Genetic and Biochemical Mechanisms of Abiotic Stress Responses in Phototropic Organisms

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 3621

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
Interests: abiotic stress; biochemistry; biotechnology; bioinformatics; genetics; hormonal signaling; physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Agronomy, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh
Interests: plant abiotic stress; crops; physiology; oxidative stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Phototropic organisms are regularly exposed to changing environmental conditions during their lifetime. Environmental stresses caused by global climate change are exerting adverse effects on growth, development, survival, and yield. Studies are needed on the morphological, physiological, biochemical, molecular, and metabolic responses observed in phototrophic species and accessions that are tolerant or resistant to environmental stresses with a view to the functional characterization of genes involved in adaptation processes.

This Special Issue aims to bring together knowledge on phenotypic, genomic, genetic, and metabolomic responses in plants and algae to environmental stresses. Information related to morphological, physiological, biochemical, metabolomic, and genetic mechanisms for tolerance and the associated problem of environmental stress will be addressed. 

Dr. Chien Van Ha
Dr. Gopal Saha
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant
  • algae
  • environmental stress
  • genetics
  • genomics
  • growth and development
  • metabolites
  • phenotype
  • photosynthesis
  • transcription

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 20035 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Ca2+/Cation Antiporter Gene Family in Rosa roxburghii and Enhanced Calcium Stress Tolerance via Heterologous Expression of RrCAX1a in Tobacco
by Tuo Zeng, Liyong Zhu, Wenwen Su, Lei Gu, Hongcheng Wang, Xuye Du, Bin Zhu, Caiyun Wang and Di Wu
Plants 2024, 13(24), 3582; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13243582 - 22 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 866
Abstract
Rosa roxburghii, a calciphilic species native to the mountainous regions of Southwest China, is renowned for its high vitamin C and bioactive components, making it valuable for culinary and medicinal uses. This species exhibits remarkable tolerance to the high-calcium conditions typical of [...] Read more.
Rosa roxburghii, a calciphilic species native to the mountainous regions of Southwest China, is renowned for its high vitamin C and bioactive components, making it valuable for culinary and medicinal uses. This species exhibits remarkable tolerance to the high-calcium conditions typical of karst terrains. However, the underlying mechanisms of this calcium resilience remain unclear. The Ca2+/cation antiporter (CaCA) superfamily plays a vital role in the transport of Ca2+ and other cations and is crucial for plant tolerance to metal stress. However, the roles and evolutionary significance of the CaCA superfamily members in R. roxburghii remain poorly understood. This study identified 22 CaCA superfamily genes in R. roxburghii, categorized into four subfamilies. The gene structures of these RrCaCAs show considerable conservation across related species. Selection pressure analysis revealed that all RrCaCAs are subject to purifying selection. The promoter regions of these genes contain numerous hormone-responsive and stress-related elements. qRT-PCR analyses demonstrated that H+/cation exchanger (CAX) RrCAX1a and RrCAX3a were highly responsive to Ca2+ stress, cation/Ca2+ exchanger (CCX) RrCCX4 to Mg2+ stress, and RrCCX11a to Na+ stress. Subcellular localization indicated that RrCAX1a is localized to the plant cell membrane, and its stable transformation in tobacco confirmed its ability to confer enhanced resistance to heavy Ca2+ stresses, highlighting its crucial role in the high-calcium tolerance mechanisms of R. roxburghii. This research establishes a foundation for further molecular-level functional analyses of the adaptation mechanisms of R. roxburghii to high-calcium environments. Full article
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14 pages, 2020 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Bacillus pacificus G124 and Its Promoting Role in Plant Growth and Drought Tolerance
by Xiaolan Ma, Benyin Zhang, Xin Xiang, Wenjing Li, Jiao Li, Yang Li, Lam-Son Phan Tran and Hengxia Yin
Plants 2024, 13(20), 2864; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13202864 - 13 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2308
Abstract
Drought represents a major environmental threat to global agricultural productivity. Employing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) offers a promising strategy to enhance plant growth and resilience under drought stress. In this study, the strain G124, isolated from the arid region of Qinghai, was characterized [...] Read more.
Drought represents a major environmental threat to global agricultural productivity. Employing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) offers a promising strategy to enhance plant growth and resilience under drought stress. In this study, the strain G124, isolated from the arid region of Qinghai, was characterized at the molecular level, and its ability to enhance plant drought tolerance was validated through pot experiments. The findings revealed that the strain G124 belongs to Bacillus pacificus, with a 99.93% sequence similarity with B. pacificus EB422 and clustered within the same clade. Further analysis indicated that the strain G124 demonstrated a variety of growth-promoting characteristics, including siderophore production, phosphate solubilization, and the synthesis of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), among others. Moreover, inoculation with B. pacificus G124 resulted in significant enhancements in plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll content, relative water content, and root development in both Arabidopsis thaliana and Medicago sativa seedlings under drought conditions. Additionally, G124 boosted antioxidant enzyme activities and osmolyte accumulation, while reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in M. sativa seedlings exposed to drought. These findings suggest that B. pacificus G124 holds significant promise for enhancing plant drought tolerance and could be effectively utilized in crop management strategies under arid conditions. Full article
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