Visualizing application of RUBY-MAT system in maize genetic transformation and gene expression pattern detection - Plant Cell Reports Key message RUBY-MAT system, integrating the RUBY reporter and MAT module, was innovatively applied to Agrobacterium-mediated maize transformation, and precise spatiotemporal gene expression analysis. Abstract Maize genetic improvement relies on efficient genetic transformation and gene expression monitoring technologies. In this study, we provided RUBY-MAT system with RUBY reporter and MAT (morphogene-assisted transformation), and realized its visual application in Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of maize immature embryos and gene expression patterns. Experimental results demonstrated that RUBY-MAT system can be successfully applied in Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of maize immature embryos, and RUBY reporter enables non-invasive monitoring of positive transformation events, as early as 7 days after culture, through the clearly distinguishable betalain of positive callus. Dynamic expression monitoring further revealed that RUBY reporter can reflect the spatiotemporal expression patterns of specific promoters in real time: in constitutively expressed RUBY plants, high activity was observed in tissues including tassels, anthers, and stem nodes; in ZmH1A promoter-driven RUBY lines, betalain accumulation clearly indicated gene expression in vascular bundles and stomatal guard cells; while in lines harboring the putative young leaf-specific ZmGLP1 promoter, betalain specifically accumulated in young leaves. Quantitative analysis confirmed a strong linear correlation between betalain absorbance and promoter activity, establishing the RUBY reporter as a reliable quantitative tool for monitoring transformation efficiency and gene expression at tissue and cellular levels. Collectively, the RUBY-MAT system offers robust technical support for maize genetic transformation and functional gene analysis, demonstrating broad application potential in both field and laboratory studies.

This study from 'Plant Cell Reports' provides an innovative tool for maize molecular breeding and establishes a foundation for extending the application of RUBY-based reporter systems to other monocot crops.
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Tired of expensive microscopy or destructive staining? A new study in Plant Cell Reports introduces RUBY-MAT—a game-changing visual system for maize engineering.
Read the full study: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

#Maize #PlantScience #RUBY #Betalain #SyntheticBiology #CropEngineering #Biotech

Solanum pan-genetics reveals paralogues as contingencies in crop engineering | Nature Pan-genomics and genome-editing technologies are revolutionizing breeding of global crops1,2. A transformative opportunity lies in exchanging genotype-to-phenotype knowledge between major crops (that is, those cultivated globally) and indigenous crops (that is, those locally cultivated within a circumscribed area)3–5 to enhance our food system. However, species-specific genetic variants and their interactions with desirable natural or engineered mutations pose barriers to achieving predictable phenotypic effects, even between related crops6,7. Here, by establishing a pan-genome of the crop-rich genus Solanum8 and integrating functional genomics and pan-genetics, we show that gene duplication and subsequent paralogue diversification are major obstacles to genotype-to-phenotype predictability. Despite broad conservation of gene macrosynteny among chromosome-scale references for 22 species, including 13 indigenous crops, thousands of gene duplications, particularly within key domesti

Solanum pan-genomics & editing techs boost global crop breeding! New insights: genotype-to-phenotype links & genetic variants offer transformative potential. #CropEngineering 🌿 PMID:40044854, Nature 2025, @Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08619-6 #Medsky #Pharmsky #RNA 🧪