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Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Stress Responses and Development
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Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Stress Responses and Development

A special issue of Current Issues in Molecular Biology (ISSN 1467-3045). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 1443

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Abdul Wakeel Umar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Carbon Neutrality, Jiangmen Laboratory of Carbon Science and Technology, Jiangmen 529199, China
2. Department of Ecology, College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
3. BNU-HKUST Laboratory of Green Innovation, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai (BNUZ), Zhuhai City 519087, China
Interests: synthetic biology; plant system engineering; biotechnology; genetic engineering; plant stress biology; plant growth regulators; medicinal metabolites; cell-free protein synthesis; natural rubber

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants constantly face environmental pressures, drought, heat, salinity, nutrient imbalance, and biotic attack, which shape how they grow and survive. Over the last decade, rapid progress in genomics, multi-omics technologies, and advanced imaging has begun to reveal how plants translate these external cues into molecular and developmental responses. Hormonal signaling, transcriptional regulation, metabolic adjustments, and cellular communication play crucial roles in orchestrating these responses.

This Special Issue aims to bring together studies that deepen our understanding of how plants sense stress, reprogram their metabolism, and adjust their developmental pathways. We welcome contributions exploring hormone signaling networks, stress-responsive regulators, epigenetic modifications, metabolite dynamics, developmental plasticity, and synthetic or genome-editing approaches that uncover new mechanistic insights. Submissions involving both model and crop species are encouraged, particularly those offering translational perspectives for improving resilience and agricultural productivity.

Dr. Abdul Wakeel Umar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Current Issues in Molecular Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • plant stress physiology
  • hormonal signaling networks
  • abiotic stress tolerance
  • transcriptional regulation
  • epigenetics and chromatin dynamics
  • multi-omics integration
  • secondary metabolite biosynthesis
  • developmental plasticity
  • signal transduction
  • ROS and redox regulation
  • synthetic biology
  • crop improvement

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 16894 KB  
Article
MeNADP-ME3 Confers Salt and Drought Tolerance in Arabidopsis and Drives Functional Diversification of the NADP-ME Family in Cassava
by Shuwen Wu, Zhanming Xia, Jiazheng Zhao, Changyi Wang, Yi Min and Dayong Wang
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2026, 48(3), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb48030331 - 20 Mar 2026
Viewed by 425
Abstract
As a typical C3-C4 intermediate plant, cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) exhibits high photosynthetic efficiency and low photorespiration. NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME) is a key enzyme in the C4 photosynthetic pathway that provides elevated CO2 concentrations for Rubisco. However, research on NADP-ME in [...] Read more.
As a typical C3-C4 intermediate plant, cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) exhibits high photosynthetic efficiency and low photorespiration. NADP-malic enzyme (NADP-ME) is a key enzyme in the C4 photosynthetic pathway that provides elevated CO2 concentrations for Rubisco. However, research on NADP-ME in C3-C4 intermediate species remains limited. In this study, we identified four NADP-ME genes in the cassava genome, with segmental duplication serving as the primary driving force for gene evolution. Cis-acting element analysis indicated potential roles of MeNADP-ME genes in environmental adaptation, stress responses, and growth regulation. Expression profiling using bulk RNA sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing revealed distinct expression patterns in different tissues and cell subsets. Comparative analysis with Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and maize (Zea mays) NADP-ME families demonstrated that MeNADP-ME3 exhibits bundle sheath cell-specific expression analogous to ZmchlC4NADP-ME in maize. Notably, photosynthetic genes and plasmodesmata (PD)-related genes exhibited high co-expression within mesophyll subcluster 13 and bundle sheath cells, providing molecular evidence for a limited C4 photosynthetic pathway in cassava. Protein–protein interaction predictions implicated MeNADP-ME3 in photosynthetic carbon metabolism and photorespiration regulation. Furthermore, qRT-PCR revealed significant responsiveness of MeNADP-ME3 to various abiotic stresses, and confocal imaging confirmed its chloroplast localization. Functional validation demonstrated that Arabidopsis overexpressing MeNADP-ME3 exhibited 30–120% enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, CAT) and 20–32% reduced oxidative damage markers (MDA, H2O2) under drought and salt stresses. These findings reveal the evolutionary trajectory of NADP-ME genes in C3-C4 intermediate species and provide genetic resources for developing stress-tolerant cassava cultivars. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Stress Responses and Development)
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15 pages, 3974 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification of SWEET Gene Family and Integrative Transcriptomic–Metabolomic Analysis Reveal Sugar Transport-Mediated Chilling Responses in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)
by Pan Zeng, Yunyan Zhao, Junchao Liang, Xiaowen Yan, Zhiqi Wang and Jian Sun
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2026, 48(3), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb48030312 - 14 Mar 2026
Viewed by 382
Abstract
Sesame is a thermophilic oilseed crop that is vulnerable to low-temperature stress. SWEET sugar transporters are important for sugar allocation, but their roles in sesame cold responses remain poorly understood. In this study, 24 SWEET genes were identified in the sesame genome and [...] Read more.
Sesame is a thermophilic oilseed crop that is vulnerable to low-temperature stress. SWEET sugar transporters are important for sugar allocation, but their roles in sesame cold responses remain poorly understood. In this study, 24 SWEET genes were identified in the sesame genome and classified into six conserved groups with high structural conservation and limited duplication. Comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive sesame accessions under chilling stress revealed distinct SiSWEET expression patterns and contrasting soluble sugar accumulation. Several SiSWEET genes showed significant correlations with glucose, fructose, and sucrose contents. These results suggest that SWEET-mediated sugar transport is involved in sesame chilling responses and provide candidate genes for improving cold tolerance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Stress Responses and Development)
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14 pages, 2119 KB  
Article
ABT Promotes Adventitious Root Formation in Mulberry Cuttings by Coordinating Hormonal Homeostasis and Defense Priming
by Zhen Qin, Tiantian Wang, Ziyi Song, Hao Dou, Chaobing Luo, Xiu Zhang, Huijuan Sun, Bingyang Zhang, Yaru Hou, Shihao Sun, Chenbo Tan, Jin’e Quan and Zhaojun Liu
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2026, 48(3), 299; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb48030299 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 364
Abstract
Mulberry (Morus alba) is an economically important forest tree species, yet cutting propagation is constrained by low adventitious rooting efficiency. Although ABT, a composite rooting promoter, can improve cutting survival, its molecular basis remains unclear. Here, cuttings of the cultivar Qiangsang [...] Read more.
Mulberry (Morus alba) is an economically important forest tree species, yet cutting propagation is constrained by low adventitious rooting efficiency. Although ABT, a composite rooting promoter, can improve cutting survival, its molecular basis remains unclear. Here, cuttings of the cultivar Qiangsang 1 were treated with ABT, NAA, or IAA (200–1000 mg/L) and subjected to transcriptome profiling to elucidate how ABT enhances rooting. Hormone-related analyses showed that ABT upregulated GH3 (auxin-amido synthetase) at days 0 and 20, implicating auxin homeostasis. ERF1/2 (ethylene response factors) exhibited a temporal oscillation, with induction at day 10 followed by repression from days 20 to 30, consistent with a shift from developmental programs to defense-related processes. In parallel, JAZ (jasmonate ZIM-domain) genes were downregulated at day 0 and subsequently upregulated; together with CYP94C1, these changes may attenuate jasmonate-associated defense signaling. For cell remodeling and defense coordination, ABT reduced the expression of genes associated with cell-wall rigidity while inducing EXPA11 (expansin) at day 20, potentially facilitating root primordium emergence. Meanwhile, PR-1 (pathogenesis-related protein 1) was transiently upregulated at days 0, 20, and 30, and the concomitant modulation of WRKY transcription factors and RPM1 suggests enhanced defense readiness. Integrative network analysis further indicated that a GH3–ERF1/2–PR-1 module links hormonal and defense cues and may activate BAT1 (energy metabolism) and RBOHB (ROS production) to support adventitious root elongation. Collectively, these results suggest that ABT improves rooting efficiency by reshaping hormonal homeostasis and coordinating cell-wall reconstruction with a pre-activated defense state, thereby providing a conceptual framework for balancing root induction and defense responses during vegetative propagation in forest trees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Stress Responses and Development)
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