Precision Control of Transcriptional Networks: Decoding Genetic Circuits for Enhanced Crop Resilience and Yield

Dear Colleagues,

In the face of escalating global challenges—climate volatility, population growth, and dwindling arable land—the quest for sustainable crop improvement demands a paradigm shift from traditional breeding to predictive, mechanism-driven strategies. At the heart of this transition lies the intricate world of transcriptional networks, where transcription factors (TFs) act as master regulators orchestrating plant growth, nutrition uptake, stress adaptation, and resource allocation. This Special Issue will highlight breakthroughs in understanding how transcriptional circuits integrate environmental and developmental signals, and how such knowledge can be translated into precision crop design.

We aim to highlight cutting-edge research examining molecular mechanisms—including TF-DNA binding specificity, epigenetic modifications, and multi-omics network dynamics—and translational strategies in order to harness these insights for crop improvement. Submissions may explore CRISPR-based TF engineering, synthetic promoter design, or the AI-driven modeling of transcriptional logic, with an emphasis on field applications such as drought tolerance, nitrogen efficiency, and yield optimization. This Special Issue will prioritize systems-level approaches to mitigate pleiotropy and achieve trait precision, combining molecular discoveries with agronomic outcomes. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions from plant biologists, bioengineers, and computational scientists to collectively advance the frontier of transcriptional network engineering for climate-resilient agriculture.

Dr. Bohan Liu
Dr. Wenyi Wang
Guest Editors

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