ijms-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants

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: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 24007

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Various abiotic stresses, such as high salinity, drought, extreme temperature, and excessive light limit growth, development, and productivity in plants. Plants show dynamic responses to adapt to those abiotic stresses at the biochemical, physiological, and molecular levels, thus enabling them to survive under variable abiotic stress conditions.

Adaptation to abiotic stresses requires coordinated modulations in plant metabolism, cell growth, division, and differentiation, all of which are dependent on gene regulation systems that are controlled by complex mechanisms. Many stress-responsive genes have been shown to participate in the regulation of abiotic stress responses in plants. However, precise regulatory mechanisms and networks of abiotic stress responses still remain to be understood.

This Special Issue will focus on the most recent advances in the regulatory mechanism and network of abiotic stress response in plants. The submission of work reporting molecular mechanisms in abiotic stress signal transduction is especially encouraged. Notwithstanding, contributions on other related topics aimed at understanding the regulatory mechanisms of abiotic stress response in plants are also welcomed, including reviews and original research articles.

Kind regards,

Prof. Dr. Yong-Hwan Moon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • abiotic stress response
  • osmotic stress
  • temperature stress
  • transcriptional regulation
  • post-transcriptional regulation
  • regulatory mechanism
  • gene regulatory network

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (14 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 10445 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Analysis of Stress-Responsive Genes and Alternative Splice Variants in Arabidopsis Roots under Osmotic Stresses
by Hye-Yeon Seok, Sun-Young Lee, Swarnali Sarker, Md Bayzid and Yong-Hwan Moon
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(19), 14580; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241914580 - 26 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1092
Abstract
Plant roots show distinct gene-expression profiles from those of shoots under abiotic stress conditions. In this study, we performed mRNA sequencing (mRNA-Seq) to analyze the transcriptional profiling of Arabidopsis roots under osmotic stress conditions—high salinity (NaCl) and drought (mannitol). The roots demonstrated significantly [...] Read more.
Plant roots show distinct gene-expression profiles from those of shoots under abiotic stress conditions. In this study, we performed mRNA sequencing (mRNA-Seq) to analyze the transcriptional profiling of Arabidopsis roots under osmotic stress conditions—high salinity (NaCl) and drought (mannitol). The roots demonstrated significantly distinct gene-expression changes from those of the aerial parts under both the NaCl and the mannitol treatment. We identified 68 closely connected transcription-factor genes involved in osmotic stress-signal transduction in roots. Well-known abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent and/or ABA-independent osmotic stress-responsive genes were not considerably upregulated in the roots compared to those in the aerial parts, indicating that the osmotic stress response in the roots may be regulated by other uncharacterized stress pathways. Moreover, we identified 26 osmotic-stress-responsive genes with distinct expressions of alternative splice variants in the roots. The quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction further confirmed that alternative splice variants, such as those for ANNAT4, MAGL6, TRM19, and CAD9, were differentially expressed in the roots, suggesting that alternative splicing is an important regulatory mechanism in the osmotic stress response in roots. Altogether, our results suggest that tightly connected transcription-factor families, as well as alternative splicing and the resulting splice variants, are involved in the osmotic stress response in roots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 3285 KiB  
Article
A Novel Role of Medicago truncatula KNAT3/4/5-like Class 2 KNOX Transcription Factors in Drought Stress Tolerance
by Maria Adelaide Iannelli, Chiara Nicolodi, Immacolata Coraggio, Marco Fabriani, Elena Baldoni and Giovanna Frugis
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(16), 12668; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241612668 - 11 Aug 2023
Viewed by 972
Abstract
Class 2 KNOX homeobox transcription factors (KNOX2) play a role in promoting cell differentiation in several plant developmental processes. In Arabidopsis, they antagonize the meristematic KNOX1 function during leaf development through the modulation of phytohormones. In Medicago truncatula, three KNOX2 genes [...] Read more.
Class 2 KNOX homeobox transcription factors (KNOX2) play a role in promoting cell differentiation in several plant developmental processes. In Arabidopsis, they antagonize the meristematic KNOX1 function during leaf development through the modulation of phytohormones. In Medicago truncatula, three KNOX2 genes belonging to the KNAT3/4/5-like subclass (Mt KNAT3/4/5-like or MtKNOX3-like) redundantly works upstream of a cytokinin-signaling module to control the symbiotic root nodule formation. Their possible role in the response to abiotic stress is as-of-yet unknown. We produced transgenic M. truncatula lines, in which the expression of four MtKNOX3-like genes was knocked down by RNA interference. When tested for response to water withdrawal in the soil, RNAi lines displayed a lower tolerance to drought conditions compared to the control lines, measured as increased leaf water loss, accelerated leaf wilting time, and faster chlorophyll loss. Reanalysis of a transcriptomic M. truncatula drought stress experiment via cluster analysis and gene co-expression networks pointed to a possible role of MtKNOX3-like transcription factors in repressing a proline dehydrogenase gene (MtPDH), specifically at 4 days after water withdrawal. Proline measurement and gene expression analysis of transgenic RNAi plants compared to the controls confirmed the role of KNOX3-like genes in inhibiting proline degradation through the regulation of the MtPDH gene. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 28822 KiB  
Article
EbbHLH80 Enhances Salt Responses by Up-Regulating Flavonoid Accumulation and Modulating ROS Levels
by Qingqing Gao, Xia Li, Chunfan Xiang, Ruolan Li, Hongchun Xie, Jia Liu, Xiaoning Li, Guanghui Zhang, Shengchao Yang, Yanli Liang, Chenxi Zhai and Yan Zhao
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(13), 11080; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241311080 - 04 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 924
Abstract
bHLH transcription factors are involved in multiple aspects of plant biology, such as the response to abiotic stress. Erigeron breviscapus is a composite plant, and its rich flavonoids have strong preventive and therapeutic effects on cardio cerebral vascular disease. EbbHLH80, a gene [...] Read more.
bHLH transcription factors are involved in multiple aspects of plant biology, such as the response to abiotic stress. Erigeron breviscapus is a composite plant, and its rich flavonoids have strong preventive and therapeutic effects on cardio cerebral vascular disease. EbbHLH80, a gene from E. breviscapus that positively regulates flavonoid synthesis, was previously characterized. However, it is unclear whether EbbHLH80 increases flavonoid accumulation, which affects salt tolerance. The function of EbbHLH80 in transgenic tobacco seeds was identified by phylogenetic analysis and metabolome-transcriptome analysis. We investigated the role of EbbHLH80 in salt stress response. Our results showed that the expression of EbbHLH80 increased following salt treatment. Integrating the metabolome and transcriptome analysis of EbbHLH80-OE and Yunyan 87 (WT) seeds, we identified several genes and metabolites related to flavonoid biosynthesis and salt stress. Moreover, EbbHLH80-OE plants displayed higher salt tolerance than wild-type plants during seed germination and seedling growth. After salt treatment, transgenic tobacco had significantly lower levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) than WT, with enhanced levels of antioxidant enzyme expression. Altogether, our results demonstrated that EbbHLH80 might be a positive regulator, promoting salt tolerance by modulating ROS scavenging and increasing stress-responsive genes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2679 KiB  
Article
Heterotrimeric G Protein-Mediated Signaling Is Involved in Stress-Mediated Growth Inhibition in Arabidopsis thaliana
by Soeun Yang, Seohee Jung and Horim Lee
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(13), 11027; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241311027 - 03 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1090
Abstract
Heterotrimeric G protein-mediated signaling plays a vital role in physiological and developmental processes in eukaryotes. On the other hand, because of the absence of a G protein-coupled receptor and self-activating mechanism of the Gα subunit, plants appear to have different regulatory mechanisms, which [...] Read more.
Heterotrimeric G protein-mediated signaling plays a vital role in physiological and developmental processes in eukaryotes. On the other hand, because of the absence of a G protein-coupled receptor and self-activating mechanism of the Gα subunit, plants appear to have different regulatory mechanisms, which remain to be elucidated, compared to canonical G protein signaling established in animals. Here we report that Arabidopsis heterotrimeric G protein subunits, such as Gα (GPA1) and Gβ (AGB1), regulate plant growth under stress conditions through the analysis of heterotrimeric G protein mutants. Flg22-mediated growth inhibition in wild-type roots was found to be caused by a defect in the elongation zone, which was partially blocked in agb1-2 but not gpa1-4. These results suggest that AGB1 may negatively regulate plant growth under biotic stress conditions. In addition, GPA1 and AGB1 exhibited genetically opposite effects on FCA-mediated growth inhibition under heat stress conditions. Therefore, these results suggest that plant G protein signaling is probably related to stress-mediated growth regulation for developmental plasticity in response to biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 4716 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of AS2 Genes in Brassica rapa Reveal Their Potential Roles in Abiotic Stress
by Qiwei Jiang, Xiaoyu Wu, Xiaoyu Zhang, Zhaojing Ji, Yunyun Cao, Qiaohong Duan and Jiabao Huang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(13), 10534; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241310534 - 23 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1002
Abstract
The ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2/LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES (AS2/LOB) gene family plays a pivotal role in plant growth, induction of phytohormones, and the abiotic stress response. However, the AS2 gene family in Brassica rapa has yet to be investigated. In this study, we identified [...] Read more.
The ASYMMETRIC LEAVES2/LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES (AS2/LOB) gene family plays a pivotal role in plant growth, induction of phytohormones, and the abiotic stress response. However, the AS2 gene family in Brassica rapa has yet to be investigated. In this study, we identified 62 AS2 genes in the B. rapa genome, which were classified into six subfamilies and distributed across 10 chromosomes. Sequence analysis of BrAS2 promotors showed that there are several typical cis-elements involved in abiotic stress tolerance and stress-related hormone response. Tissue-specific expression analysis showed that BrAS2-47 exhibited ubiquitous expression in all tissues, indicating it may be involved in many biological processes. Gene expression analysis showed that the expressions of BrAS2-47 and BrAS2-10 were significantly downregulated under cold stress, heat stress, drought stress, and salt stress, while BrAS2-58 expression was significantly upregulated under heat stress. RT-qPCR also confirmed that the expression of BrAS2-47 and BrAS2-10 was significantly downregulated under cold stress, drought stress, and salt stress, and in addition BrAS2-56 and BrAS2-4 also changed significantly under the three stresses. In addition, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis revealed that the Arabidopsis thaliana genes AT5G67420 (homologous gene of BrAS2-47 and BrAS2-10) and AT3G49940 (homologous gene of BrAS2-58) can interact with NIN-like protein 7 (NLP7), which has been previously reported to play a role in resistance to adverse environments. In summary, our findings suggest that among the BrAS2 gene family, BrAS2-47 and BrAS2-10 have the most potential for the regulation of abiotic stress tolerance. These results will facilitate future functional investigations of BrAS2 genes in B. rapa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 4116 KiB  
Article
Ectopic Expression of PsnNAC090 Enhances Salt and Osmotic Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco
by Yuting Wang, Wenjing Zang, Xin Li, Chaozheng Wang, Ruiqi Wang, Tingbo Jiang, Boru Zhou and Wenjing Yao
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(10), 8985; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24108985 - 19 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1096
Abstract
The NAC transcription factor family is well known to play vital roles in plant development and stress responses. For this research, a salt-inducible NAC gene, PsnNAC090 (Po-tri.016G076100.1), was successfully isolated from Populus simonii × Populus nigra. PsnNAC090 contains the same motifs at [...] Read more.
The NAC transcription factor family is well known to play vital roles in plant development and stress responses. For this research, a salt-inducible NAC gene, PsnNAC090 (Po-tri.016G076100.1), was successfully isolated from Populus simonii × Populus nigra. PsnNAC090 contains the same motifs at the N-terminal end of the highly conserved NAM structural domain. The promoter region of this gene is rich in phytohormone-related and stress response elements. Transient transformation of the gene in the epidermal cells of both tobacco and onion showed that the protein was targeted to the whole cell including the cell membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus. A yeast two-hybrid assay demonstrated that PsnNAC090 has transcriptional activation activity with the activation structural domain located at 167–256aa. A yeast one-hybrid experiment showed that PsnNAC090 protein can bind to ABA-responsive elements (ABREs). The spatial and temporal expression patterns of PsnNAC090 under salt and osmotic stresses indicated that the gene was tissue-specific, with the highest expression level in the roots of Populus simonii × Populus nigra. We successfully obtained a total of six transgenic tobacco lines overexpressing PsnNAC090. The physiological indicators including peroxidase (POD) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, chlorophyll content, proline content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content were measured in three transgenic tobacco lines under NaCl and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 stresses. The findings reveal that PsnNAC090 improves salt and osmotic tolerance by enhancing reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and reducing membrane lipid peroxide content in transgenic tobacco. All the results suggest that the PsnNAC090 gene is a potential candidate gene playing an important role in stress response. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 10211 KiB  
Article
Tissue-Specific Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis Reveals the Response Mechanism of Brassica napus to Waterlogging Stress
by Bo Hong, Bingqian Zhou, Zechuan Peng, Mingyao Yao, Junjie Wu, Xuepeng Wu, Chunyun Guan and Mei Guan
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6015; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076015 - 23 Mar 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1656
Abstract
During the growth period of rapeseed, if there is continuous rainfall, it will easily lead to waterlogging stress, which will seriously affect the growth of rapeseed. Currently, the mechanisms of rapeseed resistance to waterlogging stress are largely unknown. In this study, the rapeseed [...] Read more.
During the growth period of rapeseed, if there is continuous rainfall, it will easily lead to waterlogging stress, which will seriously affect the growth of rapeseed. Currently, the mechanisms of rapeseed resistance to waterlogging stress are largely unknown. In this study, the rapeseed (Brassica napus) inbred lines G230 and G218 were identified as waterlogging-tolerant rapeseed and waterlogging-sensitive rapeseed, respectively, through a potted waterlogging stress simulation and field waterlogging stress experiments. After six days of waterlogging stress at the seedling stage, the degree of leaf aging and root damage of the waterlogging-tolerant rapeseed G230 were lower than those of the waterlogging-sensitive rapeseed G218. A physiological analysis showed that waterlogging stress significantly increased the contents of malondialdehyde, soluble sugar, and hydrogen peroxide in rape leaves and roots. The transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis showed that the differential genes and the differential metabolites of waterlogging-tolerant rapeseed G230 were mainly enriched in the metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, flavonoid biosynthesis, and vitamin B6 metabolism. Compared to G218, the expression levels of some genes associated with flavonoid biosynthesis and vitamin B metabolism were higher in G230, such as CHI, DRF, LDOX, PDX1.1, and PDX2. Furthermore, some metabolites involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and vitamin B6 metabolism, such as naringenin and epiafzelechin, were significantly up-regulated in leaves of G230, while pyridoxine phosphate was only significantly down-regulated in roots and leaves of G218. Furthermore, foliar spraying of vitamin B6 can effectively improve the tolerance to waterlogging of G218 in the short term. These results indicate that flavonoid biosynthesis and vitamin B6 metabolism pathways play a key role in the waterlogging tolerance and hypoxia stress resistance of Brassica napus and provide new insights for improving the waterlogging tolerance and cultivating waterlogging-tolerant rapeseed varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 5786 KiB  
Article
Identification, Characterization and Expression Profiling of the RS Gene Family during the Withering Process of White Tea in the Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis) Reveal the Transcriptional Regulation of CsRS8
by Tao Wang, Yiqing Wang, Jiamin Zhao, Jiumei Kong, Lingzhi Zhang, Siyu Qi, Jiajia Chen, Zhidan Chen, Wen Zeng and Weijiang Sun
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 202; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010202 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1658
Abstract
Raffinose synthetase (RS) is a key enzyme in the process of raffinose (Raf) synthesis and is involved in plant development and stress responses through regulating Raf content. As a sweetener, Raf makes an important contribution to the sweet taste of white tea. However, [...] Read more.
Raffinose synthetase (RS) is a key enzyme in the process of raffinose (Raf) synthesis and is involved in plant development and stress responses through regulating Raf content. As a sweetener, Raf makes an important contribution to the sweet taste of white tea. However, studies on the identification, analysis and transcriptional regulation of CsRSs (Camellia sinensis RS genes) are still lacking. In this study, nine CsRSs were identified from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) genome database. The CsRSs were classified into five groups in the phylogenetic tree. Expression level analysis showed that the CsRSs varied in different parts of the tea plant. Transcriptome data showed that CsRSs could respond to persistent drought and cold acclimation. Except for CsRS5 and CsRS9, the expression pattern of all CsRSs increased at 12 h and decreased at 30 h during the withering process of white tea, consistent with the change trend of the Raf content. Furthermore, combining yeast one-hybrid assays with expression analysis, we found that CsDBB could potentially regulate the expression of CsRS8. Our results provide a new perspective for further research into the characterization of CsRS genes and the formation of the white tea flavour. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 5861 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Analysis and Expression Profiling of Glutathione Reductase Gene Family in Oat (Avena sativa) Indicate Their Responses to Abiotic Stress during Seed Imbibition
by Ming Sun, Shoujiang Sun, Zhicheng Jia, Wen Ma, Chunli Mao, Chengming Ou, Juan Wang, Han Zhang, Liu Hong, Manli Li, Shangang Jia and Peisheng Mao
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(19), 11650; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911650 - 01 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1989
Abstract
Abiotic stress disturbs plant cellular redox homeostasis, inhibiting seed germination and plant growth. This is a crucial limitation to crop yield. Glutathione reductase (GR) is an important component of the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle which is involved in multiple plant metabolic processes. In the [...] Read more.
Abiotic stress disturbs plant cellular redox homeostasis, inhibiting seed germination and plant growth. This is a crucial limitation to crop yield. Glutathione reductase (GR) is an important component of the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle which is involved in multiple plant metabolic processes. In the present study, GRs in A. sativa (AsGRs) were selected to explore their molecular characterization, phylogenetic relationship, and RNA expression changes during seed imbibition under abiotic stress. Seven AsGR genes were identified and mapped on six chromosomes of A, C, and D subgenomes. Phylogenetic analysis and subcellular localization of AsGR proteins divided them into two sub-families, AsGR1 and AsGR2, which were predicted to be mainly located in cytoplasm, mitochondrion, and chloroplast. Cis-elements relevant to stress and hormone responses are distributed in promoter regions of AsGRs. Tissue-specific expression profiling showed that AsGR1 genes were highly expressed in roots, leaves, and seeds, while AsGR2 genes were highly expressed in leaves and seeds. Both AsGR1 and AsGR2 genes showed a decreasing-increasing expression trend during seed germination under non-stress conditions. In addition, their responses to drought, salt, cold, copper, H2O2, and ageing treatments were quite different during seed imbibition. Among the seven AsGR genes, AsGR1-A, AsGR1-C, AsGR2-A, and AsGR2-D responded more significantly, especially under drought, ageing, and H2O2 stress. This study has laid the ground for the functional characterization of GR and the improvement of oat stress tolerance and seed vigor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 4695 KiB  
Article
Heterologous Expression of MfWRKY7 of Resurrection Plant Myrothamnus flabellifolia Enhances Salt and Drought Tolerance in Arabidopsis
by Zhuo Huang, Ling Liu, Linli Jian, Wenxin Xu, Jiatong Wang, Yaxuan Li and Cai-Zhong Jiang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(14), 7890; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23147890 - 17 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1919
Abstract
Drought and salinity have become major environmental problems that affect the production of agriculture, forestry and horticulture. The identification of stress-tolerant genes from plants adaptive to harsh environments might be a feasible strategy for plant genetic improvement to address the challenges brought by [...] Read more.
Drought and salinity have become major environmental problems that affect the production of agriculture, forestry and horticulture. The identification of stress-tolerant genes from plants adaptive to harsh environments might be a feasible strategy for plant genetic improvement to address the challenges brought by global climate changes. In this study, a dehydration-upregulated gene MfWRKY7 of resurrection Plant Myrothamnusflabellifolia, encoding a group IId WRKY transcription factor, was cloned and characterized. The overexpression of MfWRKY7 in Arabidopsis increased root length and tolerance to drought and NaCl at both seedling and adult stages. Further investigation indicated that MfWRKY7 transgenic plants had higher contents of chlorophyll, proline, soluble protein, and soluble sugar but a lower water loss rate and malondialdehyde content compared with wild-type plants under both drought and salinity stresses. Moreover, the higher activities of antioxidant enzymes and lower accumulation of O2 and H2O2 in MfWRKY7 transgenic plants were also found, indicating enhanced antioxidation capacity by MfWRKY7. These findings showed that MfWRKY7 may function in positive regulation of responses to drought and salinity stresses, and therefore, it has potential application value in genetic improvement of plant tolerance to abiotic stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 7120 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analyses of the Aquaporin Gene Family in Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis), Revealing PeTIP3-2 to Be Involved in Drought Stress
by Shun Song, Dahui Zhang, Funing Ma, Wenting Xing, Dongmei Huang, Bin Wu, Jian Chen, Di Chen, Binqiang Xu and Yi Xu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(10), 5720; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23105720 - 20 May 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3100
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) in plants can transport water and small molecules, and they play an important role in plant development and abiotic stress response. However, to date, a comprehensive study on AQP family members is lacking. In this study, 27 AQP genes were identified [...] Read more.
Aquaporins (AQPs) in plants can transport water and small molecules, and they play an important role in plant development and abiotic stress response. However, to date, a comprehensive study on AQP family members is lacking. In this study, 27 AQP genes were identified from the passion fruit genome and classified into four groups (NIP, PIP, TIP, SIP) on the basis of their phylogenetic relationships. The prediction of protein interactions indicated that the AQPs of passion fruit were mainly associated with AQP family members and boron protein family genes. Promoter cis-acting elements showed that most PeAQPs contain light response elements, hormone response elements, and abiotic stress response elements. According to collinear analysis, passion fruit is more closely related to Arabidopsis than rice. Furthermore, three different fruit ripening stages and different tissues were analyzed on the basis of the transcriptome sequencing results for passion fruit AQPs under drought, high-salt, cold and high-temperature stress, and the results were confirmed by qRT-PCR. The results showed that the PeAQPs were able to respond to different abiotic stresses, and some members could be induced by and expressed in response to multiple abiotic stresses at the same time. Among the three different fruit ripening stages, 15 AQPs had the highest expression levels in the first stage. AQPs are expressed in all tissues of the passion fruit. One of the passion fruit aquaporin genes, PeTIP3-2, which was induced by drought stress, was selected and transformed into Arabidopsis. The survival rate of transgenic plants under drought stress treatment is higher than that of wild-type plants. The results indicated that PeTIP3-2 was able to improve the drought resistance of plants. Our discovery lays the foundation for the functional study of AQPs in passion fruit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 4500 KiB  
Communication
Heterologous Expression of Dehydration-Inducible MfbHLH145 of Myrothamnus flabellifoli Enhanced Drought and Salt Tolerance in Arabidopsis
by Zhuo Huang, Si-Han Jin, Li Yang, Li Song, Yuan-Hong Wang, Lin-Li Jian and Cai-Zhong Jiang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(10), 5546; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23105546 - 16 May 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1318
Abstract
Myrothamnus flabellifolia is the only woody resurrection plant found in the world. It has a strong tolerance to drought and can survive long-term exposure to desiccated environments. However, few genes related to its drought tolerance have been functionally characterized and the molecular mechanisms [...] Read more.
Myrothamnus flabellifolia is the only woody resurrection plant found in the world. It has a strong tolerance to drought and can survive long-term exposure to desiccated environments. However, few genes related to its drought tolerance have been functionally characterized and the molecular mechanisms underlying the stress tolerance of M. flabellifolia are largely unknown. In this study, we isolated a dehydration-inducible bHLH transcription factor gene MfbHLH145 from M. flabellifolia. Heterologous expression of MfbHLH145 enhanced the drought and salt tolerance of Arabidopsis. It can not only promote root system development under short-term stresses, but also improve growth performance under long-term treatments. Further investigation showed that MfbHLH145 contributes to enhanced leaf water retention capacity through the promotion of stomatal closure, increased osmolyte accumulation, and decreased stress-induced oxidative damage through an increase in antioxidant enzyme activities. These results suggest that MfbHLH145 may be involved in the positive regulation of stress responses in M. flabellifolia. This study provides insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the survival of M. flabellifolia in extreme dehydration conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3720 KiB  
Article
AtERF71/HRE2, an Arabidopsis AP2/ERF Transcription Factor Gene, Contains Both Positive and Negative Cis-Regulatory Elements in Its Promoter Region Involved in Hypoxia and Salt Stress Responses
by Hye-Yeon Seok, Huong Thi Tran, Sun-Young Lee and Yong-Hwan Moon
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(10), 5310; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23105310 - 10 May 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2834
Abstract
In the signal transduction network, from the perception of stress signals to stress-responsive gene expression, various transcription factors and cis-regulatory elements in stress-responsive promoters coordinate plant adaptation to abiotic stresses. Among the AP2/ERF transcription factor family, group VII ERF (ERF-VII) genes, such [...] Read more.
In the signal transduction network, from the perception of stress signals to stress-responsive gene expression, various transcription factors and cis-regulatory elements in stress-responsive promoters coordinate plant adaptation to abiotic stresses. Among the AP2/ERF transcription factor family, group VII ERF (ERF-VII) genes, such as RAP2.12, RAP2.2, RAP2.3, AtERF73/HRE1, and AtERF71/HRE2, are known to be involved in the response to hypoxia in Arabidopsis. Notably, HRE2 has been reported to be involved in responses to hypoxia and osmotic stress. In this study, we dissected HRE2 promoter to identify hypoxia- and salt stress-responsive region(s). The analysis of the promoter deletion series of HRE2 using firefly luciferase and GUS as reporter genes indicated that the −116 to −2 region is responsible for both hypoxia and salt stress responses. Using yeast one-hybrid screening, we isolated HAT22/ABIG1, a member of the HD-Zip II subfamily, which binds to the −116 to −2 region of HRE2 promoter. Interestingly, HAT22/ABIG1 repressed the transcription of HRE2 via the EAR motif located in the N-terminal region of HAT22/ABIG1. HAT22/ABIG1 bound to the 5′-AATGATA-3′ sequence, HD-Zip II-binding-like cis-regulatory element, in the −116 to −2 region of HRE2 promoter. Our findings demonstrate that the −116 to −2 region of HRE2 promoter contains both positive and negative cis-regulatory elements, which may regulate the expression of HRE2 in responses to hypoxia and salt stress and that HAT22/ABIG1 negatively regulates HRE2 transcription by binding to the HD-Zip II-binding-like element in the promoter region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4069 KiB  
Article
Molecular Cloning and Characterization of MbMYB108, a Malus baccata MYB Transcription Factor Gene, with Functions in Tolerance to Cold and Drought Stress in Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana
by Chunya Yao, Wenhui Li, Xiaoqi Liang, Chuankun Ren, Wanda Liu, Guohui Yang, Mengfei Zhao, Tianyu Yang, Xingguo Li and Deguo Han
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(9), 4846; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23094846 - 27 Apr 2022
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 2053
Abstract
The MYB transcription factor (TF) family is one of the largest transcription families in plants, which is widely involved in the responses of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as plant growth, development, and metabolic regulation. In the present study, a [...] Read more.
The MYB transcription factor (TF) family is one of the largest transcription families in plants, which is widely involved in the responses of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as plant growth, development, and metabolic regulation. In the present study, a new MYB TF gene, MbMYB108, from Malus baccata (L.) Borkh, was identified and characterized. The open reading frame (ORF) of MbMYB108 was found to be 903 bp, encoding 300 amino acids. Sequence alignment results and predictions of the protein structure indicated that the MbMYB108 protein contained the conserved MYB domain. Subcellular localization showed that MbMYB108 was localized to the nucleus. The expression of MbMYB108 was enriched in young and mature leaves, and was highly affected by cold and drought treatments in M. baccata seedlings. When MbMYB108 was introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana, it greatly increased the cold and drought tolerances in the transgenic plant. Increased expression of MbMYB108 in transgenic A. thaliana also resulted in higher activities of peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), higher contents of proline and chlorophyll, while malondialdehyde (MDA) content and relative conductivity were lower, especially in response to cold and drought stresses. Therefore, these results suggest that MbMYB108 probably plays an important role in the response to cold and drought stresses in A. thaliana by enhancing the scavenging capability for reactive oxygen species (ROS). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Regulatory Mechanism and Network of Abiotic Stress-Response in Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop