Ceratocystis paradoxa, the causal agent of stem-bleeding disease of the coconut palm, causes great losses to the global coconut industry. As the mechanism of pathogenicity of C. paradoxa has not been determined, an exogenous gene marker was introduced into the fungus. In this study, pCT74-sGFP, which contains the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene, and the hygromycin B resistance gene as a selective marker, was used as an expression vector. Several protoplast release buffers were compared to optimize protoplast preparation. The plasmid pCT74-sGFP was successfully transformed into the genome of C. paradoxa, which was verified using polymerase chain reaction and green fluorescence detection. The transformants did not exhibit any obvious differences from the wild-type isolates in terms of growth and morphological characteristics. Pathogenicity tests showed that the transformation process did not alter the virulence of the X-3314 C. paradoxa strain. This is the first report on the polyethylene glycol-mediated transformation of C. paradoxa carrying a ‘reporter’ gene GFP that was stably and efficiently expressed in the transformants. These findings provide a basis for future functional genomics studies of C. paradoxa and offer a novel opportunity to track the infection process of C. paradoxa.

The family of phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) is able to bind specific lipids to carry out various biological functions throughout different stages of plant life. But the function of PITPs in rice plant is unclear. In this study, 30 PITPs were identified from rice genome, which showed differences in physicochemical properties, gene structure, conservation domains, and subcellular localization. The promoter region of the OsPITPs genes included at least one type of hormone response element, such as methyl jasmonate (Me JA) and salicylic acid (SA). Furthermore, the expression level of OsML-1, OsSEC14-3, OsSEC14-4, OsSEC14-15, and OsSEC14-19 genes were significantly affected by infection of rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Based on these findings, it is possible that OsPITPs may be involved in rice innate immunity in response to M. oryzae infection through the Me JA and SA pathway.

Rice blast disease, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is a significant threat to rice production. Resistant cultivars can effectively resist the invasion of M. oryzae. Thus, the identification of disease-resistant genes is of utmost importance for improving rice production. Autophagy, a cellular process that recycles damaged components, plays a vital role in plant growth, development, senescence, stress response, and immunity. To understand the involvement of autophagy-related genes (ATGs) in rice immune response against M. oryzae, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of 37 OsATGs, including bioinformatic analysis, transcriptome analysis, disease resistance analysis, and protein interaction analysis. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the promoter regions of 33 OsATGs contained cis-acting elements responsive to salicylic acid (SA) or jasmonic acid (JA), two key hormones involved in plant defense responses. Transcriptome data showed that 21 OsATGs were upregulated during M. oryzae infection. Loss-of-function experiments demonstrated that OsATG6c, OsATG8a, OsATG9b, and OsATG13a contribute to rice blast resistance. Additionally, through protein interaction analysis, we identified five proteins that may interact with OsATG13a and potentially contribute to plant immunity. Our study highlights the important role of autophagy in rice immunity and suggests that OsATGs may enhance resistance to rice blast fungus through the involvement of SA, JA, or immune-related proteins. These findings provide valuable insights for future efforts in improving rice production through the identification and utilization of autophagy-related genes.

Contamination of agricultural soils by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) poses a persistent challenge to sustainable crop production and food safety. Because complete remediation of contaminated farmland is often difficult to achieve in the short term, the development and utilization of crop varieties with low PTE accumulation in edible tissues provide a practical strategy for reducing dietary exposure while maintaining agricultural productivity. However, low-accumulation traits arise from coordinated regulation across the soil–plant continuum rather than from a single uptake or detoxification process. This review integrates the major mechanisms governing PTE accumulation in food crops and proposes a regulatory framework encompassing “entry restriction–transport modulation–spatial allocation–cellular immobilization.” We first examine how soil physicochemical properties, nutrient–metal interactions, rhizosphere processes, and root structural traits regulate PTE bioavailability and root entry. We then discuss how transporter networks, metal chelation systems, xylem loading, and phloem redistribution control long-distance transport and delivery to aerial and edible organs. Tissue partitioning, cell wall immobilization, and vacuolar sequestration are further considered as key processes determining the final distribution of PTEs within crops. Importantly, similar low-accumulation phenotypes may arise through different regulatory routes, with the relative importance of individual control points varying among elements, crop genotypes, and environmental conditions. These regulatory routes are further discussed in the context of element specificity, strength of supporting evidence, potential trade-offs with mineral nutrition and crop productivity, field robustness, and food-safety relevance. Representative low-accumulation germplasm and current approaches for molecular breeding and agronomic management are also summarized. Together, these considerations position low PTE accumulation as an integrated crop phenotype resulting from multiple, potentially compensatory regulatory processes rather than simply reduced root uptake. Integrating mechanistic understanding with genotype selection and soil–crop management may facilitate the development of low-accumulation crops that combine reduced contaminant delivery to edible tissues with stable agronomic performance, thereby supporting safer and more sustainable production on contaminated agricultural land.