A Wild Emmer Wheat B3 Transcription Factor Regulates Seed Growth and Nutrient Allocation.

A B3-domain transcription factor in wild emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccoides) is linked to larger seeds and higher nitrogen content, with a major 2BL locus driving trait variation.

• Why it matters: Seed weight and nutrient partitioning strongly affect wheat yield and grain quality, but the genetic basis of naturally occurring variation across environments is still unclear.
• What they did: Genome-wide association in ~460 wild emmer accessions mapped seed weight, seed area, and nitrogen content to a chromosome 2BL locus, then tested it via 2BL introgression, EMS loss-of-function, RNA-seq, multi-omics, and CRISPR/Cas9 editing.
• The result: Loss-of-function alleles increased seed weight and N content, with metabolic reprogramming and higher essential amino acids, sugars, lipids, minerals (Zn, Fe, Mo), and minerals content, supporting this TF as a negative regulator across ploidy levels.

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