Molecular Hubs of Plant Heat Stress Memory: Structure, Function, and Regulatory Mechanisms of HSFs

Gong, Yiting; Sun, Yang; Cui, Guoxiu; Li, Jingxuan; Rivero, Rosa M.; Mittler, Ron; Jiang, Fangling; Wu, Zhen; Zhou, Rong

doi:10.3390/horticulturae12070821

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Molecular Hubs of Plant Heat Stress Memory: Structure, Function, and Regulatory Mechanisms of HSFs

by

Yiting Gong

¹,

Yang Sun

¹,

Guoxiu Cui

¹,

Jingxuan Li

¹,

Rosa M. Rivero

²

,

Ron Mittler

^3,4,

Fangling Jiang

¹

,

Zhen Wu

¹ and

Rong Zhou

^1,5,*

¹

College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China

²

Center of Edaphology and Applied Biology of Segura (CEBAS-CSIC), Department of Plant Nutrition, Campus Universitario Espinardo, Ed 25 30100 Murcia, Spain

³

Division of Plant Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Bond Life Sciences Center, Columbia, MO 65211, USA

⁴

Advanced Agriculture Initiative, Tel-Hai University of Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee, Kiryat Shmona 1220800, Israel

⁵

Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Agro Food Park 48, N 8200 Aarhus, Denmark

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Horticulturae 2026, 12(7), 821; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12070821 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 29 May 2026 / Revised: 26 June 2026 / Accepted: 3 July 2026 / Published: 5 July 2026

(This article belongs to the Section Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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Abstract

Global warming is associated with an increased frequency and intensity of heat waves, which severely threaten crop production and sustainable agriculture. As sessile organisms, plants evolved complex heat stress memory mechanisms to cope with recurring heat waves. Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) are at the core of plant heat stress responses and memory. They regulate basal thermotolerance, acquired thermotolerance, and the maintenance of acquired thermotolerance. These processes involve multiple mechanisms, including temperature perception, activation of heat shock protein expression, and integration of hormonal and epigenetic signals. Here, we review the pivotal role HSFs play in the formation of heat stress memory, their structural characteristics, functional differentiation, and signal perception and transcriptional regulatory mechanisms. We further discuss the functional conservation and the diversity of HSFs across multiple species—for instance, HSFA2 acts as a conserved regulator of heat stress memory in Arabidopsis, tomato, wheat, and barley—and outline future research directions, including the functional characterization of heat shock transcription factor (HSF) subfamilies, investigation of their roles under stress combination, and strategies to balance stress tolerance with growth and development. We hope that our review will provide a theoretical foundation for the genetic improvement of crop thermotolerance as well as contribute to efforts directed at ensuring food security in the face of climate change.

Keywords: heat stress response; heat shock transcription factors; heat stress memory; thermotolerance

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MDPI and ACS Style

Gong, Y.; Sun, Y.; Cui, G.; Li, J.; Rivero, R.M.; Mittler, R.; Jiang, F.; Wu, Z.; Zhou, R. Molecular Hubs of Plant Heat Stress Memory: Structure, Function, and Regulatory Mechanisms of HSFs. Horticulturae 2026, 12, 821. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12070821

AMA Style

Gong Y, Sun Y, Cui G, Li J, Rivero RM, Mittler R, Jiang F, Wu Z, Zhou R. Molecular Hubs of Plant Heat Stress Memory: Structure, Function, and Regulatory Mechanisms of HSFs. Horticulturae. 2026; 12(7):821. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12070821

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gong, Yiting, Yang Sun, Guoxiu Cui, Jingxuan Li, Rosa M. Rivero, Ron Mittler, Fangling Jiang, Zhen Wu, and Rong Zhou. 2026. "Molecular Hubs of Plant Heat Stress Memory: Structure, Function, and Regulatory Mechanisms of HSFs" Horticulturae 12, no. 7: 821. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12070821

APA Style

Gong, Y., Sun, Y., Cui, G., Li, J., Rivero, R. M., Mittler, R., Jiang, F., Wu, Z., & Zhou, R. (2026). Molecular Hubs of Plant Heat Stress Memory: Structure, Function, and Regulatory Mechanisms of HSFs. Horticulturae, 12(7), 821. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae12070821

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Molecular Hubs of Plant Heat Stress Memory: Structure, Function, and Regulatory Mechanisms of HSFs

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