Here’s a quick look at this week’s publications from across the division, covering December 4 to 10, 2025.  

Genotyping analysis of over 130,000 CIMMYT bread wheat breeding lines: A decade-long effort in optimizing wheat genotyping 

• Summary: This study analyzes more than 130,000 wheat breeding lines genotyped over ten years, revealing how genetic diversity is distributed across the wheat genome and identifying regions with reduced variation due to fixed haplotypes. 
• Impact: Provides one of the largest genotyping datasets for wheat breeding, supporting global efforts to improve yield, disease resistance, and long-term genetic gains. 
• BESE-affiliated authors: Ibrahim Elbasyoni, Laxman Adhikari, Jesse Poland 
• Prof. Poland’s lab website: Plant Breeding and Genetics Lab: https://pbg.kaust.edu.sa/   
• Published by: The Plant Genome (Wiley) 
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.70148  
• Repository link: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/707523 
  

Identification of molecular mechanisms contributing to acquired thermotolerance by transcriptome profiling (preprint) 

• Summary: By tracking transcriptome changes during heat acclimation and heat shock, this study identifies gene groups and pathways involved in Arabidopsis heat memory, including a role for flavonoids and the AGL16–miR824 regulatory module. 
• Impact: Offers molecular insight into how plants acquire heat tolerance, informing strategies to improve crop resilience under rising global temperatures. 
• BESE-affiliated authors: Ge Gao, Yong Woo, Christoph Gehring, Mark Tester, Magdalena M. Julkowska 
• Prof. Tester’s lab website: The Salt Lab: https://saltlab.kaust.edu.sa/  
• Published by: openRxiv 
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.01.691713  
• Repository link: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/707510  
  
  

Coral-CAT: A semi-automatic coral color analysis tool 

• Summary: Coral-CAT is a new semi-automatic tool that extracts and standardizes coral color information from images, reducing human bias and accounting for lighting differences in field conditions. 
• Impact: Enables more objective monitoring of coral color, bleaching, and recovery, improving coral health assessments. 
• BESE-affiliated authors: Neus Garcias-Bonet, Marco Casartelli, Raquel S. Peixoto 
• Prof Peixoto’s lab website: Marine Microbiomes Lab:  https://marinemicrobiomeslab.kaust.edu.sa/  
• Published by: Coral Reefs (Springer Nature) 
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-025-02792-w  
• Repository link: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/707461  
  
  

Integrated transcriptomics, proteomics, and pathway enrichment analysis in the spleen and skin of chickens reveal tissue-specific roles for the Marek’s disease virus conserved herpesvirus protein kinase 

• Summary: Using transcriptomics and proteomics, this study shows that the CHPK viral protein influences gene expression and cellular pathways differently in chicken spleen and skin during Marek’s disease virus infection. 
• Impact: Improves understanding of how viral kinases shape tissue-specific infection processes, offering insights relevant to poultry health and disease control. 
• BESE-affiliated author: Muhammad Shuaib 
• Published by: Poultry Science (Elsevier) 
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.106113  
• Repository link: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/707468