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Screening and Identification of Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance Functional Genes
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Screening and Identification of Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance Functional Genes

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 2856

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Liezhao Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: rapeseed; stress response; agronomic traits; gene function
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dear Colleagues, As climate change advances, this places a great amount of pressure on crop production. Climate change induces more frequent drought stress, high temperature, water logging, salinity, etc.  With the population increasing and demand becoming greater with the development of society, it is necessary to maintain crop production sustainably, even with increasing productivity. There are different measures to alleviate environmental stresses, and the main one is to breed cultivars with the abiotic stress tolerance gene. 

Our Special Issue “Screening and Identification of Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance Functional Genes” will address a selection of recent research topics and current review articles in the field of abiotic stress-related gene identification, cloning, function validation, etc. Abiotic stresses include drought, high temperature, water logging, salinity, and so on. 

Prof. Dr. Liezhao Liu
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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
  • abiotic stress
  • gene
  • identification
  • function

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 6295 KiB  
Article
Anther Transcriptome Analysis of Two Heat Tolerance-Differentiated Indica Rice Restorer Lines Reveals the Importance of Non-Structural Carbohydrates and ATP in the Regulation of Heat Tolerance
by Jieqiang Zhou, Yingfeng Wang, Jiangfeng Li, Zijian Song, Yunhua Xiao, Huabing Deng, Xiong Liu, Qiuhong Chen, Wenbang Tang and Guilian Zhang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(7), 3161; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26073161 - 29 Mar 2025
Viewed by 258
Abstract
Screening and breeding more resistant heat stress restorer lines represent an effective approach to addressing the decline in hybrid rice seed production caused by heat stress (HS). However, the molecular mechanisms affecting the differences in the heat resistance of anthers under HS remain [...] Read more.
Screening and breeding more resistant heat stress restorer lines represent an effective approach to addressing the decline in hybrid rice seed production caused by heat stress (HS). However, the molecular mechanisms affecting the differences in the heat resistance of anthers under HS remain unclear. This study compared the gene expression patterns of two hybrid rice restorer lines with differing heat resistances under HS and discusses the mechanisms of the heat response in rice. Under heat stress, 247 DEGs were co-expressed across varieties and were involved in biological processes such as protein processing and carbon metabolism, with heat shock proteins being the most ubiquitous. Interestingly, a substantial enrichment of genes related to non-structural carbohydrates and ATP was observed among the unique DEGs in R996 and R4628. Simultaneously, the contents of non-structural carbohydrates and ATP levels in the young spikes of R996 were significantly higher than those in R4628. This suggests that starch, soluble sugars and ATP play significant roles in heat tolerance during the flowering stage of rice. Overall, this study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying heat stress resistance in indica rice restorer lines and informs future strategies for the genetic improvement of heat tolerance in these varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Screening and Identification of Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance Functional Genes)
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15 pages, 3308 KiB  
Article
Identification and Expression Analysis of the Soybean Serine Acetyltransferase (SAT) Gene Family Under Salt Stress
by Caiyun Fan, Hui Zou, Miao Zhang, Yu Jiang, Baohui Liu, Zhihui Sun and Bohong Su
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(5), 1882; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26051882 - 22 Feb 2025
Viewed by 472
Abstract
Serine acetyltransferase (SAT) is a critical enzyme in the sulfur-assimilation pathway of cysteine, playing an essential role in numerous physiological functions in plants, particularly in their response to environmental stresses. However, the structural characteristics of the soybean SAT gene family remain poorly understood. [...] Read more.
Serine acetyltransferase (SAT) is a critical enzyme in the sulfur-assimilation pathway of cysteine, playing an essential role in numerous physiological functions in plants, particularly in their response to environmental stresses. However, the structural characteristics of the soybean SAT gene family remain poorly understood. Members of the soybean SAT gene family were identified using the Hidden Markov Model approach. Bioinformatics tools, such as ExPASy, PlantCARE, MEME, and TBtools-II, were employed to examine the physicochemical properties, cis-regulatory elements, conserved motifs, gene structures, and chromosomal positions of the GmSAT genes. RT-qPCR was conducted to evaluate the expression profiles of GmSAT genes under NaCl-induced stress, identifying genes likely involved in the salt-stress response. A total of ten GmSAT genes were identified in the soybean genome and grouped into three subfamilies. Genes within each subfamily shared notable structural similarities and conserved motifs. Analysis of cis-regulatory elements revealed that the promoters of these genes contain several elements linked to plant growth and stress-related responses. Expression patterns of GmSAT genes varied across different soybean tissues, with GmSAT10 showing higher expression in roots, while GmSAT1 and GmSAT2 had lower expression in the same tissue. Following NaCl treatment, expression levels of seven GmSAT genes were significantly increased in the roots, indicating their potential involvement in the plant’s adaptation to salt stress. GmSAT genes appear to play crucial roles in soybean’s response to salt stress, offering insights that could aid in the development of salt-tolerant soybean varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Screening and Identification of Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance Functional Genes)
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24 pages, 3197 KiB  
Article
Integrated Physiological, Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses of the Response of Rice to Aniline Toxicity
by Jingjing Wang, Ruixin Wang, Lei Liu, Wenrui Zhang, Zhonghuan Yin, Rui Guo, Dan Wang and Changhong Guo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(2), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26020582 - 11 Jan 2025
Viewed by 758
Abstract
The accumulation of aniline in the natural environment poses a potential threat to crops, and thus, investigating the effects of aniline on plants holds practical implications for agricultural engineering and its affiliated industries. This study combined physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic methods to investigate [...] Read more.
The accumulation of aniline in the natural environment poses a potential threat to crops, and thus, investigating the effects of aniline on plants holds practical implications for agricultural engineering and its affiliated industries. This study combined physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic methods to investigate the growth status and molecular-level response mechanisms of rice under stress from varying concentrations of aniline. At a concentration of 1 mg/L, aniline exhibited a slight growth-promoting effect on rice. However, higher concentrations of aniline significantly inhibited rice growth and even caused notable damage to the rice seedlings. Physiological data indicated that under aniline stress, the membrane of rice underwent oxidative damage. Furthermore, when the concentration of aniline was excessively high, the cells suffered severe damage, resulting in the inhibition of antioxidant enzyme synthesis and activity. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses indicated that the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway became quite active under aniline stress, with alterations in various enzymes and metabolites related to lignin synthesis. In addition to the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway, amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, and purine metabolism were also critical pathways related to rice’s response to aniline stress. Significant changes occurred in the expression levels of multiple genes (e.g., PRX, C4H, GST, and ilvH, among others) associated with functions such as antioxidant activity, membrane remodeling, signal transduction, and nitrogen supply. Similarly, notable alterations were observed in the accumulation of various metabolites (for instance, glutamic acid, phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylglycerol, and asparagine, etc.) related to these functions. Our research findings have unveiled the potential of compounds such as phenylpropanoids and amino acids in assisting rice to cope with aniline stress. A more in-depth and detailed exploration of the specific mechanisms by which these substances function in the process of plant resistance to aniline stress (for instance, utilizing carbon-14 isotope tracing to monitor the metabolic pathway of aniline within plants) will facilitate the cultivation of plant varieties that are resistant to aniline. This will undoubtedly benefit activities such as ensuring food production and quality in aniline-contaminated environments, as well as utilizing plants for the remediation of aniline-polluted environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Screening and Identification of Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance Functional Genes)
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13 pages, 3947 KiB  
Article
Promoter of Vegetable Pea PsPIP2-4 Responds to Abiotic Stresses in Transgenic Tobacco
by Zhijuan Feng, Na Liu, Yuanpeng Bu, Guwen Zhang, Bin Wang and Yaming Gong
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(24), 13574; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252413574 - 18 Dec 2024
Viewed by 722
Abstract
Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs), one sub-family of aquaporins (AQPs), are responsible for plant abiotic stress responses. However, little information is currently available about the stress responsiveness of the PIP promoter in vegetable pea. In the present study, one novel promoter of PsPIP2-4 [...] Read more.
Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs), one sub-family of aquaporins (AQPs), are responsible for plant abiotic stress responses. However, little information is currently available about the stress responsiveness of the PIP promoter in vegetable pea. In the present study, one novel promoter of PsPIP2-4 which shared high similarity to the PIP2-type AQPs from other plants, was isolated. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assays suggested that PsPIP2-4 was predominantly expressed in leaves and abundantly induced by abiotic stress treatments (polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000, NaCl, and methyl jasmonate (MeJA)). Further, the promoter activity of PsPIP2-4 was verified in transgenic tobacco plants. Beta-glucuronidase (GUS) staining driven by the PsPIP2-4 promoter confirmed that it was mainly detected in the leaves of transgenic seedlings, especially in the guard cells. Exposure of transgenic seedlings to various environmental stimuli proved that the promoter activity of PsPIP2-4 was abundantly strengthened by osmotic, salt, and MeJA stresses. This research provides one stress-inducible promoter enabling targeted gene expression under abiotic stresses and demonstrates its usefulness in the genetic improvement of plant stress resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Screening and Identification of Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance Functional Genes)
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