Effect of Exogenous or Endogenous Regulatory Factors on Metabolic Responses of Plants to Biotic/Abiotic Stress

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (18 August 2024) | Viewed by 2039

Special Issue Editor

School of Life Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: plant stress metabolism; natural product; metabolome; plant physiology and ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metabolic responses of plants to biotic/abiotic stress are crucial for their survival and adaptation in various environmental conditions. Environmental conditions include drought, salinity, heat stress, heavy metal pollution, nutrient deficiency, and multiple organisms like microorganisms and animals. When faced with such pressures, the plants mobilize their defense mechanisms, such as metabolism, to safeguard their well-being. Special regulatory factors, including exogenous or endogenous factors, play a key role in initiating these defense responses. For example, regulatory factors modulate metabolic biosynthesis or gene expression related to osmoprotectants accumulation (e.g., proline), antioxidant enzymes production (e.g., superoxide dismutase), and stomatal closure regulation (e.g., ABA-responsive genes). These adaptations help plants maintain cellular homeostasis and minimize damage caused by abiotic/biotic stresses. The exogenous or endogenous factors include chemical substances, including inorganic or organic, rhizospheric/endophyte microorganisms and others.

Understanding the intricate interplay between metabolic responses and regulatory factors is essential for developing strategies to enhance plant resilience against various stresses. This Special Issue of Metabolites is devoted to original research and review articles on the effect of exogenous or endogenous regulatory factors on the metabolic responses of plants to biotic/abiotic stress. Topics of interest to this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Induction of metabolite biosynthesis in plants subjected to biotic/abiotic stresses that are regulated by exogenous or endogenous regulatory factors;
  • Root exudates under biotic and abiotic;
  • Plant metabolite biosynthesis under biotic/abiotic;
  • Lipid metabolism of plants under biotic/abiotic and the mechanism characterization;
  • Exogenous chemical substances that enhance plant stress tolerance and their mechanism characterization;
  • Environmental microorganisms, including endophytes, enhance plant stress tolerance and facilitate mechanism characterization;
  • Induction of metabolite biosynthesis in plants via regulated factors in response to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Dr. Bo Yuan
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • biotic and abiotic stresses
  • biochemistry and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites
  • stress response and metabolic regulation
  • plant metabolomics under stress
  • lipid metabolism
  • root exudates composition under stress
  • exogenous or endogenous regulatory factors
  • ROS and antioxidants
  • plant regulation signaling pathways
  • plant growth promotion and metabolic mechanism

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 18707 KiB  
Article
Salicylic Acid and Melatonin Synergy Enhances Boron Toxicity Tolerance via AsA–GSH Cycle and Glyoxalase System Regulation in Fragrant Rice
by Muhammad Imran, Emilie Widemann, Sarfraz Shafiq, Ali Bakhsh, Xiaoyuan Chen and Xiangru Tang
Metabolites 2024, 14(10), 520; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14100520 - 26 Sep 2024
Viewed by 430
Abstract
Background: Boron is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and productivity, yet excessive boron leads to toxicity, posing significant challenges for agriculture. Fragrant rice is popular among consumers, but the impact of boron toxicity on qualitative traits of fragrant rice, especially aroma, remains [...] Read more.
Background: Boron is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and productivity, yet excessive boron leads to toxicity, posing significant challenges for agriculture. Fragrant rice is popular among consumers, but the impact of boron toxicity on qualitative traits of fragrant rice, especially aroma, remains largely unexplored. The individual potentials of melatonin and salicylic acid in reducing boron toxicity are less known, while their synergistic effects and mechanisms in fragrant rice remain unclear. Methods: Thus, this study investigates the combined application of melatonin and salicylic acid on fragrant rice affected by boron toxicity. One-week-old seedlings were subjected to boron (0 and 800 µM) and then treated with melatonin and salicylic acid (0 and 100 µM, for 3 weeks). Results: Boron toxicity significantly impaired photosynthetic pigments, plant growth, and chloroplast integrity while increasing oxidative stress markers such as hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, methylglyoxal, and betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase. Likewise, boron toxicity abridged the precursors involved in the 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) biosynthesis pathway. However, individual as well as combined application of melatonin and salicylic acid ameliorated boron toxicity by strengthening the antioxidant defense mechanisms—including the enzymes involved during the ascorbate–glutathione (AsA–GSH) cycle and glyoxalase system—and substantially improved 2-AP precursors including proline, P5C, Δ1-pyrroline, and GABA levels, thereby restoring the 2-AP content and aroma. These findings deduce that melatonin and salicylic acid synergistically alleviate boron toxicity-induced disruptions on the 2-AP biosynthesis pathway by improving the 2-AP precursors and enzymatic activities, as well as modulating the physio-biochemical processes and antioxidant defense system of fragrant rice plants. Conclusions: The findings of this study have the potential to enhance rice productivity and stress tolerance, offering solutions to improve food security and sustainability in agricultural practices, particularly in regions affected by environmental stressors. Full article
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19 pages, 7596 KiB  
Article
Transcriptomic and Targeted Metabolomics Analysis of Detached Lycium ruthenicum Leaves Reveals Mechanisms of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis Induction through Light Quality and Sucrose Treatments
by Haitao Zeng, Tao Zheng, Xue Peng, Qi Tang, Hao Xu and Mengjiao Chen
Metabolites 2023, 13(9), 1004; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13091004 - 11 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1173
Abstract
Light quality and sucrose-induced osmotic stress are known to cause anthocyanin synthesis in detached Lycium ruthenicum leaves. To identify the mechanisms by which the kind of light quality and sucrose concentration are induced, here, we conducted transcriptome sequencing in detached L. ruthenicum leaves [...] Read more.
Light quality and sucrose-induced osmotic stress are known to cause anthocyanin synthesis in detached Lycium ruthenicum leaves. To identify the mechanisms by which the kind of light quality and sucrose concentration are induced, here, we conducted transcriptome sequencing in detached L. ruthenicum leaves treated with different qualities of light and sucrose concentrations. Leaves treated with blue light or sucrose showed a significantly increased total anthocyanins content compared to those treated with white light. Delphinidin-3-O-rutinoside and delphinidin-3-O-glucoside production were differentially regulated by the BL(−S), BL(+S), and WL(+S) treatments. The structural genes CHS, CHI, F3′H, F3′5′H, ANS, and UFGT were significantly up-regulated in leaves treated with blue light or sucrose. Leaves treated with blue light additionally showed up-regulation of the light photoreceptors CRY1, PIF3, COP1, and HY5. The anthocyanin-related genes NCED1, PYR/PYL, PP2C, SnRK2, and ABI5 were significantly up-regulated in leaves treated with sucrose, promoting adaptability to sucrose osmotic stress. Co-expression and cis-regulatory analyses suggested that HY5 and ABI5 could regulate LrMYB44 and LrMYB48 through binding to the G-box element and ABRE element, respectively, inducing anthocyanin synthesis in response to blue light or sucrose treatment. Candidate genes responsive to blue light or sucrose osmotic stress in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway were validated through quantitative reverse transcription PCR. These findings deepen our understanding of the mechanisms by which blue light and sucrose-induced osmotic stress regulate anthocyanin synthesis, providing valuable target genes for the future improvement in anthocyanin production in L. ruthenicum. Full article
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