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Phytohormones and the Regulation of Stress Tolerance in Plants

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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: closed (20 December 2022) | Viewed by 15542

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Stephan Pollmann

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Guest Editor

Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)—Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
Interests: auxin biosynthesis; plant hormonal networks; auxin-jasmonate crosstalk; metabolomics; mass spectrometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Maren Müller

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Guest Editor

Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Interests: plant hormone physiology; crosstalk of plant hormones; plant hormone regulation under abiotic stress; ethylene signaling; ROS and plant hormone interaction; antioxidants; stress tolerance; plant senescence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the pioneering experiments of Julius von Sachs and Charles and Francis Darwin, our understanding of the broad and comprehensive impact of small signaling molecules in plants has improved considerably. These signaling molecules, also called plant or phytohormones, are critical drivers of plant growth and development as well as of plant stress responses, which already act at submicromolar concentrations. Numerous studies that have been presented over the past few decades have provided mounting evidence that it is not only the isolated absolute amount of each plant hormone, but also their crosstalk and the specific response potential of the perceiving tissues that are important parameters that determine the outcomes of triggered changes in the plant hormone profiles of plants. For these reasons, it is not surprising that many recent studies have revealed novel multifaceted regulatory mechanisms in which the crosstalk of plant hormones plays a critical role. Here, the acquisition of tolerance to plant stress through the activity of phytohormones and their crosstalk is no exception.

In this Special Issue, our objective is to gather novel insights into the intricacies and molecular mechanisms by which plant hormones and their crosstalk contribute to plant stress responses, rendering plants more stress tolerant. We would like to put particular emphasis on abiotic stress conditions (drought, temperature, light, salinity), but we also invite papers that deal with biotic stress.

Dr. Stephan Pollmann
Assist. Pr Maren Müller
Guest Editors

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 stress responses
abiotic stress tolerance
biotic stress tolerance
plant hormones
crosstalk
regulatory mechanism
adaptation

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4311 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Salicylic Acid Treatment and Its Effect on Seed Yield and Seed Molecular Composition of Pisum sativum under Abiotic Stress

by Veronika Berková, Miroslav Berka, Michaela Kameniarová, Romana Kopecká, Marharyta Kuzmenko, Šarlota Shejbalová, Dmytro Abramov, Petr Čičmanec, Lucie Frejlichová, Novák Jan, Břetislav Brzobohatý and Martin Černý

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5454; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065454 - 13 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2069

Abstract

The reproductive stage of plant development has the most critical impact on yield. Flowering is highly sensitive to abiotic stress, and increasing temperatures and drought harm crop yields. Salicylic acid is a phytohormone that regulates flowering and promotes stress resilience in plants. However, the exact molecular mechanisms and the level of protection are far from understood and seem to be species-specific. Here, the effect of salicylic acid was tested in a field experiment with Pisum sativum exposed to heat stress. Salicylic acid was administered at two different stages of flowering, and its effect on the yield and composition of the harvested seeds was followed. Plants treated with salicylic acid produced larger seed pods, and a significant increase in dry weight was found for the plants with a delayed application of salicylic acid. The analyses of the seed proteome, lipidome, and metabolome did not show any negative impact of salicylic treatment on seed composition. Identified processes that could be responsible for the observed improvement in seed yields included an increase in polyamine biosynthesis, accumulation of storage lipids and lysophosphatidylcholines, a higher abundance of components of chromatin regulation, calmodulin-like protein, and threonine synthase, and indicated a decrease in sensitivity to abscisic acid signaling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytohormones and the Regulation of Stress Tolerance in Plants)

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16 pages, 3836 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Arabidopsis Cys2/His2 Zinc Finger Transcription Factor ZAT18 Modulates the Plant Growth-Defense Tradeoff

by Weiwei Li, Min Zhang, Tingyu Zhang, Yueyan Liu and Lijing Liu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(23), 15436; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232315436 - 6 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2000

Abstract

Plant defense responses under unfavorable conditions are often associated with reduced growth. However, the mechanisms underlying the growth-defense tradeoff remain to be fully elucidated, especially at the transcriptional level. Here, we revealed a Cys2/His2-type zinc finger transcription factor, namely, ZAT18, which played dual roles in plant immunity and growth by oppositely regulating the signaling of defense- and growth-related hormones. ZAT18 was first identified as a salicylic acid (SA)-inducible gene and was required for plant responses to SA in this study. In addition, we observed that ZAT18 enhanced the plant immunity with growth penalties that may have been achieved by activating SA signaling and repressing auxin signaling. Further transcriptome analysis of the zat18 mutant showed that the biological pathways of defense-related hormones, including SA, ethylene and abscisic acid, were repressed and that the biological pathways of auxin and cytokinin, which are growth-related hormones, were activated by abolishing the function of ZAT18. The ZAT18-mediated regulation of hormone signaling was further confirmed using qRT-PCR. Our results explored a mechanism by which plants handle defense and growth at the transcriptional level under stress conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytohormones and the Regulation of Stress Tolerance in Plants)

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Review

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15 pages, 2172 KiB

Open AccessReview

Cross-Talk between Iron Deficiency Response and Defense Establishment in Plants

by Vicente Montejano-Ramírez and Eduardo Valencia-Cantero

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6236; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076236 - 25 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2400

Abstract

Plants are at risk of attack by various pathogenic organisms. During pathogenesis, microorganisms produce molecules with conserved structures that are recognized by plants that then initiate a defense response. Plants also experience iron deficiency. To address problems caused by iron deficiency, plants use two strategies focused on iron absorption from the rhizosphere. Strategy I is based on rhizosphere acidification and iron reduction, whereas Strategy II is based on iron chelation. Pathogenic defense and iron uptake are not isolated phenomena: the antimicrobial phenols are produced by the plant during defense, chelate and solubilize iron; therefore, the production and secretion of these molecules also increase in response to iron deficiency. In contrast, phytohormone jasmonic acid and salicylic acid that induce pathogen-resistant genes also modulate the expression of genes related to iron uptake. Iron deficiency also induces the expression of defense-related genes. Therefore, in the present review, we address the cross-talk that exists between the defense mechanisms of both Systemic Resistance and Systemic Acquired Resistance pathways and the response to iron deficiency in plants, with particular emphasis on the regulation genetic expression. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytohormones and the Regulation of Stress Tolerance in Plants)

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29 pages, 2793 KiB

Open AccessReview

Ethylene and Jasmonates Signaling Network Mediating Secondary Metabolites under Abiotic Stress

by Marina Pérez-Llorca, Stephan Pollmann and Maren Müller

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5990; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065990 - 22 Mar 2023

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3659

Abstract

Plants are sessile organisms that face environmental threats throughout their life cycle, but increasing global warming poses an even more existential threat. Despite these unfavorable circumstances, plants try to adapt by developing a variety of strategies coordinated by plant hormones, resulting in a stress-specific phenotype. In this context, ethylene and jasmonates (JAs) present a fascinating case of synergism and antagonism. Here, Ethylene Insensitive 3/Ethylene Insensitive-Like Protein1 (EIN3/EIL1) and Jasmonate-Zim Domain (JAZs)-MYC2 of the ethylene and JAs signaling pathways, respectively, appear to act as nodes connecting multiple networks to regulate stress responses, including secondary metabolites. Secondary metabolites are multifunctional organic compounds that play crucial roles in stress acclimation of plants. Plants that exhibit high plasticity in their secondary metabolism, which allows them to generate near-infinite chemical diversity through structural and chemical modifications, are likely to have a selective and adaptive advantage, especially in the face of climate change challenges. In contrast, domestication of crop plants has resulted in change or even loss in diversity of phytochemicals, making them significantly more vulnerable to environmental stresses over time. For this reason, there is a need to advance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which plant hormones and secondary metabolites respond to abiotic stress. This knowledge may help to improve the adaptability and resilience of plants to changing climatic conditions without compromising yield and productivity. Our aim in this review was to provide a detailed overview of abiotic stress responses mediated by ethylene and JAs and their impact on secondary metabolites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytohormones and the Regulation of Stress Tolerance in Plants)

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19 pages, 1749 KiB

Open AccessReview

Do Opposites Attract? Auxin-Abscisic Acid Crosstalk: New Perspectives

by Paloma Ortiz-García, Adrián González Ortega-Villaizán, Francis Chukwuma Onejeme, Maren Müller and Stephan Pollmann

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 3090; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043090 - 4 Feb 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2676

Abstract

Plants are constantly exposed to a variety of different environmental stresses, including drought, salinity, and elevated temperatures. These stress cues are assumed to intensify in the future driven by the global climate change scenario which we are currently experiencing. These stressors have largely detrimental effects on plant growth and development and, therefore, put global food security in jeopardy. For this reason, it is necessary to expand our understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which plants respond to abiotic stresses. Especially boosting our insight into the ways by which plants balance their growth and their defense programs appear to be of paramount importance, as this may lead to novel perspectives that can pave the way to increase agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner. In this review, our aim was to present a detailed overview of different facets of the crosstalk between the antagonistic plant hormones abscisic acid (ABA) and auxin, two phytohormones that are the main drivers of plant stress responses, on the one hand, and plant growth, on the other. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytohormones and the Regulation of Stress Tolerance in Plants)

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13 pages, 623 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Revised View of the LSU Gene Family: New Functions in Plant Stress Responses and Phytohormone Signaling

by Javier Canales, Anita Arenas-M, Joaquín Medina and Elena A. Vidal

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2819; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032819 - 1 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1702

Abstract

LSUs (RESPONSE TO LOW SULFUR) are plant-specific proteins of unknown function that were initially identified during transcriptomic studies of the sulfur deficiency response in Arabidopsis. Recent functional studies have shown that LSUs are important hubs of protein interaction networks with potential roles in plant stress responses. In particular, LSU proteins have been reported to interact with members of the brassinosteroid, jasmonate signaling, and ethylene biosynthetic pathways, suggesting that LSUs may be involved in response to plant stress through modulation of phytohormones. Furthermore, in silico analysis of the promoter regions of LSU genes in Arabidopsis has revealed the presence of cis-regulatory elements that are potentially responsive to phytohormones such as ABA, auxin, and jasmonic acid, suggesting crosstalk between LSU proteins and phytohormones. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about the LSU gene family in plants and its potential role in phytohormone responses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytohormones and the Regulation of Stress Tolerance in Plants)

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