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Radiation Hormesis in Plants
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Radiation Hormesis in Plants

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 March 2025) | Viewed by 5189

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Polina Yu. Volkova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Independent Researcher, 2440 Geel, Belgium
Interests: plant radiation biology; low doses; abiotic stress; radiation ecology; antioxidants; transcriptomics; metabolomics; molecular mechanisms of hormesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gustavo Turqueto Duarte

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Belgian Nuclear Research Centre—SCK CEN, 2400 Mol, Belgium
Interests: plant radiation biology; plant abiotic stress; miRNA; transcriptomics; GWAS; functional genomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The radiation hormesis phenomenon is a long-known plant response to low doses and intensities of non-ionizing (UV) and ionizing (IR) radiation. However, its molecular basis remains elusive and often contradictory, although mechanisms of UV-induced hormesis are better studied than those induced by IR. In plants, radiation hormesis after a low dose or low-intensity irradiation manifests as enhanced growth, accelerated development, increased tolerance to stressors, or accumulation of compounds of interest. The molecular background of radiation hormesis and the transition of molecular changes to phenotypic traits have just started to be unravelled. Several mechanisms possibly underlie the hormetic effects, including the activation of heat shock proteins, proteasomes, kinase cascades, changes in nitrogen metabolism, phytohormonal balance, and, in general, repair and antioxidant response processes. Molecular pathways of the radiation hormesis effect are promising for the biotechnological improvement of crops and for controlling the stress resilience of agriculturally important plants.

In this Special Issue, we will focus on plant molecular responses to UV or IR associated with improved growth, stress tolerance, or accumulation of agriculturally or pharmaceutically relevant compounds. The subject areas range from responses in radionuclide-contaminated areas or areas with increased natural radioactivity to effects observed in greenhouses or under controlled laboratory conditions. Original research manuscripts should contain clear data on the source of irradiation, dose rates or intensities of exposure, absorbed doses when applicable, and the growth stage of plants during exposure. Manuscripts (original research, perspectives, or reviews) on the following topics regarding radiation hormesis in plants are welcomed:

  • molecular and biochemical responses to UV or IR associated with improved growth and stress tolerance;
  • analysis of mutant lines in order to reveal the molecular background of radiation hormesis;
  • plant physiology and multispectral imaging studies of radiation hormesis when they are associated with insights into molecular pathways;
  • molecular mechanisms of accumulation of agriculturally important compounds in plants after irradiation;
  • plant-microbe interaction in the context of radiation hormesis;
  • new theoretical insights and modelling of plant cell responses to stimulating doses of radiation.

This Special Issue is supervised by Dr. Polina Yu. Volkova and Dr. Gustavo Turqueto Duarte, assisted by our Topical Advisory Panel Member Dr. Elizaveta Kazakova（Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology).

Dr. Polina Yu. Volkova
Dr. Gustavo Turqueto Duarte
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

  • radiation hormesis
  • UV-hormesis
  • gamma-radiation hormesis
  • growth improvement
  • phenolic compounds accumulation
  • dose-response
  • biphasic response
  • eustress
  • reactive oxygen species
  • low-dose stimulation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4362 KiB  
Article
Integrating Transcriptomics and Metabolomics to Comprehensively Analyze Phytohormone Regulatory Mechanisms in Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. Under UV-B Radiation
by Wang Yu, Qi Sun, Hongwei Xu and Xiaofu Zhou
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(4), 1545; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26041545 - 12 Feb 2025
Viewed by 816
Abstract
In order to fully elucidate the roles and systems of phytohormones in UV-B radiation (UV-B) leaves of the Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. (R. chrysanthum), we conducted a comprehensive analysis of how R. chrysanthum protects itself against UV-B using transcriptomic and metabolomic data. [...] Read more.
In order to fully elucidate the roles and systems of phytohormones in UV-B radiation (UV-B) leaves of the Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. (R. chrysanthum), we conducted a comprehensive analysis of how R. chrysanthum protects itself against UV-B using transcriptomic and metabolomic data. Transcript and metabolite profiles were generated by a combination of deep sequencing and LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry), respectively. Combined with physiological and biochemical assays, we studied compound accumulation, biosynthesis and expression of signaling genes of seven hormones and the effects of hormones on plant photosynthesis. The findings indicate that during leaf defense against UV-B, photosynthesis declined, the photosynthetic system was impaired and the concentration of salicylic acid (SA) hormones increased, whereas the contents of cytokinin (CK), abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene, auxin, jasmonic acid (JA) and gibberellins (GAs) continued to decrease. Finally, correlation tests between hormone content and genes were analyzed, and genes closely related to leaf resistance to UV-B were identified in seven pathways. These results will expand our understanding of the hormonal regulatory mechanisms of plant resistance to UV-B and at the same time lay the foundation for plant resistance to adversity stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Hormesis in Plants)
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22 pages, 4834 KiB  
Article
Effects of UV-B Radiation Exposure on Transgenerational Plasticity in Grain Morphology and Proanthocyanidin Content in Yuanyang Red Rice
by Lin Zhang, Xiupin Wang, Yanqun Zu, Yongmei He, Zuran Li and Yuan Li
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(9), 4766; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25094766 - 27 Apr 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1479
Abstract
The effect of UV-B radiation exposure on transgenerational plasticity, the phenomenon whereby the parental environment influences both the parent’s and the offspring’s phenotype, is poorly understood. To investigate the impact of exposing successive generations of rice plants to UV-B radiation on seed morphology [...] Read more.
The effect of UV-B radiation exposure on transgenerational plasticity, the phenomenon whereby the parental environment influences both the parent’s and the offspring’s phenotype, is poorly understood. To investigate the impact of exposing successive generations of rice plants to UV-B radiation on seed morphology and proanthocyanidin content, the local traditional rice variety ‘Baijiaolaojing’ was planted on terraces in Yuanyang county and subjected to enhanced UV-B radiation treatments. The radiation intensity that caused the maximum phenotypic plasticity (7.5 kJ·m−2) was selected for further study, and the rice crops were cultivated for four successive generations. The results show that in the same generation, enhanced UV-B radiation resulted in significant decreases in grain length, grain width, spike weight, and thousand-grain weight, as well as significant increases in empty grain percentage and proanthocyanidin content, compared with crops grown under natural light conditions. Proanthocyanidin content increased as the number of generations of rice exposed to radiation increased, but in generation G3, it decreased, along with the empty grain ratio. At the same time, biomass, tiller number, and thousand-grain weight increased, and rice growth returned to control levels. When the offspring’s radiation memory and growth environment did not match, rice growth was negatively affected, and seed proanthocyanidin content was increased to maintain seed activity. The correlation analysis results show that phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), and 4-coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL) enzyme activity positively influenced proanthocyanidin content. Overall, UV-B radiation affected transgenerational plasticity in seed morphology and proanthocyanidin content, showing that rice was able to adapt to this stressor if previous generations had been continuously exposed to treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Hormesis in Plants)
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22 pages, 10430 KiB  
Article
Radiation Hormesis in Barley Manifests as Changes in Growth Dynamics Coordinated with the Expression of PM19L-like, CML31-like, and AOS2-like
by Elizaveta Kazakova, Irina Gorbatova, Anastasia Khanova, Ekaterina Shesterikova, Ivan Pishenin, Alexandr Prazyan, Mikhail Podlutskii, Yana Blinova, Sofia Bitarishvili, Ekaterina Bondarenko, Alena Smirnova, Maria Lychenkova, Vladimir Bondarenko, Marina Korol, Daria Babina, Ekaterina Makarenko and Polina Volkova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(2), 974; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25020974 - 12 Jan 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1968
Abstract
The stimulation of growth and development of crops using ionising radiation (radiation hormesis) has been reported by many research groups. However, specific genes contributing to the radiation stimulation of plant growth are largely unknown. In this work, we studied the impact of the [...] Read more.
The stimulation of growth and development of crops using ionising radiation (radiation hormesis) has been reported by many research groups. However, specific genes contributing to the radiation stimulation of plant growth are largely unknown. In this work, we studied the impact of the low-dose γ-irradiation of barley seeds on the growth dynamics and gene expression of eight barley cultivars in a greenhouse experiment. Our findings confirmed that candidate genes of the radiation growth stimulation, previously established in barley seedlings (PM19L-like, CML31-like, and AOS2-like), are significant in radiation hormesis throughout ontogeny. In γ-stimulated cultivars, the expression of these genes was aligned with the growth dynamics, yield parameters, and physiological conditions of plants. We identified contrasting cultivars for future gene editing and found that the γ-stimulated cultivar possessed some specific abiotic stress-responsive elements in the promotors of candidate genes, possibly revealing a new level of radiation hormesis effect execution. These results can be used in creating new productive barley cultivars, ecological toxicology of radionuclides, and eustress biology studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Hormesis in Plants)
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