Conserved gene regulatory networks underpin nitrogen metabolism across plants, with dynamic and species-specific rewiring in maize and sorghum during rapid nitrogen deprivation and recovery, revealing key transcriptional regulators that shape nitrogen use efficiency and sustainable crop productivity.
SbMSBP1 is an ER-localized MAPR protein in sorghum that binds heme, undergoes heme-dependent dimerization, and promotes membrane remodeling, suggesting roles in vesicle trafficking, cytochrome P450 stabilization, and stress-adaptive specialized metabolism.
Genetic modeling and high-density QTL mapping reveal that sorghum plant height and brix content are governed by interacting major genes and polygenes, share co-localized loci that explain their phenotypic correlation, and are influenced by auxin- and carbon-fixation–related candidate genes that offer targets for breeding improved varieties.
Targeted knockdown of SbLG1 and SbLG2 in sorghum reduces leaf angle to enhance light distribution, photosynthetic efficiency, and biomass yield without increasing water use, advancing the development of a ‘smart canopy’ architecture.
A genome-wide association study of sorghum seedlings under salt stress identified 35 loci and 39 candidate genes—many conserved across species—implicated in salt sensing, ROS detoxification, osmotic adjustment, and K⁺/Na⁺ homeostasis, providing targets for improving salt tolerance through molecular breeding.
Synthetic apomixis was successfully engineered in hybrid sorghum, enabling clonal seed formation that preserves hybrid heterozygosity across generations, although further optimization is needed to improve fertility and developmental stability.
The sorghum genotype ‘S208’ exhibits superior waterlogging tolerance through coordinated activation of anaerobic energy metabolism, hormone signaling, and cell wall remodeling that drives adventitious root formation and aerenchyma development under hypoxic conditions.
Evaluation of the Sudan core collection of tropical sorghum germplasm identified rare accessions with dual resistance to rust and anthracnose and revealed the novel Rp2 NBS–LRR resistance locus, highlighting an underutilized genetic resource for introgressing durable disease resistance and expanding the genetic diversity of U.S. sorghum breeding programs.
