Advanced Research in Plant Physiology, Metabolism and Signal Transduction

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 109

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 222, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: plant stress adaptation and signal transduction; mitochondrial function and regulatory mechanism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants play an irreplaceable role in ecological balance and human life. However, frequent extreme weather events, such as droughts, heatwaves, floods, etc., as well as increased demand for food due to population growth, are currently becoming increasingly prominent issues. Therefore, we need to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of plant development and their interactions with the environment to improve plant resilience, enhance agricultural productivity, and protect ecosystems. Therefore, this Special Issue, “Advanced Research in Plant Physiology, Metabolism and Signal Transduction”, will feature original theoretical and experimental research findings in the various fields of plant physiology and metabolism (including physiology, biochemistry, development, genetics, structure, plant–microbe interactions, etc.), covering various integration levels from molecular, subcellular, cellular, organ, whole plant to environmental levels. The present Special Issue of Life will primarily focus on three research directions: i. The molecular mechanism of plant development. ii. Plant adaptation to biotic and abiotic stresses and their signaling transduction. iii. The mechanism of plant–microorganism interactions.

Prof. Dr. Xiaomin Wang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • plant development
  • plant–environment interaction
  • plant–microbe interactions
  • signaling transduction
  • stress adaptation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 4672 KB  
Article
Identification of miRNAs in Response to Cold Stress in ‘Chaling’ Common Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.)
by Furong Gao, Jincheng Li, Ye Feng, Xiuwen Xiao, Lingling Han, Yufen Ma and Qiuhong Chen
Life 2025, 15(12), 1896; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15121896 - 11 Dec 2025
Abstract
(1) Background: ‘Chaling’ common wild rice (CLWR), one of the two wild rice populations with the northernmost natural distribution worldwide, exhibits excellent cold tolerance. The role of microRNA (miRNA) in regulating cold tolerance in plants has been reported in some species. However, the [...] Read more.
(1) Background: ‘Chaling’ common wild rice (CLWR), one of the two wild rice populations with the northernmost natural distribution worldwide, exhibits excellent cold tolerance. The role of microRNA (miRNA) in regulating cold tolerance in plants has been reported in some species. However, the miRNA landscape in CLWR remains unexplored. (2) Methods: We assessed cold tolerance in CLWR and the conventional rice variety 9311 at 4 °C, and conducted small RNA sequencing and analysis on eight samples from both CLWR and 9311, before and after cold treatment. (3) Results: All seedlings of CLWR survived after cold treatment and recovery, while all seedlings of 9311 died. After quality control and classification analysis of the small RNA sequences, numerous known and novel microRNAs (miRNAs) were identified. The expression analysis showed 59 differentially expressed miRNAs in CLWR before and after cold treatment, and 19 in 9311, with eight overlapping differentially expressed miRNAs between the two varieties. Target gene prediction for these miRNAs indicated that some predicted target genes, such as CTB4a and GRF4, are key genes involved in regulating cold tolerance in rice. Additionally, CLWR actively mobilizes more miRNAs and their target genes to resist cold stress than 9311. (4) Conclusions: This study offers new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of cold tolerance in CLWR at the miRNA level, providing a wealth of gene (miRNA) resources for genetic breeding research in rice aimed at enhancing cold tolerance. Full article
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