Targeted Metabolomics Reveals Biotic Interactions and Stress Responses in Plants
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 September 2026 | Viewed by 7
Special Issue Editor
Interests: phytohormone metabolism; analytical method development for hormone metabolism; UPLC-MS/MS analysis of small molecules; UV-acclimation; primary and secondary metabolites
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The genetic potential of a plant species determines its growth and development. Where the genetic potential defines optimal growth, various stresses result in suboptimal conditions, requiring plant acclimation. Through specific signal transduction pathways, internal signals regulate plant metabolism, influencing the cell’s chemical homeostasis and contributing to systemic acquired resistance and acclimation. Biotic interactions can be malicious or benign. In this context, a plant needs to distinguish between good and evil. For this purpose, each biotic interaction is steered by a complex chemical dialogue. The outcome of this conversation defines the type of interaction: ‘stress and defense’ or ‘collaboration and symbiosis’. The core regulation is based on a complex network of metabolites functioning as signaling molecules, steering the interaction towards commensalism, mutualism, parasitism, or pathogenesis.
Potential triggering signals can be byproducts of membrane or cell wall components, a lack of nutrients, a reactive oxygen burst (ROS), ion channeling, or hormone relocation. Possible processes involved are fine-tuning the oxidative response pathway, coping with ROS, regulation of homeostasis, crosstalk or reallocation of phytohormones, specific primary and secondary metabolites, (semi)volatiles, or even small peptides. Whether the defense is ubiquitous or unique defines the degree of host specificity of the response, which, in turn, is chemically defined. Where ubiquitous responses can lead to the identification of biomarkers, host-specific responses may be the key to species-specific adaptations that lead to acclimation.
The scope of this Special Issue is broad. Papers (original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, reviews, modeling approaches, and methods) may focus on the plant host, the plant-associated (micro)biome, the initiation, transmission, and maintenance of the stress response, and/or the interaction, using targeted metabolomics as a tool.
Prof. Dr. Els Prinsen
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- secondary metabolites
- primary metabolites
- plant hormones
- small peptides
- reactive oxygen species (ROS)
- anti-oxidantia
- plant microbiome
- symbiosis
- pathogenesis
- acclimation
- systemic acquired resistance (SAR)
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