TIME FOR COFFEE coordinates phase separation and chromatin regulation for salt tolerance.

Salt stress induces TIC condensate formation, which links chromatin regulation with circadian timing to promote plant salt tolerance.

• Why it matters: Understanding how the circadian clock coordinates chromatin dynamics under stress conditions is crucial for improving plant resilience to salinity, a major agricultural challenge.
• What they did: The study used biochemical, genetic, and microscopy approaches to show that salt stress promotes TIC condensate formation, alters H3K9ac levels, and affects salt-responsive gene expression in wild-type and tic mutants.
• The result: Salt-induced TIC condensates increase H3K9ac at stress-responsive genes, enhancing their expression and salt tolerance, especially under circadian conditions matching the plant’s internal clock.