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Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Stress Response
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Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Stress Response

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 1248

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yakupjan Haxim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Geography and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
Interests: plant autophagy; plant antiviral defense mechanisms; plant-microbe interaction mechanisms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants constantly encounter a multitude of environmental stresses, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and pathogen attacks, which significantly impact their growth, development, and productivity. Understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying plant stress responses is critical for developing strategies to enhance stress resilience in crops and improve agricultural sustainability.

This special issue aims to explore the complex mechanisms by which plants perceive, transduce, and respond to environmental stresses at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Stress Perception and Signal Transduction: Mechanisms of stress sensing, calcium signaling, and hormonal regulation.
  • Gene Expression and Regulatory Networks: Roles of transcription factors, non-coding RNAs, and epigenetic modifications in stress responses.
  • Antioxidant Systems and Metabolic Adjustments: Strategies for scavenging reactive oxygen species and maintaining cellular homeostasis.
  • Molecular Tools and Genetic Engineering: Advances in CRISPR/Cas9, gene editing, and omics technologies for improving stress tolerance.

We invite original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that contribute novel insights into plant stress biology. This special issue will serve as a platform for researchers to share their findings and foster collaborative efforts toward developing resilient crop varieties for a changing world.

Dr. Yakupjan Haxim
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Genes 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 2600 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

  • drought stress
  • heat stress
  • cold stress
  • salinity stress
  • pathogen infection
  • multi-omic approaches
  • gene expression
  • plant resistance

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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14 pages, 6055 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification of TPL/TPR Gene Family in Ten Cotton Species and Function Analysis of GhTPL3 Involved in Salt Stress Response
by Ganggang Zhang, Jianguo Gao, Faren Zhu, Kailu Chen, Jiliang Fan, Lu Meng, Zihan Li, Shandang Shi and Hongbin Li
Genes 2025, 16(9), 1072; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16091072 - 12 Sep 2025
Viewed by 386
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The TOPLESS (TPL) and TOPLESS-related (TPR) proteins represent a highly conserved class of transcriptional co-repressors in plants, playing pivotal roles in modulating growth, development, and stress responses through the repression of key transcriptional regulators. However, a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the TPL [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The TOPLESS (TPL) and TOPLESS-related (TPR) proteins represent a highly conserved class of transcriptional co-repressors in plants, playing pivotal roles in modulating growth, development, and stress responses through the repression of key transcriptional regulators. However, a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the TPL/TPR gene family and its involvement in stress responses remains unexplored in cotton. Methods: In this study, 60 TPL/TPR genes were identified from the genomes of ten Gossypium species via bioinformatics approaches, and their protein physicochemical properties, gene structures, phylogenetic relationships, cis-regulatory elements, and expression profiles were characterized. Results: Chromosomal localization and collinearity analyses revealed that segmental duplication events have contributed to the expansion of the TPL/TPR gene family. Further examination of exon–intron architectures and conserved motifs highlighted strong evolutionary conservation within each TPL/TPR subgroup. Expression profiling demonstrated that TPL/TPR genes exhibit tissue-specific expression patterns, with particularly high transcript abundance in floral organs (e.g., petals and stigmas). Cis-element analysis suggested their potential involvement in multiple stress-responsive pathways. Notably, GhTPL3 showed high constitutive expression across various tissues and under stress conditions, with the most pronounced up-regulation under salt stress. Functional validation via Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) confirmed that GhTPL3 silencing significantly impairs cotton salt stress tolerance, underscoring its critical role in abiotic stress adaptation. Conclusions: Our findings provide novel insights into the functional diversification and regulatory mechanisms of the TPL/TPR family in cotton, offering a valuable genetic resource for breeding stress-resilient cotton varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Stress Response)
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19 pages, 14487 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification Analysis of the Rab11 Gene Family in Gossypium hirsutum and Its Expression Analysis in Verticillium dahliae
by Mengyuan Ma, Meng Zhao, Jiaxing Wang, Jianhang Zhang, Shuwei Qin, Ji Ke, Lvbing Fan, Wanting Yang, Wenjie Shen, Yaqian Lu, Mingqiang Bao, Aiping Cao, Hongbin Li and Asigul Ismayil
Genes 2025, 16(8), 961; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16080961 - 14 Aug 2025
Viewed by 643
Abstract
Background/Objectives: RAB11 (RABA) is a type of RAB GTPase. RAB GTPases are key components of membrane trafficking mechanisms, Rab11 is implicated in a variety of biological developmental processes and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Nevertheless, the role of Rab11 in the [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: RAB11 (RABA) is a type of RAB GTPase. RAB GTPases are key components of membrane trafficking mechanisms, Rab11 is implicated in a variety of biological developmental processes and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Nevertheless, the role of Rab11 in the defense mechanisms of cotton against Verticillium dahliae (V. dahliae) remains to be elucidated. Methods: In the present study, by analyzing the transcriptome data of Gossypium hirsutum (G. hirsutum) infected with V. dahliae, in combination with gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses, the research focused on endocytosis. Further, through bioinformatics approaches, the endocytosis-related gene Rab11 was identified. We conducted a genome-wide identification and analysis of Rab11 in G. hirsutum. In addition, by integrating transcription factor (TF) prediction, prediction of protein–protein interactions (PPI) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), the gene expression of Rab11 at different infection periods of V. dahliae (0, 24 and 72 hpi) were analyzed and validated. Results: The analysis of transcriptome data revealed that the endocytosis pathway is implicated in the stress response of cotton to V. dahliae. Additionally, three Rab11 genes were identified as being involved in this stress response. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the 65 genes in the Rab11 family could be divided into four subgroups, each with similar gene structures and conserved motif patterns. Conclusions: The downregulation of Rab11 in G. hirsutum is closely linked to its defense against V. dahliae. TF prediction coupled with PPI offers a roadmap for dissecting the signaling pathways, functional validation, and network construction of the three GhRab11 genes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Stress Response)
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