Nitric Oxide and Reactive Species in Plant Physiology and Pathology

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Factors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 2320

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental and Biological Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Science, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk 28644, Republic of Korea
Interests: plant molecular biology; molecular plant physiology; nitric oxide; Arabidopsis; crop; phytohormones; nano-biotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are now recognized as fundamental signaling molecules in plant biology, governing a wide spectrum of physiological and metabolic processes. Once considered merely toxic intermediates, these reactive species—together with reactive sulfur species (RSS)—form a complex redox network that finely tunes plant growth, development, and responses to environmental challenges. Their tightly regulated interplay determines redox homeostasis, modulates cellular signaling cascades, and influences transcriptional and post-translational control in both physiological and stress conditions.

Emerging evidence highlights that NO and ROS act synergistically or antagonistically to modulate hormonal signaling, ion balance, and antioxidant defense, thereby shaping plant adaptation to salinity, drought, heat, and pathogen attack. Moreover, post-translational modifications such as S-nitrosylation, sulfenylation, and tyrosine nitration have been identified as critical mechanisms linking reactive species metabolism to gene expression and protein function. Advances in omics technologies, molecular genetics, and imaging have accelerated our understanding of these dynamic redox interactions, opening new perspectives for improving crop resilience and productivity through redox-based strategies.

This Special Issue, “Nitric Oxide and Reactive Species in Plant Physiology and Pathology,” welcomes original research and comprehensive reviews that elucidate the biochemical, molecular, and physiological roles of NO, ROS, and RSS. Studies exploring their crosstalk with phytohormones, signaling pathways, and plant defense systems are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Bong-Gyu Mun
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nitric oxide
  • reactive oxygen species
  • reactive sulfur species
  • redox signaling
  • S-nitrosylation
  • plant stress tolerance
  • antioxidant systems
  • phytohormones
  • metabolic regulation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1429 KB  
Article
Nitrate Reductase Genes AtNIA1 and AtNIA2 Confer Heat Stress Resilience via ROS Homeostasis and HSP Expression in Arabidopsis
by Nusrat Jahan Methela, Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, Mahir Faysal, Moon-Sub Lee, Byung-Wook Yun and Bong-Gyu Mun
Biomolecules 2026, 16(3), 415; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16030415 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 674
Abstract
Heat stress is a key environmental factor that adversely affects plant growth, development, and productivity. Nitrate reductase (NR), encoded by AtNIA1 and AtNIA2, plays a crucial role in nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis, which mediates stress responses in plants. In this study, we [...] Read more.
Heat stress is a key environmental factor that adversely affects plant growth, development, and productivity. Nitrate reductase (NR), encoded by AtNIA1 and AtNIA2, plays a crucial role in nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis, which mediates stress responses in plants. In this study, we investigated the roles of AtNIA1 and AtNIA2 in regulating plant heat stress tolerance. Under heat stress conditions, Arabidopsis thaliana plants maintained higher relative water content and chlorophyll levels, whereas atnia1 and atnia2 mutants exhibited greater physiological damage. Oxidative stress markers such as MDA and H2O2 accumulated to higher levels in nitrate reductase mutants than in Col-0, indicating increased heat sensitivity. Gene expression analysis further revealed a pronounced late-phase induction of MBF1c in atnia2 plants, accompanied by altered expression of heat shock proteins. These results suggest that nitrate reductase-dependent pathways contribute to heat stress tolerance by regulating water status, membrane stability, ROS detoxification, and heat shock gene expression. This study provides new insights into NR-mediated NO signaling in thermotolerance and highlights potential targets for improving crop resilience under rising temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nitric Oxide and Reactive Species in Plant Physiology and Pathology)
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16 pages, 2297 KB  
Article
Glycinebetaine Improves Photosynthetic Performance and Antioxidant Defense in Barley Under Water Deficit Conditions
by Kh. Armane Alam, Shanjida Karim, Sharmin Sultana, Ashim Kumar Das, Apple Mahmud, Md. Abiar Rahman, Md. Motaher Hossain, Yeasin Arafat, Shohana Parvin and Moon-Sub Lee
Biomolecules 2026, 16(3), 372; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16030372 - 2 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Drought stress poses a serious threat to global agriculture, affecting plant growth, physiology, and biochemical processes, thereby impacting food security. Supplementation of phytohormones regulates plant physiological processes and improves tolerance to abiotic stress. In our study, we applied glycine betaine (GB), a non-toxic, [...] Read more.
Drought stress poses a serious threat to global agriculture, affecting plant growth, physiology, and biochemical processes, thereby impacting food security. Supplementation of phytohormones regulates plant physiological processes and improves tolerance to abiotic stress. In our study, we applied glycine betaine (GB), a non-toxic, highly soluble signaling molecule that plays an important role in protecting plants from environmental stress. To assess the role of with and without exogenous GB against fourteen days of prolonged drought stress (60% and 30% field capacity) on two high-yielding barley varieties, BARI barley-6 (sensitive) and BARI barley-9 (tolerant), with control plants were maintained at 90% field capacity. Results showed that both varieties exhibited a significant reduction in biomass, leaf relative water content, and photosynthetic activity under drought stress, while increasing the accumulation of proline and ROS, which indicates oxidative damage. In contrast, foliar application of GB improved growth, photosynthetic pigments, and net photosynthetic rate. It also helped to detoxify ROS by boosting the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as CAT, APX, POD, and GST while upregulating secondary metabolites like phenolic and flavonoid contents, maintaining membrane integrity, and regulating osmotic balance under water-deficient conditions. Overall, GB enhanced the drought tolerance of both barley varieties by modulating various physiological and biochemical processes. Our findings provide insights into GB-induced adaptation mechanisms in plants that combat water scarcity and may help to develop drought-resilient crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nitric Oxide and Reactive Species in Plant Physiology and Pathology)
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