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Biomolecules
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Plant Molecular Stress Physiology—Elucidation of Plant Responses and Defense Mechanisms...
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Plant Molecular Stress Physiology—Elucidation of Plant Responses and Defense Mechanisms Against Stress

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 June 2026 | Viewed by 4850

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Hakim Manghwar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Lushan Botanical Garden, Jiangxi Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiujiang 332000, China
Interests: plant molecular biology; plant stress physiology; plant resistance to different stresses; plant genome editing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on the topic of plant molecular stress physiology focuses on the complex molecular and physiological responses of plants to various biotic (e.g., fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects) and abiotic (e.g., drought, cold, heat, salinity, heavy metals, ultraviolet radiation) stresses. These stresses significantly impair plant health and threaten agricultural output.

Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to perceive stress signals and mount rapid responses by regulating various pathways, involving complex signaling networks and gene expression changes. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms in plant stress responses is crucial for enhancing plant resilience.

Advances in genomic and biotechnological tools have enabled the identification of key regulatory genes and pathways, offering opportunities for breeding or engineering stress-tolerant plants. The Special Issue features original research articles and comprehensive reviews exploring the responses of plants to different stresses, their molecular mechanisms, and adaptation/tolerance strategies. It also presents advanced toolkits and technologies for investigating plant stress responses, aiming to translate these insights into practical agricultural applications.

Dr. Hakim Manghwar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • plant stress responses
  • biotic and abiotic stresses
  • molecular mechanisms of plant stress
  • plant defense mechanisms
  • stress tolerance in plants
  • signaling pathways in plant stress
  • gene-expression changes under stress
  • genomic tools for plant stress research
  • biotechnological approaches for stress-tolerant plants
  • adaptation strategies of plants to stress
  • physiological changes in plants under stress
  • crop resilience to stress
  • horticultural plant stress physiology
  • stress-related signaling molecules in plants
  • practical agricultural applications of stress research

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2375 KB  
Article
TBSV Alters Host Redox State After Short-Term Temperature Pre-Exposure in Nicotiana benthamiana
by Ulbike Amanbayeva, Assemgul Bekturova, Assylay Kurmanbayeva, Tetiana Todosiichuk, Almas Madirov, Zhibek Turarbekova, Mereke Satkanov and Zhaksylyk Masalimov
Biomolecules 2026, 16(3), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16030446 - 17 Mar 2026
Viewed by 627
Abstract
Plant viruses can cause substantial yield losses, yet disease severity often varies between seasons because plants frequently experience heat or cold episodes before infection. In this study, we tested whether such temperature conditions affect the plant’s redox balance and alter its response to [...] Read more.
Plant viruses can cause substantial yield losses, yet disease severity often varies between seasons because plants frequently experience heat or cold episodes before infection. In this study, we tested whether such temperature conditions affect the plant’s redox balance and alter its response to Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) infection in Nicotiana benthamiana. Plants were exposed to short-term heat and cold stress, after which they recovered before virus inoculation. Following this, we assessed the reactive oxygen species (ROS) content, lipid peroxidation (LPO), oxidative DNA damage, stress-related proteins, redox-associated enzymes, and antioxidant metabolites. TBSV led to non-parallel ROS responses during infection, with consistently elevated hydrogen peroxide in infected plants but reduced superoxide relative to corresponding mock controls. Heat pre-exposure caused pronounced LPO that decreased further after infection, whereas cold pre-exposure stabilized malondialdehyde near levels observed at 25 °C. Both thermal stress and infection increased 8-oxo-dG and were associated with distinct changes in 8-oxoguanine glycosylase abundance. Infection strongly induced heat shock protein 90 (and moderately heat shock protein 70), while prior heat limited further chaperone induction by TBSV. These results indicate that viral infection develops within and is limited by the host’s oxidative state, where redox homeostasis may restrict infection-related processes, and infection leads to changes in this redox environment that are favorable for its development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Molecular Stress Physiology—Elucidation of Plant Responses and Defense Mechanisms Against Stress)
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18 pages, 8200 KB  
Article
Identification and Analysis of DUF506 Gene Family in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
by Qing Song, Gideon Asare Aboagye, Ming Liu, Ying Lan, Minghong Hu, Yanbin Hong, Renfeng Wang and Miao Chen
Biomolecules 2026, 16(2), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16020270 - 9 Feb 2026
Viewed by 627
Abstract
The Domain of Unknown Function 506 (DUF506) family, part of the PD-(D/E)XK nuclease superfamily, has been shown to play a vital role in plant development and responses to abiotic stresses. However, the function of the DUF506 family in cultivated peanuts remains unknown. This [...] Read more.
The Domain of Unknown Function 506 (DUF506) family, part of the PD-(D/E)XK nuclease superfamily, has been shown to play a vital role in plant development and responses to abiotic stresses. However, the function of the DUF506 family in cultivated peanuts remains unknown. This study identified 23 AhDUF506 genes using bioinformatics approaches; these genes are spread across 15 chromosomes and grouped into 4 subfamilies. Additionally, by analyzing gene structure, upstream cis-acting elements, and transcriptional expression changes of AhDUF506 genes in different tissues and under various stress conditions, their expression levels and response mechanisms to abiotic stresses were examined. In mature tissues, the expression levels of seven AhDUF506 genes in flowers were significantly higher than those in other tissues. Under abiotic stress, their expression levels were all up-regulated in the roots of peanut plant seedlings. These findings provide an important foundation for a deeper understanding of the molecular characteristics of the DUF506 family in Arachis hypogaea (peanut), supporting future research on the functional characterization of its genes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Molecular Stress Physiology—Elucidation of Plant Responses and Defense Mechanisms Against Stress)
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20 pages, 3286 KB  
Article
Deciphering the ceRNA Network in Alfalfa: Insights into Cold Stress Tolerance Mechanisms
by Lin Zhu, Yujie Zhao, Maowei Guo, Jie Bai, Liangbin Zhang and Zhiyong Li
Biomolecules 2026, 16(2), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16020208 - 28 Jan 2026
Viewed by 784
Abstract
Abiotic stress of cold is one of the limitation factors that hinder the production of alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Although there are a large number of studies suggesting that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play an important role in plant response to abiotic stress, [...] Read more.
Abiotic stress of cold is one of the limitation factors that hinder the production of alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Although there are a large number of studies suggesting that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play an important role in plant response to abiotic stress, the mechanism by which ncRNAs and competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) influence the low-temperature tolerance of alfalfa remains understudied. In this study, we integrated whole-transcriptome RNA-seq and genome-wide association studies (GWASs) to identify cold stress-related metabolic pathways and candidate genes, differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs). Degradome sequencing was used to verify the ceRNA network under cold stress. A total of 46,936 DEmRNAs were identified. Ribosome (ko03010), amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism (ko00520), ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes (ko03008), circadian rhythm–plant (ko00270), and starch and sucrose metabolism (ko00500) were the top five KEGG terms with the highest p-value, enriching the most number of DEmRNAs. MS.gene53818 (MsUAM1) was considered to be the critical candidate gene for alfalfa response to cold stress by conjoint analysis of GWASs and DEmRNAs. A total of 223 DEmiRNAs, 1852 DElncRNAs, and 13 DEcircRNAs were identified under cold stress. Functional analysis indicates that they play important roles in GO terms such as leaf development (GO:0048366), DNA-binding transcription factor activity (GO:0003700), central vacuole (GO:0042807), response to auxin (GO:0009733), and water channel activity (GO:0015250), as well as in KEGG pathways such as plant hormone signal transduction, starch and sucrose metabolism, and flavone and flavonol biosynthesis (ko00944). A ceRNA network comprising 28 DElncRNAs, 8 DEcircRNAs, 11 DEmiRNAs, and 23 DEmRNA triplets was constructed. In this study, mRNAs and ncRNAs were identified that may be involved in alfalfa’s response to cold stress, and a ceRNA regulatory network related to cold stress was established, providing valuable genic resources for further research on the molecular mechanisms underlying alfalfa cold stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Molecular Stress Physiology—Elucidation of Plant Responses and Defense Mechanisms Against Stress)
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14 pages, 3418 KB  
Article
Wheat Class I TCP Transcription Factor TaTCP15 Positively Regulates Cutin and Cuticular Wax Biosynthesis
by Linzhu Fang, Xiaoyu Wang, Haoyu Li, Jiao Liu, Pengfei Zhi and Cheng Chang
Biomolecules 2026, 16(2), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16020192 - 27 Jan 2026
Viewed by 494
Abstract
Cutin matrices and wax mixtures are major components of lipophilic cuticles, shielding plant tissues from stressful environments. Identifying the key regulators governing biosynthesis of cutin and cuticular wax in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) could contribute to wheat breeding for stress resistance. [...] Read more.
Cutin matrices and wax mixtures are major components of lipophilic cuticles, shielding plant tissues from stressful environments. Identifying the key regulators governing biosynthesis of cutin and cuticular wax in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) could contribute to wheat breeding for stress resistance. In this study, we reported that the wheat class I TCP transcription factor TaTCP15 positively regulates cutin and cuticular wax biosynthesis. The CYP86A family cytochrome P450 enzymes, TaCYP86A2 and TaCYP86A4, were characterized as essential components of wheat cutin biosynthetic machinery. Wheat transcription factor TaSHN1 targets TaCYP86A2, TaCYP86A4, and wax biosynthesis gene TaECR and recruits the mediator subunit TaCDK8 to activate these genes’ transcription. Furthermore, we demonstrated that TaSHN1 gene transcription is directly activated by the transcription factor TaTCP15. Expression of TaSHN1, TaCYP86A2, TaCYP86A4, and TaECR genes, as well as cutin and wax accumulation, was attenuated by silencing of the TaTCP15 gene. Collectively, these findings suggest that wheat class I TCP transcription factor TaTCP15 positively regulates cutin and cuticular wax biosynthesis, probably via directly targeting the TaSHN1 gene and upregulating TaCYP86A2, TaCYP86A4, and TaECR expression, providing valuable information for developing wheat plants with improved cuticle-associated traits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Molecular Stress Physiology—Elucidation of Plant Responses and Defense Mechanisms Against Stress)
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23 pages, 4495 KB  
Article
Physiological and Transcriptomic Analysis of Bread Wheat MicroRNAs in Response to Zinc Availability
by Shuhan Sun, Yanlong He, Peng Chen, Cheng Chang and Lingyao Kong
Biomolecules 2026, 16(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16010075 - 2 Jan 2026
Viewed by 705
Abstract
Zinc (Zn) is a mineral micronutrient that is essential for plant growth and development. Soil Zn deficiency or excess severely impacts plant health and crop yields. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in plant responses to abiotic stress, but their roles in Zn homeostasis [...] Read more.
Zinc (Zn) is a mineral micronutrient that is essential for plant growth and development. Soil Zn deficiency or excess severely impacts plant health and crop yields. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in plant responses to abiotic stress, but their roles in Zn homeostasis in important crop bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) remain unknown. This study investigated miRNA expression profiles in wheat roots under different Zn supply conditions using high-throughput sequencing. Phenotypic and physiological analyses revealed that high Zn promoted wheat plant growth, while low and excess Zn resulted in wheat plant growth inhibition and oxidative stress. A total of 798 miRNAs (including 70 known and 728 novel miRNAs) were identified; among them, 10 known and 122 novel miRNAs were differentially expressed. Many key miRNAs, such as miR397-5p, miR398, 4D_25791, and 5A_27668, are up-regulated under low Zn but down-regulated under high Zn and excess Zn. Target gene prediction and enrichment analysis revealed that the regulated genes of these miRNAs focused on “zinc ion transmembrane transporter activity”, “divalent inorganic cation transmembrane transporter activity”, and “cellular detoxification” processes in the low Zn vs. CK group. However, “glutathione metabolism” and “ABC transporter” pathways were obviously enriched in high Zn vs. excess Zn conditions, implying their potential functions in alleviating the oxidative damage and Zn efflux caused by Zn toxicity. Together, this study identified key miRNAs that respond to both Zn deficiency and excess Zn in bread wheat, revealing distinct regulatory patterns of the target genes in different Zn supply conditions. These findings provide a new field and valuable candidate miRNAs for molecular breeding aimed at improving zinc’s utilization efficiency in wheat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Molecular Stress Physiology—Elucidation of Plant Responses and Defense Mechanisms Against Stress)
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21 pages, 23671 KB  
Article
Integrative Physiological, Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analyses Uncover the Mechanisms Underlying Differential Responses of Two Anubias Genotypes to Low-Temperature Stress
by Yanyu Luo, Liguo Wei, Weiguang Liu, Jiwei Chen, Jinzhong Zhang, Zhijian Yang, Shaoli Huang and Yiwei Zhou
Biomolecules 2025, 15(11), 1520; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15111520 - 28 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 875
Abstract
Anubias (Araceae) is a globally important group of ornamental aquatic plants. However, when temperatures drop to 10 °C, most species suffer obvious frostbite from cold stress, restricting winter cultivation and broader application. This study focused on two Anubias genotypes with distinct cold tolerance, [...] Read more.
Anubias (Araceae) is a globally important group of ornamental aquatic plants. However, when temperatures drop to 10 °C, most species suffer obvious frostbite from cold stress, restricting winter cultivation and broader application. This study focused on two Anubias genotypes with distinct cold tolerance, adopting an integrated approach combining phenotypic, physiological, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses to reveal the mechanisms underlying their differential cold tolerance. Under 10 °C cold stress, compared with normal temperatures, the leaves of cold-tolerant Anubias sp. ‘Long Leaf’ (Jian) showed no significant frostbite, while cold-sensitive Anubias barteri var. nana ‘Coin Leaf’ (Jin) had clear frost damage. Both genotypes exhibited increased leaf relative electrical conductivity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, soluble sugar content, and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT); “Jian” had more notable rises in SOD/CAT activities and maintained higher levels, whereas “Jin” showed greater increases in conductivity, MDA, and soluble sugar. Metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed “Jian” specifically upregulated metabolites in pathways like flavone and flavonol biosynthesis and tryptophan metabolism, as well as genes related to valine, leucine, isoleucine degradation and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways. ERFs, WRKYs, NACs and other transcription factors correlated with these differentially expressed genes, suggesting potential transcriptional regulation. These results provides insights for breeding cold-tolerant Anubias and optimizing low-temperature cultivation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Molecular Stress Physiology—Elucidation of Plant Responses and Defense Mechanisms Against Stress)
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