The Molecular Basis of Plant Developmental Diversity

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 5103

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin" BBCD, Sapienza University of Rome | la sapienza, 70–00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: plant developmental biology; stem cells; evo-devo; plant hormones; plant anatomy and morphology; plant growth

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants show a substantial diversity in shape. This diversity is largely dependent on diverse developmental programs that have been selected by evolution and that allowed plants to colonize different niches. In angiosperms, the plant body sketch (composed by roots, hypocotyl and shoot) is mostly conserved among species, but the plant’s final shape is defined by small variations in gene networks regulating organ growth and developmental timing. This Special Issue focuses on the interspecific diversity of gene network modulation that underlines the plant shape variability existing in Nature. We are also interested in receiving manuscripts providing novel data, theories and perspectives about possible modulations of these gene networks to improve crop performance in ever-changing environmental conditions. This Special Issue aims to underline the fundamental role of plant development in both basic and applied research.

Dr. Raffaele Dello Ioio
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4039 KiB  
Article
Transcriptome Insights into Candidate Genes of the SWEET Family and Carotenoid Biosynthesis during Fruit Growth and Development in Prunus salicina ‘Huangguan’
by Zhimin Lin, Xiaoyan Yi, Muhammad Moaaz Ali, Lijuan Zhang, Shaojuan Wang and Faxing Chen
Plants 2023, 12(19), 3513; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12193513 - 9 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1240
Abstract
The Chinese plum (Prunus salicina L.) is a fruit tree belonging to the Rosaceae family, native to south-eastern China and widely cultivated throughout the world. Fruit sugar metabolism and color change is an important physiological behavior that directly determines flavor and aroma. [...] Read more.
The Chinese plum (Prunus salicina L.) is a fruit tree belonging to the Rosaceae family, native to south-eastern China and widely cultivated throughout the world. Fruit sugar metabolism and color change is an important physiological behavior that directly determines flavor and aroma. Our study analyzed six stages of fruit growth and development using RNA-seq, yielding a total of 14,973 DEGs, and further evaluation of key DEGs revealed a focus on sugar metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, carotenoid biosynthesis, and photosynthesis. Using GO and KEGG to enrich differential genes in the pathway, we selected 107 differential genes and obtained 49 significant differential genes related to glucose metabolism. The results of the correlation analyses indicated that two genes of the SWEET family, evm.TU.Chr1.3663 (PsSWEET9) and evm.TU.Chr4.676 (PsSWEET2), could be closely related to the composition of soluble sugars, which was also confirmed in the ethylene treatment experiments. In addition, analysis of the TOP 20 pathways between different growth stages and the green stage, as well as transient overexpression in chili, suggested that capsanthin/capsorubin synthase (PsCCS) of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway contributed to the color change of plum fruit. These findings provide an insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in the ripening and color change of plum fruit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Molecular Basis of Plant Developmental Diversity)
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Review

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18 pages, 2596 KiB  
Review
Urban Air Pollution and Plant Tolerance: Omics Responses to Ozone, Nitrogen Oxides, and Particulate Matter
by Maria Luisa Antenozio, Cristina Caissutti, Francesca Maria Caporusso, Davide Marzi and Patrizia Brunetti
Plants 2024, 13(15), 2027; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13152027 - 24 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 946
Abstract
Urban air pollution is a crucial global challenge, mainly originating from urbanization and industrial activities, which are continuously increasing. Vegetation serves as a natural air filter for air pollution, but adverse effects on plant health, photosynthesis, and metabolism can occur. Recent omics technologies [...] Read more.
Urban air pollution is a crucial global challenge, mainly originating from urbanization and industrial activities, which are continuously increasing. Vegetation serves as a natural air filter for air pollution, but adverse effects on plant health, photosynthesis, and metabolism can occur. Recent omics technologies have revolutionized the study of molecular plant responses to air pollution, overcoming previous limitations. This review synthesizes the latest advancements in molecular plant responses to major air pollutants, emphasizing ozone (O3), nitrogen oxides (NOX), and particulate matter (PM) research. These pollutants induce stress responses common to other abiotic and biotic stresses, including the activation of reactive oxygen species (ROSs)-scavenging enzymes and hormone signaling pathways. New evidence has shown the central role of antioxidant phenolic compound biosynthesis, via the phenylpropanoid pathway, in air pollution stress responses. Transcription factors like WRKY, AP2/ERF, and MYB, which connect hormone signaling to antioxidant biosynthesis, were also affected. To date, research has predominantly focused on laboratory studies analyzing individual pollutants. This review highlights the need for comprehensive field studies and the identification of molecular tolerance traits, which are crucial for the identification of tolerant plant species, aimed at the development of sustainable nature-based solutions (NBSs) to mitigate urban air pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Molecular Basis of Plant Developmental Diversity)
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24 pages, 1186 KiB  
Review
When Size Matters: New Insights on How Seed Size Can Contribute to the Early Stages of Plant Development
by Alessandra Boccaccini, Sara Cimini, Hira Kazmi, Andrea Lepri, Chiara Longo, Riccardo Lorrai and Paola Vittorioso
Plants 2024, 13(13), 1793; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13131793 - 28 Jun 2024
Viewed by 899
Abstract
The seed habit is the most complex and successful method of sexual reproduction in vascular plants. It represents a remarkable moment in the evolution of plants that afterward spread on land. In particular, seed size had a pivotal role in evolutionary success and [...] Read more.
The seed habit is the most complex and successful method of sexual reproduction in vascular plants. It represents a remarkable moment in the evolution of plants that afterward spread on land. In particular, seed size had a pivotal role in evolutionary success and agronomic traits, especially in the field of crop domestication. Given that crop seeds constitute one of the primary products for consumption, it follows that seed size represents a fundamental determinant of crop yield. This adaptative feature is strictly controlled by genetic traits from both maternal and zygotic tissues, although seed development and growth are also affected by environmental cues. Despite being a highly exploited topic for both basic and applied research, there are still many issues to be elucidated for developmental biology as well as for agronomic science. This review addresses a number of open questions related to cues that influence seed growth and size and how they influence seed germination. Moreover, new insights on the genetic–molecular control of this adaptive trait are presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Molecular Basis of Plant Developmental Diversity)
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19 pages, 2535 KiB  
Review
‘Organ’ising Floral Organ Development
by Kestrel A. Maio and Laila Moubayidin
Plants 2024, 13(12), 1595; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13121595 - 8 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1460
Abstract
Flowers are plant structures characteristic of the phylum Angiosperms composed of organs thought to have emerged from homologous structures to leaves in order to specialize in a distinctive function: reproduction. Symmetric shapes, colours, and scents all play important functional roles in flower biology. [...] Read more.
Flowers are plant structures characteristic of the phylum Angiosperms composed of organs thought to have emerged from homologous structures to leaves in order to specialize in a distinctive function: reproduction. Symmetric shapes, colours, and scents all play important functional roles in flower biology. The evolution of flower symmetry and the morphology of individual flower parts (sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels) has significantly contributed to the diversity of reproductive strategies across flowering plant species. This diversity facilitates attractiveness for pollination, protection of gametes, efficient fertilization, and seed production. Symmetry, the establishment of body axes, and fate determination are tightly linked. The complex genetic networks underlying the establishment of organ, tissue, and cellular identity, as well as the growth regulators acting across the body axes, are steadily being elucidated in the field. In this review, we summarise the wealth of research already at our fingertips to begin weaving together how separate processes involved in specifying organ identity within the flower may interact, providing a functional perspective on how identity determination and axial regulation may be coordinated to inform symmetrical floral organ structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Molecular Basis of Plant Developmental Diversity)
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