Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress: Genetics, Transcription, Noncoding RNAs, and Epigenetics
A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Genetics and Genomics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 May 2026 | Viewed by 20
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Abiotic stresses—such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures—severely limit plant growth and crop productivity, posing a critical and persistent threat to global food security. Understanding the sophisticated response mechanisms plants have evolved is paramount to addressing this challenge.
This Special Issue aims to systematically synthesize the multi-level regulatory networks underlying plant responses to abiotic stress. We seek to build an integrated map of resistance mechanisms spanning genetics, transcription, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), and epigenetics. By highlighting the crosstalk between these regulatory layers, this issue will provide a comprehensive theoretical foundation for breeding next-generation, stress-resilient crops.
Research in this field initially focused on identifying key genetic loci and transcription factors governing stress resistance. Driven by technological advancements, the scope has significantly expanded, now encompassing the critical roles of ncRNAs and dynamic epigenetic modifications.
Current research is unraveling the intricate roles of ncRNAs (e.g., miRNAs, lncRNAs) in stress signal transduction and the function of epigenetic marks (e.g., DNA methylation, histone modifications) in mediating dynamic environmental memory. The integration of multi-omics data is now revealing the complex interplay within these regulatory hierarchies with unprecedented clarity. This Special Issue will collect cutting-edge research and insightful reviews that illuminate these networks, fostering novel strategies for crop improvement.
Prof. Dr. Runlai Hang
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- abiotic stress responses
- LncRNA
- RNA biology
- translation
- miRNA
- siRNA
- rRNA
- epigenetics
- DNA methylation
- RNA modification
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