How to grow a flat leaf
Prof. Yuling Jiao published a review in Current Biology.
Leaf flatness — an adaptive trait critical for efficient photosynthesis — arises from multiscale coordination of polarity establishment, growth patterning, and biomechanical regulation. This review synthesizes mechanisms driving lamina expansion: the polarized expression of adaxial–abaxial (dorsoventral) genes breaking radial symmetry by inducing differential growth, which is modulated by pectin methylesterification dynamics in cell walls; the convergence of auxin at the medio–lateral boundary activating WOX genes, defining a proliferation-competent domain for tissue outgrowth; and the alignment of cortical microtubules perpendicular to the adaxial–abaxial axis directing cellulose deposition, mechanically constraining growth anisotropy. Disrupted coordination of these processes causes laminar buckling or doming due to conflicting growth rates across different axes. We further dissect flatness hierarchically, distinguishing organ-scale Gaussian curvature from local smoothness using quantitative metrics, and contextualize evolutionary innovations (e.g., succulent cylindrical leaves, carnivorous traps) as modifications of this core regulatory network. Integrative approaches including live imaging, biomechanical modeling, and computational simulations collectively elucidate how genetic circuits translate into emergent growth dynamics, providing a unified framework for understanding leaf morphogenesis and its diversification across plant lineages.
- How to grow a flat leaf2026.06.23
- Rewiring of two conserved signalling hubs into one axis underlies convergent female-specific wing regression in insects2026.06.18
- FcRL4 is an IgA receptor that primarily binds the joining chain2026.06.18
- Synonymous mutations in viral evolution and vaccine design2026.06.16
- Ancient mitogenomes reveal the genetic relationship among extinct and extant water buffaloes2026.06.16
- HECT E3 ligase UPL3 targets PIF1 for degradation to promote light-induced seed germination2026.06.11
- Long-term reversal of Duchenne muscular dystrophy via circular arRNA-guided exon skipping in monkeys and humans2026.06.11
- RNA structure programs endogenous ADAR for precise and efficient editing2026.06.11
- Age-dependent nuclear accumulation of a membrane-associated NAC transcription factor GER1 activates SA biosynthesis to promote leaf senescence in Arabidopsis2026.05.26
- Discovery and heterologous reconstitution of a plant noncanonical quasi-circadian gene regulatory network2026.05.13
- Restoring the potency of a neutralizing antibody via guided hypermutation with hyper-antibody editor HAE12026.05.12
- GEX3 interacts with GEX2 to function in gamete attachment and plasma membrane fusion in Arabidopsis2026.05.08
- Hijacking the host clock: A nematode effector antagonizes soybean circadian defense and translation control2026.05.08
- Single-molecule localization and diffusivity microscopy reveals dynamic biomolecular organization in living cells2026.04.30
- Transition From Land to Sea: Comparative Genomics Illuminates the Adaptive Evolution of the Intertidal Spider2026.04.28
- Mapping immune imprinting zones enables predictive vaccination optimization2026.04.20
- Sensitive monitoring of enhancer and noncoding RNA transcription via ribozyme-assisted RNA editing2026.04.20
- The birth, death, and evolutionary compensation of uORFs in Drosophila2026.03.27
- Decoding disease-relevant variants with base and prime editors at scale2026.03.23
- Grass inflorescence morphodynamics guides yield improvement in wheat2026.03.16
- Cell-free chromatin state tracing reveals disease origin and therapy responses2026.03.05
- Quantification and transcriptome profiling reveal abundant, dynamic and translatable dephospho-CoA-capped RNAs2026.03.05
- Complement C3 recognition by C3 convertases2026.02.21
- The contributions of two fertilization events to the fertilization recovery efficiency in Arabidopsis2026.02.11
- Soybean RNA polymerases IV and V repress defense response genes and plant immunity2026.02.10
- The Arabidopsis Transcription Factor TCP4 Controls Seed Size by Repressing the MINI3-SHB1-IKU Pathway2026.02.10
- The Japanese Archipelago sheltered cave lions, not tigers, during the Late Pleistocene2026.01.27
- An ancient genome duplication event drives the development and evolution of spinnerets in spiders2026.01.15
- Single-strand deaminase-assisted editing for functional RNA manipulation2026.01.07
- Arabidopsis IONIC CURRENT FAMILY A proteins facilitate environmental calcium acquisition essential for stress tolerance2026.01.06
- Mechanisms of aristolochic acid resistance in specialist butterflies and evolutionary insights for potential protective pathways2026.01.05
- FOCAS: Transcriptome-wide screening of individual m6A sites functionally dissects epitranscriptomic control of gene expression in cancer2026.01.05
- Human FcRL5 is an Fc receptor that simultaneously engages two IgGs2026.01.02
- Duet between stress granules and glutathionylation regulates cytosolic redox state to maintain proteostasis in Arabidopsis2025.12.22
- Effects of protected areas on human-induced shifts in nocturnal activity in mammal communities in southwestern China2025.12.15
- Advancing aquatic biodiversity assessments of invertebrates using eDNA metabarcoding: A systematic evaluation of primers for marine and freshwater communities2025.12.12
- PKL mediates H3K4me2 modification and spatial gene congregation in chromatin regulation2025.12.09
- FeaSion decodes the regulatory landscape and functional diversity of RNA polymerase II CTD phosphorylation2025.12.01
- The late arrival of domestic cats in China via the Silk Road after 3,500 years of human-leopard cat commensalism2025.11.28
- Computational design of a high-precision mitochondrial DNA cytosine base editor2025.11.18
- Xenopus IgX informs engineering strategies of IgM and IgG hexamers2025.11.07
- The Structure and Mechanism of Energy Transfer in Phycobilisomes2025.10.28
- K11- and K29-ubiquitination-mediated nuclear translocation of glycolytic enzyme aldolase A promotes pancreatic cancer progression by NF-κB activation2025.10.23
- Pervasive sex-dependent effects in the genetic architecture of starvation resistance in Drosophila melanogaster2025.09.29
- Ancient genomics reveals the origin, dispersal and human management of East Asian domestic pigs2025.09.26
- INO80/SWR remodelers regulate Pol II transcription through BRD2 and chromatin landscape2025.09.22
- The cellular epigenetic blueprint of plant regeneration2025.09.18
- Light signal transduction in plants: insights from phytochrome nuclear translocation and photobody formation2025.09.16
- Robust passive sampling of airborne environmental DNA to monitor plants and animals2025.09.11
- Natural variation in CHELATASE SUBUNITI-A increases grain weight and enhances wheat yield2025.09.02
- Glycan shielding enables TCR-sufficient allogeneic CAR-T therapy2025.08.22
- Self-splicing RNA circularization facilitated by intact group I and II introns2025.08.12
- Co-profiling of in situ RNA-protein interactions and transcriptome in single cells and tissues2025.08.11
- PRC1-Mediated H2Aub Loop Formation and Function in Arabidopsis2025.08.11
- PRC2 regulates cytokinin and HD-ZIP III pathways to orchestrate vascular tissue pattern formation in Arabidopsis2025.08.11
- Calcium-dependent oligomerization of scavenger receptor CD163 facilitates the endocytosis of ligands2025.07.23
- Plant microRNA maturation and function2025.07.23
- An alternate receptor for adeno-associated viruses2025.07.15
- Genome synthesis in plants2025.07.09
- RNA codon expansion via programmable pseudouridine editing and decoding2025.07.04
- Prime editor-based high-throughput screening reveals functional synonymous mutations in human cells2025.06.26
- Structures of butyrophilin multimers reveal a plier-like mechanism for Vγ9Vδ2 T cell receptor activation2025.06.12
- A FtsZ cis disassembly element acts in Z-ring assembly during bacterial cell division2025.06.09
- Upstream open reading frames buffer translational variability during Drosophila evolution and developmen2025.06.09
- The pigment transporter Redboy confers programmed body colour transition in orchid mantis2025.05.30
- Interpretable niche-based cell‒cell communication inference using multi-view graph neural networks2025.05.29
- Functions and therapeutic applications of pseudouridylation2025.05.27
- Ingenious male–female communication ensures successful double fertilization in Angiosperms2025.05.26
- Upstream open reading frames dynamically modulate CLOCK protein translation to regulate circadian rhythms and sleep2025.05.16
- Mild and ultrafast GLORI enables absolute quantification of m6A methylome from low-input samples2025.05.08
- Root microbiota regulates tiller number in rice2025.04.24
- A two-step self-pollination mechanism maximizes fertility in Brassicaceae2025.04.15
- Advances in Spatial Omics Technologies2025.04.06
- The emerging role of protein l-lactylation in metabolic regulation and cell signalling2025.04.04
- DNA–protein binding is dominated by short anchoring elements2025.04.01
- Massively parallel interrogation of human functional variants modulating cancer immunosurveillance2025.03.21
- Crop root bacterial and viral genomes reveal unexplored species and microbiome patterns2025.03.13
- CTDP1 and RPB7 stabilize Pol II and permit reinitiation2025.03.05
- Genome-coverage single-cell histone modifications for embryo lineage tracing2025.03.04
- Molecular glue for phycobilisome attachment to photosystem II in Synechococcus sp. PCC 70022025.02.17
- Learning Phenotype Associated Signature in Spatial Transcriptomics with PASSAGE2025.02.12
- Dynamic changes in 3D chromatin structure during the two rounds of mitosis in plant male gametogenesis2025.02.12
- Precise modelling of mitochondrial diseases using optimized mitoBEs2025.01.23
- MicroRNA analysis reveals two modules that antagonistically regulate xylem tracheary element development in Arabidopsis2025.01.19
- Promoter capture Hi-C identifies promoter-related loops and fountain structures in Arabidopsis2025.01.02
- Quantifying the regulatory potential of genetic variants via a hybrid sequence-oriented model with SVEN2025.01.02
- Mapping functional elements of the DNA damage response through base editor screens2024.12.16
- The Arabidopsis RING-type E3 ligase TEAR4 Controls Seed Germination by Targeting RGA for Degradation2024.12.05
- Development of an inducible DNA barcoding system to understand lineage changes in Arabidopsis regeneration2024.11.26
- EMF1 functions as a 3D chromatin modulator in Arabidopsis2024.11.22
- PWOs repress gene transcription by regulating chromatin structures in Arabidopsis2024.11.22
- Multifaceted roles of TCP transcription factors in fate determination2024.10.28
- CD98hc promotes drug resistance in extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma through tumor cell–derived small extracellular vesicles2024.09.30
- CD5L associates with IgM via the J chain2024.09.30
- Genome-wide impact of codon usage bias on translation optimization in Drosophila melanogaster2024.09.30
- Functional profiling of serine, threonine and tyrosine sites2024.09.24
- Light-induced remodeling of phytochrome B enables signal transduction by phytochrome-interacting factor2024.09.24
- m6A-modified cenRNA stabilizes CENPA to ensure centromere integrity in cancer cells2024.09.23
- Proteasome resides in and dismantles plant heat stress granules constitutively2024.08.22
- Structural insights into the high-affinity IgE receptor FcεRI complex2024.08.22