The formation of adventitious roots plays a key role in plant asexual reproduction, yet research on this process in pepper remains limited. Exogenous auxin treatment substantially promotes adventitious root formation in pepper, and we identified CaLBD16 as a positive regulator acting downstream of auxin signaling. Further analysis revealed that the signal transduction from auxin to CaLBD16 is mediated through the activation of CaARF6 and CaWOX11, both of which also contribute to adventitious root formation. Together, our findings uncover a molecular mechanism underlying auxin-induced adventitious root formation in pepper, offering valuable insights for its practical application in production.

Research on the CBP gene family in plants is scarce, with only sporadic reports on its association with immune responses. No systematic study has explored how CBP family genes regulate pepper resistance against Phytophthora capsici. Here, we focused on pepper CaCBP2, an RNA-binding protein, whose expression was significantly induced by P. capsici. Functional validation via VIGS and heterologous overexpression confirmed CaCBP2 as a negative regulator of pepper resistance to P. capsici. Based on physiological assays, transcriptome sequencing and WGCNA, we speculate it may mediate immune responses by regulating antioxidant systems, defense hormone metabolism, and disease resistance-related genes. Our findings fill the relevant research gap, enrich the role of RNA-binding proteins in plant anti-phytophthora defense, and provide a novel target for crop disease-resistant breeding.

The development of rice flowers and panicles critically affects grain yield and quality. LEAFY HULL STERILE1/OsMADS1, a grass-specific SEPALLATA-like MADS-box transcription factor, is essential for rice floral development and floral meristem activity maintenance. However, the mechanism through which OsMADS1 interacts with other genes to regulate floral organ identity and meristem determinacy remains unclear. In this study, we first generated OsMADS1 knockout mutants using CRISPR/Cas9. The mutant florets exhibited obvious morphological defects, which were categorized into five phenotypic classes. Yeast two-hybrid screening identified two OsMADS1-interacting proteins: OsMADS22, an STMADS11-like protein, and OsYABBY5, a YABBY transcription factor. Their physical interactions were validated both in vitro and in vivo, and were important for floral organ specification and meristem maintenance. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that OsMADS1 regulates numerous genes involved in hormone signaling and panicle/flower development. Furthermore, OsMADS1 acts together with OsMADS22 and OsYABBY5 to modulate the expression of the downstream target OsMADS55, thereby controlling rice spikelet development. Together, our results reveal that OsMADS1 executes diverse regulatory functions in floral organ specification and meristem identity by interacting with multiple developmental regulators, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms of plant flower development.