Plant genetic engineering will be essential to decipher the genomic basis of complex traits, optimize crop genomics, and enable plant-based production of recombinant proteins. However, established plant transformation approaches for bioengineering are fraught with limitations. Although nanoparticle-mediated methods show great promise for advancing plant biotechnology, many engineered nanomaterials can have cytotoxic and ecological effects. Here, we demonstrate the efficient uptake of a nano-biomimetic carrier of plasmid DNA and transient expression of a reporter gene in leaves of Arabidopsis, common ice plant and tobacco, as well as in the developing seed tissues of Arabidopsis, field mustard, barley, and wheat. The nano-biomimetic transformation system described here has all the advantages of other nanoparticle-mediated approaches for passive delivery of genetic cargo into a variety of plant species and is also nontoxic to cells and to the environment for diverse biotechnological applications in plant biology and crop science.

The genus Selaginella holds a key phylogenetic position as a sister species to vascular plants, encompassing desiccation-tolerant members. Some Selaginella species thrive in extremely arid conditions, enduring significant water loss and recovering upon rehydration. Consequently, Selaginella has emerged as a model system for studying desiccation tolerance in plant science. However, the absence of an efficient genetic transformation system has limited the utility of Selaginella species as a model. To address this constraint, we developed a nanoparticle-mediated transformation tool utilizing arginine-functionalized nanohydroxyapatites. This biocompatible system enabled the transient expression of the GFP, GUS, and eYGFPuv reporter genes in Selaginella moellendorffii. Establishing a stable genetic transformation technique for S. moellendorffii holds promise for application to other Selaginella species. This tool could be instrumental in identifying genetic resources for crop improvement and understanding genome-level regulatory mechanisms governing desiccation tolerance in Selaginella species. Furthermore, this tool might aid in identifying key regulatory genes associated with desiccation tolerance, offering potential applications in enhancing drought-sensitive crops and ensuring sustainable food production.

Drought stress is a major constraint on plant photosynthesis, growth, and yield, particularly in the context of increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events driven by global climate change. Enhancing photosynthetic efficiency and abiotic stress tolerance is therefore essential for sustaining crop productivity. In this study, we functionally characterized Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi NAC83 (KfNAC83), a transcription factor derived from a heat-tolerant obligate crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species, by constitutively overexpressing it in the C₃ model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Transgenic Arabidopsis lines overexpressing KfNAC83 exhibited significantly enhanced tolerance to water-deficit and NaCl stress, along with improved photosynthetic performance, biomass accumulation, and overall productivity. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that KfNAC83 overexpression increased key components of the jasmonate (JA) signaling pathway in both roots and shoots, suggesting a mechanistic link between KfNAC83 activity and enhanced abiotic stress responses. Additionally, the transgenic lines displayed increased nighttime decarboxylation activity, indicative of partial CAM-like metabolic traits. These findings demonstrate that KfNAC83 functions as a positive regulator of abiotic stress tolerance and growth, likely through modulation of jasmonate-mediated signaling and photosynthetic metabolism. This work highlights the potential of CAM-derived transcription factors for bioengineering abiotic stress-resilient crops in the face of climate change.

We focused on two microenvironments within a 5-min jugular vein puncture wound thrombus. The goal was to infer from 3D platelet morphodynamics how microenvironments determine platelet activation state. Platelets at the collagen-rich adventitial interface were rod shaped and oriented vertical to flow vectors. The net effect was to maximize their interaction with collagen. At the wound hole interface, soluble signaling should predominant. Here, the typical platelet exhibited what appeared to be a “migratory”, granule-free, leading edge extending toward the wound hole from an organelle rich cell body. Morphologically, this structure resembled the leading edge of a wound associated fibroblast. Platelets were aligned parallel with one another and at ~45 degrees to blood flow. We submit the morphodynamics observed here indicate novel similarities between platelets and wound associated nucleated cells.