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Protein Metabolism in Plants and Algae under Abiotic Stress
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Protein Metabolism in Plants and Algae under Abiotic Stress

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2025) | Viewed by 8752

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Simone Landi

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Cinthia, I-80126 Naples, Italy
Interests: crops; landraces; glucose metabolism; NGS; abiotic stress; algal biotechnology; synthetic biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Daniela Castiglia

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare (CNR-ICB), Pozzuoli, Italy
Interests: microalgae; algal biotechnology; chloroplast transformation; recombinant proteins; extracellular vesicles; immune system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The improvement of plants so they can face adverse conditions remains a huge challenge for plant researchers. Photosynthetic organisms, including plants, macro and microalgae, are able to modify different aspects of their physiology and metabolism by adjusting their resilience and/or resistance to abiotic perturbations. This ability has important real-word consequences considering the climate change scenario and the effects of increasingly anthropogenic pollution.

This Special Issue is soliciting for papers and reviews that describe novel and innovative research in the field of protein metabolism in plants and algae subjected to abiotic stress in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Researchers are encouraged to submit papers that explore the roles, regulation and applications of proteins in response to conventional (e.g., drought, salinity, high and low temperatures) and modern-day (e.g. microplastics and nanoplastics) stresses. Further, papers focused on recombinant enzyme and engineering approaches in order to understand the role of proteins in the signalling and regulatory pathways involved in plant stress response are also welcomed.

Dr. Simone Landi
Dr. Daniela Castiglia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • abiotic stress
  • metabolic responses
  • engineering approaches
  • stress tolerance
  • drought
  • salinity
  • cold
  • microplastic
  • heavy metals

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 3073 KiB  
Article
Determination of the Toxic Effects of Heavy Metals on the Morpho-Anatomical Responses of the Leaf of Typha latifolia as a Biomonitoring Tool
by Nedjma Mamine, Nedjoud Grara, Fadila Khaldi, Viviana Maresca, Khaoula Aouaichia and Adriana Basile
Plants 2024, 13(2), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13020176 - 9 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2124
Abstract
Typha latifolia leaves act as sensitive barometers for trace heavy metal pollution, as revealed by their pronounced anatomical responses in a constructed wetland. Monthly water samples and Typha latifolia leaf tissue were collected over three consecutive months in 2018 from the Burgas Lake wetlands (Taoura), [...] Read more.
Typha latifolia leaves act as sensitive barometers for trace heavy metal pollution, as revealed by their pronounced anatomical responses in a constructed wetland. Monthly water samples and Typha latifolia leaf tissue were collected over three consecutive months in 2018 from the Burgas Lake wetlands (Taoura), northeast Algeria. While physical and chemical parameters improved after treatment, atomic absorption spectrometry (Perkin Elmer A Analyst 800 AAS) detected persistent trace levels of cadmium, chromium, and lead in both the treated water and leaf tissue, highlighting the need for continued phytoremediation efforts. Microscopic examination of leaf tissue exposed to these metals revealed distinct anatomical adaptations, including shrunken vascular bundles, altered cell shapes, and stomatal closure. These findings underscore Typha latifolia’s effectiveness in accumulating heavy metals and its potential as a highly sensitive biomonitor for persistent pollution in lake ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protein Metabolism in Plants and Algae under Abiotic Stress)
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11 pages, 1569 KiB  
Article
Seed Priming by Low-Dose Radiation Improves Growth of Lactuca sativa and Valerianella locusta
by Maria Cristina Sorrentino, Angelo Granata, Martina Cantalupo, Lorenzo Manti, Mariagabriella Pugliese, Simonetta Giordano, Fiore Capozzi and Valeria Spagnuolo
Plants 2024, 13(2), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13020165 - 8 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1752
Abstract
Valerian salad and lettuce are edible species that are easy to grow rapidly, and have traits useful for commercial purposes. The consumption of these species is increasing worldwide for their nutritional properties. Seed germination and seedling development are critical stages in the life [...] Read more.
Valerian salad and lettuce are edible species that are easy to grow rapidly, and have traits useful for commercial purposes. The consumption of these species is increasing worldwide for their nutritional properties. Seed germination and seedling development are critical stages in the life cycle of plants. Seed priming, including the use of high-energy radiation, is a set of techniques based on the idea that low stress levels stimulate plant responses, thereby improving seed germination and plant growth. In this study, we evaluated in hydroponic culture (i) the germination performance; (ii) morphological traits; and (iii) antioxidant and phenol contents at different endpoints in Lactuca sativa and Valerianella locusta that were developed from seeds exposed to X-rays (1 Gy and 10 Gy doses). Under radiation, biomass production increased in both species, especially in lettuce, where also a reduction in the mean germination time occurred. Radiation increased the level of phenols during the first growth weeks, under both doses for lettuce, and only 1 Gy was required for valerian salad. The species-specific responses observed in this research suggest that the use of radiations in seed priming needs to be customized to the species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protein Metabolism in Plants and Algae under Abiotic Stress)
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Review

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15 pages, 1003 KiB  
Review
Adaptable Alchemy: Exploring the Flexibility of Specialized Metabolites to Environmental Perturbations Through Post-Translational Modifications (PTMs)
by Luca Cimmino, Annalisa Staiti, Domenico Carputo, Teresa Docimo, Vincenzo D’Amelia and Riccardo Aversano
Plants 2025, 14(3), 489; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030489 - 6 Feb 2025
Viewed by 923
Abstract
Plants are subjected to various stresses during the growth process, including biotic stresses, as well as abiotic stresses such as temperature, drought, salt, and heavy metals. To cope with these biotic and abiotic adversities, plants have evolved complex regulatory mechanisms during their long-term [...] Read more.
Plants are subjected to various stresses during the growth process, including biotic stresses, as well as abiotic stresses such as temperature, drought, salt, and heavy metals. To cope with these biotic and abiotic adversities, plants have evolved complex regulatory mechanisms during their long-term environmental adaptations. In a suddenly changing environment, protein modifiers target other proteins to induce post-translational modification (PTM) in order to maintain cell homeostasis and protein biological activity in plants. PTMs modulate the activity of enzymes and transcription factors in their respective metabolic pathways, enabling plants to produce essential compounds for their survival under stress conditions. Examples of post-translational mechanisms include phosphorylation, ubiquitination, glycosylation, acetylation, protein–protein interactions, and targeted protein degradation. Furthermore, the role of histone modifications in regulating secondary metabolism deserves attention due to its potential impact on heritability and its contribution to stress tolerance. Understanding the epigenetic aspect of these modifications can provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying stress response. In this context, also examining PTMs that impact the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites is meaningful. Secondary metabolites encompass a wide range of compounds such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids. These secondary metabolites play a crucial role in plant defense against herbivores, pathogens, and oxidative stress. In this context, it is imperative to understand the contribution of secondary metabolism to plant tolerance to abiotic stresses and how this understanding can be leveraged to improve long-term survival. While many studies have focused on the transcriptional regulation of these metabolites, there is a growing interest in understanding various changes in PTMs, such as acetylation, glycosylation, and phosphorylation, that are able to modulate plants’ response to environmental conditions. In conclusion, a comprehensive exploration of post-translational mechanisms in secondary metabolism can enhance our understanding of plant responses to abiotic stress. This knowledge holds promise for future applications in genetic improvement and breeding strategies aimed at increasing plant resilience to environmental challenges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protein Metabolism in Plants and Algae under Abiotic Stress)
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17 pages, 1656 KiB  
Review
Plastic in the Environment: A Modern Type of Abiotic Stress for Plant Physiology
by Giorgia Santini, Daniela Castiglia, Maryanna Martina Perrotta, Simone Landi, Giulia Maisto and Sergio Esposito
Plants 2023, 12(21), 3717; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12213717 - 29 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2862
Abstract
In recent years, plastic pollution has become a growing environmental concern: more than 350 million tons of plastic material are produced annually. Although many efforts have been made to recycle waste, a significant proportion of these plastics contaminate and accumulate in the environment. [...] Read more.
In recent years, plastic pollution has become a growing environmental concern: more than 350 million tons of plastic material are produced annually. Although many efforts have been made to recycle waste, a significant proportion of these plastics contaminate and accumulate in the environment. A central point in plastic pollution is demonstrated by the evidence that plastic objects gradually and continuously split up into smaller pieces, thus producing subtle and invisible pollution caused by microplastics (MP) and nanoplastics (NP). The small dimensions of these particles allow for the diffusion of these contaminants in farmlands, forest, freshwater, and oceans worldwide, posing serious menaces to human, animal, and plant health. The uptake of MPs and NPs into plant cells seriously affects plant growth, development, and photosynthesis, finally limiting crop yields and endangering natural environmental biodiversity. Furthermore, nano- and microplastics—once adsorbed by plants—can easily enter the food chain, being highly toxic to animals and humans. This review addresses the impacts of MP and NP particles on plants in the terrestrial environment. In particular, we provide an overview here of the detrimental effects of photosynthetic injuries, oxidative stress, ROS production, and protein damage triggered by MN and NP in higher plants and, more specifically, in crops. The possible damage at the physiological and environmental levels is discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protein Metabolism in Plants and Algae under Abiotic Stress)
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