Welwitschia leaf senescence is orchestrated via ERF113-ERF115-mediated antagonism between hormone signaling pathways.

WmERF113–WmERF115 forms a heterodimeric antagonism module that mediates JA/ABA versus GA signaling to regulate leaf senescence in Welwitschia.

• Why it matters: Hormone crosstalk is crucial for plant adaptation, but the molecular logic linking specific hormone pathways to senescence programs in long-lived desert plants is unclear.
• What they did: The study identified WmERF113 as a JA/ABA-inducible activator of senescence-associated genes, while WmERF115, a GA-responsive factor, repressed the same targets; both TFs physically interacted and cross-repressed each other’s expression via promoter binding.
• The result: This layered TF antagonism circuit restricts when and where senescence progresses in Welwitschia, translating hormone signaling crosstalk into fine-tuned control of leaf aging.

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