Plant P-bodies in post-transcriptional control: Composition, dynamics, and context-dependent roles

Processing bodies (P-bodies, PBs) are cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein condensates that concentrate mRNA-decay and translation-repression factors. In plants, PBs share core machinery with other eukaryotes but exhibit unique, context-dependent features that distinguish them from their yeast and mammalian counterparts. These properties are shaped by direct modulation from hormonal signaling (e.g., abscisic acid [ABA]) and stress physiology, underscoring their specialized roles in adaptation. Here we synthesize plant-focused evidence on PB composition, liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS)-driven assembly, and their coupling to decapping-dependent and co-translational decay pathways. We delineate the contexts in which PBs act as decay hotspots versus buffering sites for non-translating mRNAs, and explicitly distinguish plant findings from inferences derived from yeast/animal systems. We also integrate recent advances on post-translational modifications (e.g., mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent DCP1 phosphorylation) and RNA modifications (m⁶A/ECT8) in selective mRNA targeting. Finally, we outline open questions regarding the spatial organization of decay, PB-stress granule crosstalk, and hormonal control mechanisms, and highlight methodological avenues to address them. Overall, plant PBs are presented as dynamic regulatory hubs that help tune post-transcriptional control in response to developmental and environmental cues, with their underlying mechanisms increasingly resolved by interdisciplinary strategies combining live-cell imaging, quantitative proteomics, and CRISPR-based genetics.