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Emerging Insights into Phytohormone Signaling 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: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 2942

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Dr. Meng Zhang

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Guest Editor

Long Ping Branch, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410125, China
Interests: plant hormone; signal transduction; molecular biology; transcription factor; phylogeny

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants exhibit an incredible diversity, spanning from simple algae to complex flowering plants, each with unique morphological, physiological, and ecological traits. Despite this vast diversity, the roles of plant hormones as fundamental regulators of growth, development, and responses to environmental stimuli are deeply conserved across plant lineages. Plant hormones serve as the cornerstone of physiological processes, ensuring the survival and adaptability of plants in various environments. However, due to the distinct evolutionary trajectories of different plant species, the pathways and mechanisms by which these hormones function also exhibit significant variation.

Suggested topics for inclusion in this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

Conserved roles of plant hormones across lineages, specifically comparative analyses of hormone biosynthesis and signaling networks in diverse plant species;
Evolutionary divergence in hormone pathways through phylogenetic studies of hormone receptors and signaling components across different plant lineages;
Hormone-mediated regulation of plant traits, elucidating the roles of phytohormones in plant bioactivities, such as growth, development, stress responses, plant defense, and plant–microbe interactions;
Molecular mechanisms of hormone action via structural and functional studies of hormone receptors and their interaction partners;
Biotechnological approaches for engineering plants with enhanced hormone responsiveness.

Dr. Meng Zhang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

phytohormone
signal transduction
evolutionary and functional diversity
implications for plant science and agriculture

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4391 KB

Open AccessArticle

Brassinosteroid Synthesis and Perception Differently Regulate Phytohormone Networks in Arabidopsis thaliana

by Yaroslava Bukhonska, Michael Derevyanchuk, Roberta Filepova, Jan Martinec, Petre Dobrev, Eric Ruelland and Volodymyr Kravets

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(19), 9644; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26199644 - 2 Oct 2025

Viewed by 320

Abstract

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are essential regulators of plant development and stress responses, but the distinct contributions of BR biosynthesis and signaling to hormonal crosstalk remain poorly defined. Here, we investigated the effects of the BR biosynthesis inhibitor brassinazole (BRZ) and the BR-insensitive mutant bri1-6 on endogenous phytohormone profiles in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using multivariate analysis and targeted hormone quantification, we show that BRZ treatment and BRI1 disruption alter hormone balance through partially overlapping but mechanistically distinct pathways. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering revealed that BRZ and the bri1-6 mutation do not phenocopy each other and that BRZ still alters hormone profiles even in the bri1-6 mutant, suggesting potential BRI1-independent effects. Both BRZ treatment and the bri1-6 mutation tend to influence cytokinins and auxin conjugates divergently. On the contrary, their effects on stress-related hormones converge: BRZ decreases salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), and abscisic acid (ABA) in the WT leaves; similarly, bri1-6 mutants show reduced SA, JA, and ABA. These results indicate that BR biosynthesis and BRI1-mediated perception may contribute independently to hormonal reprogramming, with BRZ eliciting additional effects, possibly via metabolic feedback, compensatory signaling, or off-target action. Hormone correlation analyses revealed conserved co-regulation clusters that reflect underlying regulatory modules. Altogether, our findings provide evidence for a partial uncoupling of BR levels and BR signaling and illustrate how BR pathways intersect with broader hormone networks to coordinate growth and stress responses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Insights into Phytohormone Signaling in Plants)

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19 pages, 6168 KB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression of NF-YC Transcription Factors in Blueberry Under Abiotic Stress Conditions

by Xiang Zhang, Jiajie Yu, Xiuyue Xu, Baofeng Zhang, Jiahuan Huang and Bo Liu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(17), 8507; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26178507 - 1 Sep 2025

Viewed by 521

Abstract

Nuclear Factor Y C (NF-YC) transcription factors (TFs) are central regulators of plant development and stress adaptation. However, there remains a gap in identifying NF-YC gene family members in blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), a globally significant fruit crop renowned for its nutritional value and good adaptability. In this study, a total of 31 NF-YC genes (designated VcNF-YC1–31) were identified in the blueberry genome, and their basic physicochemical properties, gene structures, motif patterns, and conserved domains were investigated using bioinformatic methods. The cis-acting elements in the promoters of VcNF-YCs were mainly enriched in phytohormone signaling, metabolism, and stress response. qRT-PCR analysis showed that VcNF-YCs were expressed at higher levels in leaves than in roots and stems. Transcriptional profiling revealed rapid upregulation of 24, 25, and 16 VcNF-YC genes upon ABA, salt, and cold treatments, respectively, indicating stress-specific induction patterns. The results of the yeast transformation assay revealed that VcNF-YC10 and VcNF-YC15 lacked transcription-activating activity. The results of tobacco leaf injection revealed that these two TFs were localized in the nucleus. These findings indicate the potentially important roles in abiotic stress responses of blueberry, offering potential targets for molecular breeding to enhance plant resilience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Insights into Phytohormone Signaling in Plants)

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22 pages, 4619 KB

Open AccessArticle

Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal Regulatory Mechanisms of Adventitious Root Formation in In Vitro Culture of Cinnamomum camphora

by Yuntong Zhang, Ting Zhang, Yongjie Zheng, Jun Wang, Chenglin Luo, Yuhua Li and Xinliang Liu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(15), 7264; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157264 - 27 Jul 2025

Viewed by 720

Abstract

Cinnamomum camphora is an ecologically and economically significant species, highly valued for its essential oil production and environmental benefits. Although a tissue culture system has been established for C. camphora, large-scale propagation remains limited due to the inconsistent formation of adventitious roots (ARs). This study investigated AR formation from callus tissue, focusing on associated physiological changes and gene expression dynamics. During AR induction, contents of soluble sugars and proteins decreased, alongside reduced activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) decreased significantly throughout AR formation. Zeatin riboside (ZR) levels initially declined and then rose, whereas gibberellic acid (GA) levels displayed the opposite trend. Comparative transcriptomic and temporal expression analyses identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were grouped into four distinct expression patterns. KEGG pathway enrichment indicated that 67 DEGs are involved in plant hormone signaling pathways and that 38 DEGs are involved in the starch and sucrose metabolism pathway. Additionally, protein–protein interaction network (PPI) analysis revealed ten key regulatory genes, which are mainly involved in auxin, cytokinin, GA, ABA, and ethylene signaling pathways. The reliability of the transcriptome data was further validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Overall, this study provides new insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying AR formation in C. camphora and offers valuable guidance for optimizing tissue culture systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Insights into Phytohormone Signaling in Plants)

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16 pages, 2611 KB

Open AccessArticle

The OsNAC25 Transcription Factor Enhances Drought Tolerance in Rice

by Aohuan Yang, Qiong Luo, Lei Liu, Meihe Jiang, Fankai Zhao, Yingjiang Li and Bohan Liu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(10), 4954; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26104954 - 21 May 2025

Viewed by 869

Abstract

Drought represents a prevalent abiotic stress in terrestrial plants, frequently impairing crop growth and yield. In this paper, we characterized the functional role of OsNAC25, a member of the NAC transcription factor family, in drought tolerance. OsNAC25 was predominantly localized in both the cytoplasm and nucleus, with its expression being markedly induced under drought conditions. Under severe drought stress, the overexpression of OsNAC25 rice exhibited decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, attenuated oxidative damage, and improved survival rate during the vegetative growth stage. The transcriptome analysis revealed that OsNAC25 coordinates drought response through key pathways associated with phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, and diterpenoid biosynthesis. Collectively, our findings highlight OsNAC25 as a pivotal transcriptional regulator governing drought resistance in rice. This study not only provides a candidate gene for improving drought tolerance in rice but also offers valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying drought adaptation in cereal crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Insights into Phytohormone Signaling in Plants)

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