Advancement in Gene Expression Regulation in Plants: Coordinating Growth, Development, and Stress Resilience

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 1105

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Interests: crop genetics; plant pathology; plant physiology; drought tolerance; salt tolerance; molecular biology

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Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave, Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5, Canada
Interests: plant pathology; fungal genetics and biology; epidemiology of plant pathogens; plant breeding and genetics; breeding for disease resistance microbial
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Guest Editor
College of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
Interests: molecular microbiology; environmental microbiology; microbial molecular biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Different tissues, organs, or parts of a plant species share the same genome, yet they display distinct morphological characteristics and physiological functions. These differences stem from variations in transcript levels, protein expression, and metabolic activities, all orchestrated by tightly regulated gene expression. Such regulation is essential for plants to adapt to environmental challenges while sustaining growth and development. Gene expression is systematically and precisely governed by a complex network of regulatory factors, including transcription factors, epigenetic modifications, and non-coding RNAs. These elements enable plants to fine-tune stress responses and developmental processes, ensuring survival under diverse environmental conditions. Advances in molecular biology, omics technologies, and systems biology have greatly expanded our understanding of these intricate mechanisms.

This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research on dynamic transcriptional changes, mechanisms of gene expression regulation, and their applications in improving crop resilience and productivity. We encourage submissions that encompass transcriptome analysis, genomics, functional genomics, and related studies. Additionally, contributions highlighting innovative strategies to translate these findings into sustainable agricultural practices are highly welcome, paving the way for more resilient and productive agricultural systems.

Dr. Fei Liu
Dr. Zhongwei Zou
Dr. Guogen Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • gene expression regulation
  • plant-environment interactions
  • transcription factors
  • epigenetic modifications
  • non-coding RNAs
  • transcriptomics
  • functional genomics
  • stress responses
  • sustainable agriculture

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 4120 KiB  
Article
The WRKY28-BRC1 Transcription Factor Module Controls Shoot Branching in Brassica napus
by Ka Zhang, Jinfang Zhang, Cheng Cui, Liang Chai, Benchuan Zheng, Liangcai Jiang and Haojie Li
Plants 2025, 14(3), 486; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030486 - 6 Feb 2025
Viewed by 753
Abstract
The trade-off between growth and defense is common in plants. We previously demonstrated that BnaA03.WRKY28 weakened resistance strength but promoted shoot branching in Brassica napus (rapeseed). However, the molecular mechanism by which WRKY28 promotes branching formation is still obscure. In this study, we [...] Read more.
The trade-off between growth and defense is common in plants. We previously demonstrated that BnaA03.WRKY28 weakened resistance strength but promoted shoot branching in Brassica napus (rapeseed). However, the molecular mechanism by which WRKY28 promotes branching formation is still obscure. In this study, we found that BnaA01.BRC1, BnaC01.BRC1, and BnaC03.BRC1 are mainly expressed in the leaf axils and contained W-box cis-acting elements in the promoter regions. BnaA03.WRKY28 directly bound to the promoter regions of these three copies and inhibited their expression. The brc1 mutants, the BnaA01.BRC1, BnaC01.BRC1 BnaA03.BRC1 and BnaC03.BRC1 were simultaneously knocked out, mediated by CRISPR/Cas9, and exhibited excessive branching. The expression level of the ABA biosynthesis encoding gene NCED3 was significantly reduced in the mutant compared to that in the WT. Instead, the expression level of the ABA catabolism encoding gene CYP707A3 was significantly higher than that in WT. These results suggest that the excessive branching of the brc1 mutant may be caused by the release of ABA-mediated bud dormancy. This study provides direct evidence for the potential mechanism of the WRKY28-BRC1 transcription factor module contributing to shoot branching in rapeseed. Full article
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