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Molecular Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 10596

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Dr. Mario A. Pagnotta

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Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, Tuscia University, Via S. C. de Lellis, snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: plant population genetics; plant evolution and domestication; in situ and ex situ conservation of plant germplasm; molecular characterization; molecular markers; molecular evolution; plant breeding
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Dear Colleagues,

There is a crucial need for varieties resistant/tolerant to abiotic stresses to face the consequences of climate changes, such as heat waves, drought events, and the rise of saline cultivated land. Nowadays molecular tools are very useful to better understand the plant mechanism in reacting to the stresses and to speed up the process of selecting the better germplasm along the different steps of a breeding program from the germplasm characterization to variety registration. This Special Issue entitled “Molecular Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops” would like to bring together the latest research which uses the new molecular approaches to improve crop varieties.

This Special Issue attempts to cover all issues relating to studies of plant response to abiotic stresses including physiology, biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology aspects, as well as literature reviews of subjects related to this field. The paper could be addressed on the experimental, theoretical, and computational methodologies used in molecular breeding across the different plant species including crops and their wild relatives.

Potential topic includes:

plant response to abiotic stresses
plant breeding
physiology
biochemistry
cell biology
molecular biology

Dr. Mario A. Pagnotta
Guest Editor

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Keywords

plant breeding
advance molecular approach
molecular characterization
environmental stresses
plant tolerance
resistant genes
QTLs
drought
salinity
climatic changes

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 17583 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Genome-Wide Identification, Characterization, and Expression Analysis of the Strictosidine Synthase-like Family in Maize (Zea mays L.)

by Lei Gu, Yongyan Cao, Xuanxuan Chen, Hongcheng Wang, Bin Zhu, Xuye Du and Yiyue Sun

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(19), 14733; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241914733 - 29 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1022

Abstract

Maize is often subjected to various environmental stresses. The strictosidine synthase-like (SSL) family is thought to catalyze the key step in the monoterpene alkaloids synthesis pathway in response to environmental stresses. However, the role of ZmSSL genes in maize growth and development and its response to stresses is unknown. Herein, we undertook the systematic identification and analysis of maize SSL genes. Twenty SSL genes were identified in the maize genome. Except for chromosomes 3, 5, 6, and 10, they were unevenly distributed on the remaining 6 chromosomes. A total of 105 SSL genes from maize, sorghum, rice, Aegilops tauschii, and Arabidopsis were divided into five evolutionary groups, and ZmSSL gene structures and conserved protein motifs in the same group were similar. A collinearity analysis showed that tandem duplication plays an important role in the evolution of the SSL family in maize, and ZmSSL genes share more collinear genes in crops (maize, sorghum, rice, and Ae. tauschii) than in Arabidopsis. Cis-element analysis in the ZmSSL gene promoter region revealed that most genes contained many development and stress response elements. We evaluated the expression levels of ZmSSL genes under normal conditions and stress treatments. ZmSSL4–9 were widely expressed in different tissues and were positively or negatively regulated by heat, cold, and infection stress from Colletotrichum graminicola and Cercospora zeina. Moreover, ZmSSL4 and ZmSSL5 were localized in the chloroplast. Taken together, we provide insight into the evolutionary relationships of the ZmSSL genes, which would be useful to further identify the potential functions of ZmSSLs in maize. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops)

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18 pages, 5044 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Membrane Attack Complex and Perforin Genes and Their Expression Pattern under Stress in the Solanaceae

by Sirui Ma, Yixian Guo, Di Liu, Xue Zhang, Jihong Guo, Tianyi Zhang, Lin Lai, Yi Li, Qinfang Chen and Lujun Yu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(17), 13193; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713193 - 25 Aug 2023

Viewed by 936

Abstract

The Membrane Attack Complex and Perforin (MACPF) proteins play a crucial role in plant development and adaptation to environmental stresses. Heretofore, few MACPF genes have been functionally identified, leaving gaps in our understanding of MACPF genes in other plants, particularly in the Solanaceae family, which includes economically and culturally significant species, such as tomato, potato, and pepper. In this study, we have identified 26 MACPF genes in three Solanaceae species and in the water lily, which serves as the base group for angiosperms. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that angiosperm MACPF genes could be categorized into three distinct groups, with another moss and spikemoss lineage-specific group, which is further supported by the examination of gene structures and domain or motif organizations. Through inter-genome collinearity analysis, it is determined that there are 12 orthologous SolMACPF gene pairs. The expansion of SolMACPF genes is primarily attributed to dispersed duplications, with purifying selection identified as the principal driving force in their evolutionary process, as indicated by the ω values. Furthermore, the analysis of expression patterns revealed that Solanaceae genes are preferentially expressed in reproductive tissues and regulated by various environmental stimuli, particularly induced by submergence. Taken together, these findings offer valuable insights into and a fresh perspective on the evolution and function of SolMACPF genes, thereby establishing a foundation for further investigations into their phenotypic and functional characteristics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops)

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16 pages, 6353 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Salinity-Tolerant Third-Generation Hybrid Rice Developed via CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing

by Xiabing Sheng, Zhiyong Ai, Yanning Tan, Yuanyi Hu, Xiayu Guo, Xiaolin Liu, Zhizhong Sun, Dong Yu, Jin Chen, Ning Tang, Meijuan Duan and Dingyang Yuan

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 8025; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24098025 - 28 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1750

Abstract

Climate change has caused high salinity in many fields, particularly in the mud flats in coastal regions. The resulting salinity has become one of the most significant abiotic stresses affecting the world’s rice crop productivity. Developing elite cultivars with novel salinity-tolerance traits is regarded as the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for utilizing saline-alkali land. To develop a highly efficient green strategy and create novel rice germplasms for salt-tolerant rice breeding, this study aimed to improve rice salinity tolerance by combining targeted CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of the OsRR22 gene with heterosis utilization. The novel alleles of the genic male-sterility (GMS) and elite restorer line (733S^rr22-T1447-1 and HZ^rr22-T1349-3) produced 110 and 1 bp deletions at the third exon of OsRR22 and conferred a high level of salinity tolerance. Homozygous transgene-free progeny were identified via segregation in the T2 generation, with osrr22 showing similar agronomic performance to wild-type (733S and HZ). Furthermore, these two osrr22 lines were used to develop a new promising third-generation hybrid rice line with novel salinity tolerance. Overall, the results demonstrate that combining CRISPR/Cas9 targeted gene editing with the “third-generation hybrid rice system” approach allows for the efficient development of novel hybrid rice varieties that exhibit a high level of salinity tolerance, thereby ensuring improved cultivar stability and enhanced rice productivity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops)

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22 pages, 4165 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Association Studies of Salt Tolerance at the Seed Germination Stage and Yield-Related Traits in Brassica napus L.

by Yan Zhang, Ping Li, Jie Zhang, Yaqi Li, Aixia Xu and Zhen Huang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(24), 15892; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232415892 - 14 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1715

Abstract

Salt stress severely affects crop growth and development and reduces the yield of Brassica napus. Exploring natural genetic variations for high salt tolerance in B. napus seedlings is an effective approach to improve productivity under salt stress. Using 10,658 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) markers developed by specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) technology, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed to investigate the genetic basis of salt tolerance and yield-related traits of B. napus. The results revealed that 77 and 497 SNPs were significantly associated with salt tolerance and yield-related traits, of which 40 and 58 SNPs were located in previously reported QTLs/SNPs, respectively. We identified nineteen candidate genes orthologous with Arabidopsis genes known to be associated with salt tolerance and seven potential candidates controlling both salt tolerance and yield. Our study provides a novel genetic resource for the breeding of high-yield cultivars resistant to salt stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops)

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Review

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19 pages, 2288 KiB

Open AccessReview

Transcriptional Regulatory Network of Plant Cadmium Stress Response

by Yakun Li, Lihong Ding, Mei Zhou, Zhixiang Chen, Yanfei Ding and Cheng Zhu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4378; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054378 - 22 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2208

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential heavy metal with high toxicity to plants. Plants have acquired specialized mechanisms to sense, transport, and detoxify Cd. Recent studies have identified many transporters involved in Cd uptake, transport, and detoxification. However, the complex transcriptional regulatory networks involved in Cd response remain to be elucidated. Here, we provide an overview of current knowledge regarding transcriptional regulatory networks and post-translational regulation of the transcription factors involved in Cd response. An increasing number of reports indicate that epigenetic regulation and long non-coding and small RNAs are important in Cd-induced transcriptional responses. Several kinases play important roles in Cd signaling that activate transcriptional cascades. We also discuss the perspectives to reduce grain Cd content and improve crop tolerance to Cd stress, which provides a theoretical reference for food safety and the future research of plant varieties with low Cd accumulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops)

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18 pages, 1326 KiB

Open AccessReview

Manipulating GA-Related Genes for Cereal Crop Improvement

by Jingye Cheng, Camilla Beate Hill, Sergey Shabala, Chengdao Li and Meixue Zhou

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(22), 14046; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232214046 - 14 Nov 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2053

Abstract

The global population is projected to experience a rapid increase in the future, which poses a challenge to global food sustainability. The “Green Revolution” beginning in the 1960s allowed grain yield to reach two billion tons in 2000 due to the introduction of semi-dwarfing genes in cereal crops. Semi-dwarfing genes reduce the gibberellin (GA) signal, leading to short plant stature, which improves the lodging resistance and harvest index under modern fertilization practices. Here, we reviewed the literature on the function of GA in plant growth and development, and the role of GA-related genes in controlling key agronomic traits that contribute to grain yield in cereal crops. We showed that: (1) GA is a significant phytohormone in regulating plant development and reproduction; (2) GA metabolism and GA signalling pathways are two key components in GA-regulated plant growth; (3) GA interacts with other phytohormones manipulating plant development and reproduction; and (4) targeting GA signalling pathways is an effective genetic solution to improve agronomic traits in cereal crops. We suggest that the modification of GA-related genes and the identification of novel alleles without a negative impact on yield and adaptation are significant in cereal crop breeding for plant architecture improvement. We observed that an increasing number of GA-related genes and their mutants have been functionally validated, but only a limited number of GA-related genes have been genetically modified through conventional breeding tools and are widely used in crop breeding successfully. New genome editing technologies, such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system, hold the promise of validating the effectiveness of GA-related genes in crop development and opening a new venue for efficient and accelerated crop breeding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Breeding for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops)

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