Sowing the Seed to Ensure the Future of Plant Proteomics: Commemorative Issue in Honor of Dr. Dominique Job (1947–2022)

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are sessile organisms, meaning that they must constantly adapt to a wide range of constraints, both biotic and abiotic, in order to survive, develop, and reproduce in their environment. Current topical stresses such as increasing temperatures, drought, salinity, high light, flood, fires and smoke exposure along with pest and pathogen attacks, occurring as isolated or combined events, trigger exquisitely tuned response mechanisms in plants.

Since plants make up more than 80% of the biomass on earth, understanding these mechanisms at the molecular level is essential for our long-term sustainable future. This applies at the macroscale in terms of rainforests as systems, at the microscale terms of tiny plants growing as part of mixed communities at aquatic–terrestrial boundaries, and everywhere in between.

Plants have evolved into an extremely rich kingdom, with species demonstrating a large diversity of reproductive modes. Understanding the major evolutionary transitions between flowering systems is today a central problem in evolutionary biology, which requires the integration of phylogenetics, ecology and population genetics.

Model species such as Arabidopsis, rice and tobacco provide invaluable resources to plant scientists and this vast knowledge can be largely transferred onto crop species of medicinal, ecological and agricultural value.

Crops are domesticated plants that constitute a major part of primary agricultural products and are turned into nutraceuticals, human food, animal feed, biofuels, fiber and building materials. Crops therefore drive the survival, productivity, growth and development of the world’s food, health and economic systems. Extensive research has so far focused on improving the genetics and physiology of crop growth and yield, in addition to providing insights into seed biology.

The biological and economical importance of seeds and grains cannot be understated. They contain high levels of protein, starch and oil reserves that not only support seedling establishment but also feed the world. Upholding the production of viable, vigorous, and nutritious seeds under changing climatic conditions is essential to modern agriculture.

This Special Issue is dedicated to Dr. Dominique Job for his pioneering work on these research topics and his dedication to ensuring that emerging biologists were well versed in the art and intricacies of plant proteomics. He was a CNRS Research Director, consulting Professor at AgroParisTech, a Member of the French Academy of Agriculture, as well as an editor for several high-impact-factor journals. We invite contributions from researchers who have either personally known Dr. Dominique Job or been inspired by his ground-breaking scientific discoveries, thereby continuing his immense legacy.

Dr. Delphine Vincent
Dr. Mélisande Blein-Nicolas
Prof. Dr. Loïc Rajjou
Prof. Dr. Paul A. Haynes
Dr. Ludovit Skultety
Dr. Ewa M. Kalemba
Guest Editors

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