Plant cell biology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Mitochondrial genes in most crops are inherited maternally. In this issue of Nature Plants, Gonzalez-Duran et al. report that mitochondrial genes can be inherited from both parents.

An intrinsic hub that integrates the OsRALF4-THE3-RbohB pathway with the binding of OsRALF4-demethylesterified pectin modulates meristem homeostasis by balancing O₂⁻ and promotes cell expansion by pectin demethylesterification and condensation.

Here the authors show that microtubules guide the spatial distribution of cellulose synthase complexes in cotton fibers and produce a gradient of cellulose microfibrils that creates patterned cell wall mechanics that support tip-biased elongation.

Protein N-terminal acetylation profoundly influences protein fate. Here, the authors establish NatB as a central regulator of the interplay between ubiquitin–proteasome system and autophagy, and highlight its role in maintaining proteome stability and enabling dynamic stress responses in plants.

Here, the authors show that two genes encoding KATANIN p60 in maize promote growth and fertility via proper cell expansion and division. Aberrant microtubule organization in mutants alters cell shape, delays G1, and disrupts preprophase band formation and nuclear positioning.

While auxin typically inhibits root cell growth, elevated temperatures reconfigure the auxin transcriptional pathway to promote elongation. This study reveals how plants reprogram core hormonal signalling to adjust their internal biology to rising temperatures.

Kleptoplasty, the transient integration of foreign organelles, could illuminate organellogenesis. Here, using the flagellate, Rapaza viridis, the authors show that host nuclear proteins are imported into xenogeneic chloroplasts and support photosynthesis.

Mitochondrial genes in most crops are inherited maternally. In this issue of Nature Plants, Gonzalez-Duran et al. report that mitochondrial genes can be inherited from both parents.

Plants close their stomata to block pathogen entry, but how this defence is supported at the organelle level remains unclear. Our study reveals that immune signalling promotes MIRO1-dependent mitochondrial fusion in guard cells, supporting mitochondrial functional homeostasis that enables effective stomatal closure.