Synergistic developmental regulators enable efficient plant regeneration and transformation across species

Synergistic developmental regulators enable efficient plant regeneration and transformation across species | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Synergistic developmental regulators enable efficient plant regeneration and transformation across species Heqiang Huo, Tao Jiang, Zhaoyuan Lian, Keila Rodriguez, Fangchen Liu, and 10 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8622129/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Plant genetic transformation is a powerful tool for crop improvement and functional genomics, yet many economically important species remain recalcitrant to current methodologies. To address this limitation, we screened nine developmental regulatory genes (DRs) and sixteen DR combinations, identifying the combination of PLETHORA5 (PLT5) and GROWTH-REGULATING FACTOR 4/GRF-INTERACTING FACTOR 1 (GRF4/GIF1) (labeled as PLT5-GRFs combo) as a potent enhancer of regeneration and transformation efficiency. PLT5-GRFs combination was effective across diverse plant species, including petunia (Petunia hybrida), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), ornamental eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum), and recalcitrant species such as chili pepper (Capsicum annuum), begonia (Begonia semperflorens), bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge), and blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum). Moreover, it enhanced in planta transformation in Gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa). Transcriptional profiling revealed that PLT5-GRFs synergistically regulates key pathways in development, hormone signaling, epigenetic modifications, and cell fate reprogramming. Our findings establish PLT5-GRFs as a universal tool for plant genetic modification, offering a broadly applicable platform in plant biotechnology with profound implications for basic research, crop improvement, and sustainable agriculture. Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant biotechnology/Molecular engineering in plants Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant hormones Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.pdf Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8622129","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":583706147,"identity":"2dace00d-6a96-46c6-83c6-39ca94ea0e73","order_by":0,"name":"Heqiang 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