Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms of Crop Resistance

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2026) | Viewed by 629

Special Issue Editor

College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China
Interests: plant stress resistance; molecular biology; genetic regulation; legumes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Under global climate change, crops are adversely affected by a multitude of abiotic stresses, including drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, nutrient deficiency, and heavy metals, and biotic stresses, including pests, pathogens, and other aggressors. These factors poses a serious multidimensional challenge to global agriculture and food-system sustainability. For example, crop yield losses worldwide are estimated to be as high as 41-50% depending on the crop.

Crop resistance refers to the ability of different crops, including rice, wheat, maize, soybean, and other legumes, to overcome the effects of abiotic and biotic stress and achieve high crop productivity and sustainability. Obtaining insights into the genetic and molecular mechanisms involved in crop resistance would aid in the mitigation of the effects of climate change and in the development of climate-resilient crops. In recent decades, myriad studies have focused on genetic and molecular mechanisms of crop resistance; however, further investigations are still required for improving crop resilience and genetic breeding to address climate change.

The aim of this Special Issue is to spotlight advances in the molecular mechanisms of crop resistance and smart breeding technologies by synthesizing multidisciplinary studies, including those employing multi-omics integrated with artificial intelligence, genomic selection, genetic breeding, and physiological, genetic, biochemical, and molecular techniques, among others.

Dr. Quanle Xu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • abiotic and biotic stress
  • crop resilience
  • molecular mechanism
  • molecular breeding
  • resilient crops

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 27905 KB  
Article
Knocking Down miR172f in the Hairy Roots of Grass Pea Increases β-ODAP Content and Induces Global Transcriptomic Reprogramming
by Xiaoning Liu, Xueping Zhang, Jianmeng Bai, Jiasheng Lv, Yingshan Jiang, Jiahui Zhan, Zhihong Yang, Rongze Han, Tingli You, Hao Ma, Ning Cao, Rongfang Lian, Shijun Wang, Yun Yue and Quanle Xu
Genes 2026, 17(3), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes17030311 - 9 Mar 2026
Viewed by 252
Abstract
Background: There is an abundance of the neuroactive β-N-oxalyl-L-α,β-diaminopropionic acid (β-ODAP) in grass pea (Lathyrus sativus), pea (Pisum sativum), and several Chinese traditional herbs such as Panax notoginseng. It is well known for its dose- and context-dependent [...] Read more.
Background: There is an abundance of the neuroactive β-N-oxalyl-L-α,β-diaminopropionic acid (β-ODAP) in grass pea (Lathyrus sativus), pea (Pisum sativum), and several Chinese traditional herbs such as Panax notoginseng. It is well known for its dose- and context-dependent effects on its toxicological characteristics (inducing neurodegenerative neurolathyrism upon excessive consumption) or for its pharmacological effects (including neuroprotection and wound healing). Therefore, reducing β-ODAP levels improves the safety profile of β-ODAP-containing species for utilization, whereas increasing them facilitates their isolation and purification. LsBAHD3 acyltransferase, named after the first letter of BEAT benzylalcohol O-acetyltransferase (BEAT), anthocyanin O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (AHCT), anthranilate N-hydroxycinnamoyl/benzoyltransferase (HCBT), and deacetylvindoline 4-Oacetyltransferase (DAT), was proven to be β-ODAP synthetase. Methods: In this report, the interaction of miR172f with LsBAHD3 was investigated through bioinformatic analysis and transient co-expression assays in Nicotiana benthamiana. Functions of miR172f in β-ODAP biosynthesis were also investigated through knockdown in the hairy roots of L. sativus and via transcriptomic analysis. Results: The results suggest that the knockdown of miR172f in hairy roots of L. sativus increased β-ODAP content via targets to LsBAHD3. In this process, protein ubiquitination, cysteine and methionine metabolism, enzyme regulator activity, and so on were associated with β-ODAP biosynthesis. Conclusions: These results identify miR172f as a novel regulator of β-ODAP biosynthesis through targeting of LsBAHD3, offering new insight into the gene expression of β-ODAP synthetase and the genetic network governing β-ODAP biosynthesis in L. sativus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms of Crop Resistance)
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