦品种HB4取得的里程碑式成功，其非生物耐受性源于直接转化，且基于最初在拟南芥中概述的策略。第三，我们讨论了将油菜作物改造为能够生产ω-3鱼油的几十年历程，拟南芥在其中起到了关键的中介作用。第四，我们探讨了对拟南芥中表征的淀粉合成蛋白进行直接转化，如何有助于揭示作物中的新机制和功能以及潜在的有价值应用。最后，我们举例说明了拟南芥和大麦之间共享的分子因子如何在表皮和气孔发育中呈现出不同的分子连接方式。总之，这些短文强调了拟南芥作为基础模式植物的关键作用，同时突出了将发现转化为具备基于知识的优良性状、可用于田间的商业品种所面临的挑战。
