Current Issues in Molecular Biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food safety is a challenge and common mission for agricultural scientists all over the world. The report issued by FAO in 2018 states that: "By 2050, the world's population will reach 9.1 billion, 34% more than at present, and food production must be increased by 70%”. Therefore, it is necessary to improve crop production and crop resistance to different stresses. With the development of high-throughput sequencing technology, the detection technology of mono-omics has been widely studied and applied. However, mono-omics can not make researchers fully understand the growth and development process of crops. Multi-omics analysis is based on high-throughput components According to the different analysis objectives, the systematic biology research of analysis can be divided into genomics, phenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabonomics and ionomics. Different omics reflect the transcription, expression, translation, modification and physiological metabolism of genes in organisms from different levels. Its purpose is to achieve the complementarity of various data and enable researchers to have a more complete understanding of the expression information of organisms. At present, multi-omics analysis has played an important role in crop germplasm resources identification, key gene function research of important agronomic traits and assisted breeding. However, how to make full use of these massive data and its application in breeding are the main goals of the follow-up research of researchers. Therefore, this special issue mainly focuses on the following three aspects: New ideas and methods in multigroup analysis; The genetic basis of complex agronomic traits in crops was analyzed by multiomics; Application of multiomics analysis in crop breeding. The results of this special issue will help accelerate the genetic improvement of crops and food security.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

New methods or tools to integrate omics data from different source
Genetic basis for plant complex traits by using the integration of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, and so on
The new genetic selection (GS) strategies by using the multi omics data
The new gene(s) identified by using multic omics data
The future perspectives about the multiomics to improve crop improvement

Dr. Chen Lin
Guest Editor

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Keywords

crop improvement
omics
genomics
phenomics
transcriptomics
proteomics, metabonomics
ionomics
gene function
network

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2827 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Molecular Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of Centipedegrass [Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack.] Based on the Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequence

by Haoran Wang, Yuan Zhang, Ling Zhang, Jingjing Wang, Hailin Guo, Junqin Zong, Jingbo Chen, Dandan Li, Ling Li, Jianxiu Liu and Jianjian Li

Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(2), 1635-1650; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46020106 - 19 Feb 2024

Viewed by 669

Abstract

Centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides) is an important warm-season grass plant used as a turfgrass as well as pasture grass in tropical and subtropical regions, with wide application in land surface greening and soil conservation in South China and southern United States. In this study, the complete cp genome of E. ophiuroides was assembled using high-throughput Illumina sequencing technology. The circle pseudomolecule for E. ophiuroides cp genome is 139,107 bp in length, with a quadripartite structure consisting of a large single copyregion of 82,081 bp and a small single copy region of 12,566 bp separated by a pair of inverted repeat regions of 22,230 bp each. The overall A + T content of the whole genome is 61.60%, showing an asymmetric nucleotide composition. The genome encodes a total of 131 gene species, composed of 20 duplicated genes within the IR regions and 111 unique genes comprising 77 protein-coding genes, 30 transfer RNA genes, and 4 ribosome RNA genes. The complete cp genome sequence contains 51 long repeats and 197 simple sequence repeats, and a high degree of collinearity among E. ophiuroide and other Gramineae plants was disclosed. Phylogenetic analysis showed E. ophiuroides, together with the other two Eremochloa species, is closely related to Mnesithea helferi within the subtribe Rottboelliinae. These findings will be beneficial for the classification and identification of the Eremochloa taxa, phylogenetic resolution, novel gene discovery, and functional genomic studies for the genus Eremochloa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiomics Helps Crop Improvement and Food Security)

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Review

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15 pages, 1066 KiB

Open AccessReview

Insights into the Effects of Hydroxycinnamic Acid and Its Secondary Metabolites as Antioxidants for Oxidative Stress and Plant Growth under Environmental Stresses

by Sindiswa Khawula, Arun Gokul, Lee-Ann Niekerk, Gerhard Basson, Marshall Keyster, Mihlali Badiwe, Ashwil Klein and Mbukeni Nkomo

Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(1), 81-95; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46010007 - 21 Dec 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1036

Abstract

Plant immobility renders plants constantly susceptible to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Abiotic and biotic stresses are known to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which cause comparable cellular secondary reactions (osmotic or oxidative stress), leading to agricultural productivity constraints worldwide. To mitigate the challenges caused by these stresses, plants have evolved a variety of adaptive strategies. Phenolic acids form a key component of these strategies, as they are predominantly known to be secreted by plants in response to abiotic or biotic stresses. Phenolic acids can be divided into different subclasses based on their chemical structures, such as hydroxybenzoic acids and hydroxycinnamic acids. This review analyzes hydroxycinnamic acids and their derivatives as they increase under stressful conditions, so to withstand environmental stresses they regulate physiological processes through acting as signaling molecules that regulate gene expression and biochemical pathways. The mechanism of action used by hydroxycinnamic acid involves minimization of oxidative damage to maintain cellular homeostasis and protect vital cellular components from harm. The purpose of this review is to highlight the potential of hydroxycinnamic acid metabolites/derivatives as potential antioxidants. We review the uses of different secondary metabolites associated with hydroxycinnamic acid and their contributions to plant growth and development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multiomics Helps Crop Improvement and Food Security)

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