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Plant Growth: Molecular Mechanisms

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: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 875

Editors


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Guest Editor
1. College of Environmental and Resources Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
2. State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
3. Industrial Crops Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, China
Interests: plant growth regulation; stress-responsive mechanisms; plant hormone dynamics; functional genomics; epigenetic regulation

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Guest Editor
1. Industrial Crops Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming 650200, China
2. Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resources Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
3. Department of Botany, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan
Interests: plant stress physiology; plant biochemistry; transcriptional regulation; hormonal crosstalk; stress-induced growth modulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant growth is highly influenced by intricate molecular mechanisms involved in hormone signaling networks, transcriptional regulation, metabolic control, and environmental signal integration. These processes collectively determine how plants initiate cell division, undergo cell expansion, and coordinate organ development. In recent years, major advances in genomic transcriptomics, proteomics, and gene editing technologies have greatly accelerated our understanding of the molecular basis of plant growth regulation.

As the guest editors of this Special Issue of IJMS, “Plant Growth: Molecular Mechanisms”, we aim to highlight the latest discoveries related to hormonal crosstalk signaling pathways, regulatory genes, epigenetic control, and other molecular processes that shape plant growth and development. We welcome all types of submissions, including original research reviews, mini reviews, methodologies, perspectives, and opinion articles that explore the molecular and genetic frameworks underlying plant growth.

Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Sahito
Dr. Afsheen Zehra
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • plant growth
  • hormonal crosstalk
  • epigenetics
  • CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technologies
  • metabolomics
  • transcriptomics

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 8440 KB  
Article
Genome-Wide Study of MYB Transcription Factors in Maize and Their Essential Roles in Male Fertility and Other Biological Processes
by Yilin Jiang, Huayang Cai, Yang Yang, Qingping Jiang and Xueli An
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(13), 5822; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27135822 (registering DOI) - 27 Jun 2026
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Abstract
MYB transcription factors (TFs) play essential roles in diverse biological processes, including anther and pollen development, vegetative growth, seed development and germination, and stress responses. However, functional characterization of MYB TFs in maize (Zea mays) lags far behind that in Arabidopsis [...] Read more.
MYB transcription factors (TFs) play essential roles in diverse biological processes, including anther and pollen development, vegetative growth, seed development and germination, and stress responses. However, functional characterization of MYB TFs in maize (Zea mays) lags far behind that in Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa. In this study, we performed a genome-wide identification of 196 maize MYB TFs, along with phylogenetic analysis and Gene Ontology (GO) annotation. To bridge the knowledge gap, we established an integrated cross-species comparative workflow that systematically maps functionally characterized MYB TFs from Arabidopsis and rice to their maize orthologs. By coupling this homology-based approach with spatiotemporal expression profiling of developing anthers across multiple inbred lines, we prioritized candidate MYB TFs likely involved in anther and pollen development. This integrated strategy provides a useful reference for translating the rich functional knowledge accumulated in model plants to crops with less-characterized genomes. Our study not only establishes a solid foundation for the functional investigation of maize MYB TFs, but also offers promising targets for the mechanistic dissection and molecular breeding application of male sterility in maize. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Growth: Molecular Mechanisms)
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18 pages, 5240 KB  
Article
Chloroplast Phylogenomics and Evolutionary History of the Alpine Endemic Eutrema scapiflorum
by Ting Lv, Xiayu Hu, Lizhi Guo, Jiasheng Ju, Yu Zhang and Nan Tang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(12), 5195; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27125195 - 8 Jun 2026
Viewed by 261
Abstract
In this study, we sequenced, assembled, and characterized the first complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Eutrema scapiflorum, an alpine species endemic to the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). The assembled plastome is 153,041 bp in length and exhibits a typical quadripartite structure, comprising a [...] Read more.
In this study, we sequenced, assembled, and characterized the first complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Eutrema scapiflorum, an alpine species endemic to the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). The assembled plastome is 153,041 bp in length and exhibits a typical quadripartite structure, comprising a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,547 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,506 bp, which are separated by two inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,994 bp each. Structurally, the genome encodes 132 unique genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Comparative analysis across eight species revealed that genome size variation is primarily driven by the SSC region. Notably, the IR/SC boundaries in E. scapiflorum are highly conserved, which contrasts with the significant IR expansion observed in Capsella tenella. Furthermore, simple sequence repeat (SSR) analysis identified 78 loci, predominantly mononucleotide A/T repeats located in intergenic spacers. Nucleotide diversity analysis pinpointed accD and ycf1 as the most variable genes. Selection pressure analysis indicated that most genes are under purifying selection, while seven protein-coding genes (ycf2, nadhE, cemA, clpP, psbH, ycf4, nadhB) exhibited signatures of positive selection (Ka/Ks > 1). Subsequently, phylogenomic analyses robustly resolved E. scapiflorum within the tribe Arabideae, showing its closest relationship to Alliaria petiolata. Divergence time estimation dated the split between E. scapiflorum and its closest relative to the middle Miocene (~17.57 Ma). Collectively, these findings provide crucial genomic resources and new insights into the structural evolution, phylogenetic placement, and potential adaptive mechanisms of this alpine species within the Brassicaceae family. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Growth: Molecular Mechanisms)
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