Biotic and Abiotic Stresses: Epigenetic and Transcriptional Control of Plant Adaptation

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are continuously exposed to diverse biotic stresses (such as pathogens, insects, and viruses) and abiotic stresses (including heat, drought, salinity, and elevated CO₂). These factors threaten plant growth, productivity, and global food security. As climate change intensifies environmental fluctuations, understanding how plants sense, respond, and adapt to these stresses is essential for improving crop resilience and sustainability.

This Special Issue aims to advance our understanding of plant responses to environmental stresses at the molecular, physiological, biochemical, transcriptional, and epigenetic levels. We encourage submissions that use innovative tools and integrative approaches—from molecular genetics and gene expression analysis to epigenomics, multi-omics, and systems biology—to elucidate the mechanisms underlying plant adaptation, stress tolerance, and resilience. Studies investigating epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and chromatin remodeling in relation to gene expression and stress memory are particularly encouraged. Both fundamental and applied studies are welcome, including research that connects laboratory findings to field performance.

We invite submissions related to (but not limited to) the following topics:

• Molecular and physiological responses to biotic and abiotic stresses;
• Gene expression, transcriptional networks, and signaling pathways under stress;
• Post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation in stress adaptation;
• Epigenetic regulation (DNA methylation, histone modification, and chromatin remodeling);
• Functional roles of stress-related genes, proteins, and metabolites;
• Omics approaches, including transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and epigenomics;
• Genome editing and biotechnological strategies to improve stress tolerance;
• Stress memory, priming, and heritable adaptation mechanisms;
• Integrative studies connecting molecular, physiological, and field-level responses.

Dr. Sarfraz Shafiq
Dr. Emilie Widemann
Dr. Muhammad Imran
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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