Physiologia plantarum最新文献

Anthocyanins, natural pigments prevalent in diverse crops, have garnered substantial interest due to their application in the food, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries, as well as their potential health benefits. However, the low rate of anthocyanin biosynthesis in most crops limits their large-scale production and utilization. Consequently, elucidating the biosynthetic and transport pathways of anthocyanins, particularly through the identification of key genes and regulatory mechanisms, has become a critical research focus for enhancing anthocyanin production. In this study, we analyze the anthocyanin content across various crops, revealing their widespread presence in plants but with great interspecies variation in concentration. We further evaluate their health benefits, particularly their potential medical applications, such as antidiabetic, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. Additionally, we explore key molecular pathways, including critical enzymes and transcription factors that regulate anthocyanin biosynthesis, intracellular transport, and storage. We systematically review feasible biotechnological strategies to boost anthocyanin yields in crops, such as genetic and metabolic engineering. By synthesizing this knowledge, our study explores key regulatory factors that could optimize anthocyanin biosynthesis efficiency. This work holds promise for advancing their applications in dietary supplementation and therapeutic interventions, ultimately benefiting human health.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) that can break down 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC), an ethylene precursor, by ACC deaminase enzymes (ACCd) to reduce ethylene production in plants may enhance plant tolerance to drought stress. This study aimed to identify genes in plant roots regulated by ACCd-bacteria under drought stress and re-watering and to determine major molecular factors and associated metabolic pathways for ACCd bacteria-enhanced drought tolerance and post-stress recovery in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera). Transcriptomic analysis was performed in root tissues from plants inoculated with a novel strain of ACCd-producing bacteria, Paraburkholderia aspalathi "WSF23," under well-watered conditions, 35 days of drought stress, and 15 days of re-watering. ACCd bacteria inoculation resulted in differential expression of 53 genes under drought stress. Genes up-regulated in inoculated roots during drought stress included SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) protease OTS1, an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH2), desiccation-related protein (DRP) gene pcC-13362, cell wall structure and elasticity (TBL27), and antioxidant metabolism (DJ-1C and 1CYSPRXA). For post-drought recovery, inoculated plants differentially expressed 160 genes, including up-regulation of DNA repair (RAD6), signal transduction (WRKY72), root growth and development (D10, WRKY74, ERF3), nitrogen transport (DUR3), and osmoregulation (CIPK23), as well as up-regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis pathways. These findings help to explain the molecular mechanisms associated with ACCd bacteria-mediated drought stress tolerance and post-drought recovery in cool-season perennial grass species, contributing to sustainable methods of reducing water use in turfgrass management.

Closed forests are usually characterized by a complex canopy structure that results in dramatic vertical variation in micro-environmental conditions within the tree crown. There is still limited understanding of how plants adjust to vertical gradients in biophysical variables within tree crowns to regulate leaf non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) dynamics and leaf elemental stoichiometry. To enhance the understanding of leaf adaptive strategies across different crown positions, we measured leaf NSC concentrations, elemental composition (C, N, P, K, and Ca), and key morphological features like leaf thickness, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf water content, and equivalent water thickness at the upper and lower crowns of 13 mature temperate tree species. We found that vertical variation in microclimate, particularly the differences in light availability and air temperature, significantly influenced leaf NSC concentrations, with leaves in the lower crown exhibiting consistently higher NSC levels. Leaf nutrient traits also varied with crown position and were closely associated with changes in leaf morphological characteristics, indicating coordinated adjustments in resource acquisition strategies along the vertical canopy gradient. In contrast, while NSC-to-nutrient ratios declined with increasing crown position, the C:N:P stoichiometric ratios remained largely stable across crown positions. Together, these results suggest that trees maintain relatively stable elemental stoichiometry while allowing flexible NSC allocation and trait coordination to cope with strong vertical microclimatic heterogeneity in closed-canopy forests.

Waterlogging damage has seriously affected the growth and development of rapeseed, which has become a major problem in rapeseed production. Trimetazidine hydrochloride (TMZ) is a metabolic agent that can inhibit fatty acid oxidation and promote sugar oxidation. In order to study the effect of TMZ on the waterlogging tolerance of rapeseed, this study selected the waterlogging-sensitive Brassica napus inbred line YZ59 as the experimental material, and studied the effects of different concentrations of TMZ treatment on the phenotype, physiology, and gene transcription of waterlogged rapeseed at the germination stage and four-leaf stage. The results showed that 200 mg L^-1 TMZ treatment significantly alleviated the growth inhibition of rapeseed at the germination stage and increased the seedling rate by 92.5%. Compared with waterlogged rapeseed, after 4 days of 80 mg L^-1 TMZ treatment, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity, free proline (Pro) content, and relative conductivity of waterlogged rapeseed at the four-leaf stage increased by 18.1%, 20.8%, 142.2%, and 11.5%, respectively. Lipoxygenase (LOX) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased by 27.9% and 22.6%, respectively. Transcriptome sequencing results showed that, compared with waterlogged rapeseed, TMZ treatment could induce the differential expression of key genes in various waterlogging-related pathways in waterlogged rapeseed. Comprehensive analysis showed that TMZ could improve waterlogging tolerance of rapeseed by promoting antioxidant defense and osmotic adjustment, inhibiting fatty acid oxidation, accelerating glycolysis, and promoting photosynthesis efficiency. Various hormones, such as ethylene (ET), abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), and brassinosteroid (BRs), could regulate this process through mutual synergy or antagonism.

Phosphorus (P) scarcity severely limits crop productivity; yet, mechanisms balancing P allocation between vegetative and reproductive organs remain unclear. Here, we identify OsPH-2 as a phosphate-responsive regulator in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Under low-P (LP) conditions, OsPHI-2 is transcriptionally repressed by the KNOX family factor OSH1 (KNOX family class 1 homeobox gene of rice), which directly binds its promoter. CRISPR-edited OsPHI-2 knockout lines exhibited enhanced biomass and adaptive root-shoot resource allocation under LP, whereas overexpression lines showed impaired panicle development and reduced grain yield. This repression fine-tunes P partitioning by modulating expression of transporters (OsPT2, OsPHO1;2) and vacuolar effluxes (OsVPE1), prioritizing reproductive over vegetative sinks. Haplotype analysis indicated that subspecies-specific P remobilization strategies may be associated with OsPHI-2. Under P deficiency, Indica rice rapidly suppresses OsPHI-2 expression to preferentially remobilize P to panicles, thereby enhancing adaptation to low-P environments. Our study uncovers an OSH1-OsPHI-2 module that coordinates P allocation, providing a genetic target for improving P-use efficiency in rice.

Balancing growth and immunity pose a fundamental challenge for plants, as investment in defence mechanisms often comes at the cost of growth and development, and vice versa. Ecological theories, particularly those based on principles of economic optimality, propose that plants strategically allocate resources between these competing processes to optimize fitness. Recent advances in multi-omics technologies have provided deep insights into the complex molecular architecture governing growth-defence trade-offs, identifying transcriptional cascades as key regulators of resource allocation. Within this regulatory landscape, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as critical modulators, fine-tuning the expression of genes involved in both developmental and immune pathways. This review synthesizes current understanding of how ncRNAs mediate the growth-defence balance in plants. We discuss specific ncRNAs that act as regulatory hubs within feedback circuits, their interactions with phytohormonal signalling networks, and the potential of harnessing these mechanisms for precision crop improvement. Ultimately, decoding the functional framework of ncRNA-driven regulation presents new opportunities to develop high-yielding, stress-resilient crop varieties that can bypass the constraints of conventional growth-defence trade-offs, thereby supporting sustainable agricultural productivity amid growing environmental pressures.

In the Pooideae subfamily, resistance to insect herbivores often depends on a defensive mutualism with Epichloë fungal endophytes, which produce anti-invertebrate alkaloids such as lolines and peramine. Herbivory can induce alkaloid accumulation and enhance endophyte-conferred resistance, a response interpreted as analogous to classical herbivore-induced resistance in plants. Yet, abiotic stressors, particularly drought, also stimulate alkaloid production and resistance, suggesting a more general response linked to oxidative stress. Despite these insights, no quantitative synthesis exists, and the regulation of alkaloid induction under stress remains poorly understood. Using a meta-analysis, we synthesized published data to test whether herbivory or drought enhance Epichloë-mediated resistance and increase the in planta concentrations of lolines and peramine. Both stressors significantly elevated resistance, associated with higher alkaloid concentrations, particularly lolines. Peramine increased under drought but not consistently with herbivory. Published molecular and biochemical studies implicate oxidative stress, particularly changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, in regulating alkaloid production through precursor accumulation and fungal signaling pathways involving NADPH oxidases and stress-activated MAP kinases. Given that Epichloë enhances plant tolerance to stress and that ROS play a key role in the plant-endophyte communication, we propose that alkaloid induction and herbivore resistance are beneficial by-products of endophyte-mediated stress responses, rather than solely adaptive outcomes of coevolution with herbivores. This perspective highlights how herbivory and drought converge on oxidative stress pathways to modulate plant-endophyte associations, with implications for plant defense under climate-driven stress scenarios.

Plants in high latitude regions frequently experience cold stress, which strongly constrains plant growth and development. Although arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can form beneficial symbiotic relationships with plants, their role in mediating anatomical adaptations under different temperature regimes remains insufficiently understood. In this study, we investigated how inoculation with the AMF Funneliformis mosseae influences anatomical responses in Hordeum jubatum under contrasting temperature conditions using detailed microscopic analysis. Under normal temperature conditions, AMF inoculation promoted significant improvements in plant anatomical structures. Stomatal dimensions including length, width and area showed marked increases alongside elevated stomatal density. Leaf tissues exhibited enhanced development, particularly in vascular and epidermal components, while root systems displayed an expanded radius, greater cortical thickness and larger metaxylem area. These coordinated modifications demonstrated a comprehensive optimization throughout the root-leaf continuum. In contrast, under cold stress conditions, the positive effects of fungal inoculation were substantially diminished. Although a few traits, such as abaxial epidermal thickness and root cortical cell area, showed partial improvement, most anatomical parameters exhibited minimal responses to fungal treatments at low temperatures. This pronounced contrast between temperature regimes highlights the limited capacity of this single fungal strain to support anatomical adaptations under cold stress. These findings provide important insights into plant-microbe interactions under challenging environmental conditions and demonstrate that AMF-mediated benefits are strongly temperature dependent. Our work advances the understanding of the contextual nature of plant-AMF relationships and offers valuable anatomical perspectives for developing improved strategies to enhance plant resilience in cold-climate ecosystems.

Lignin deposition in stone cells is critical for pear fruit quality. However, calcium ions (Ca²⁺) exert critical regulatory effects on fruit growth and development. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms underlying Ca²⁺-mediated stone cell formation in pear remain poorly characterized. Our study revealed that exogenous application of CaCl₂ decreased lignified stone cell formation in "Nanguoli" (Pyrus ussuriensis) fruits and significantly downregulated the expression of lignin biosynthesis-related genes laccase7 (PuLAC7) and peroxidase42 (PuPRX42). Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) identified a transcription factor, PuMYB73, which was significantly inhibited by CaCl₂ in pear fruit stone cell formation and lignin accumulation. Yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity analysis revealed that PuMYB73 directly binds and activates lignin biosynthesis genes PuPRX42 and PuLAC7 promoters, thereby decreasing PuPRX42 and PuLAC7 expression after CaCl₂ treatment. Strikingly, PuMYB73 interacts with PuNAC21 to form a Ca²⁺-responsive module, lowering the transcription of PuPRX42 and PuLAC7 after Ca²⁺ treatment, which contributed to decreasing pear stone cell production. Collectively, exogenous CaCl₂ treatment inhibits stone cell and lignin biosynthesis in pears mediated by the PuMYB73-PuNAC21 regulatory module. Our results revealed that the Ca²⁺-PuMYB73-PuNAC21-PuLAC7/PuPRX42 regulatory module inhibits lignin biosynthesis, providing important insights into reducing stone cell content in pear via molecular breeding.

As droughts become more common due to climate change, plant survival may rely not only on its immediate response but also on what it has learned from past challenges. However, we still know little about how plants integrate different types of experiences, such as recurrent drought and hormonal cues, from previous generations. In this study, we examined whether clonal offspring of a grass species, Festuca rubra, previously exposed to drought, stress hormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA), or their combination inherited biological memories that help them tolerate new drought stress. We combined untargeted LC-MS metabolomics with morpho-physiological measurements to evaluate these memory effects. We found that each type of memory changed plant metabolism and physiology, but the most notable changes occurred when both memories were present, and plants faced recurrent drought conditions again. This interaction between drought memory, MeJA memory, and current stress did not just add effects; it created entirely new metabolic responses, not seen in any single treatment. These combined memories fine-tuned water conservation, photosynthesis, and extensive metabolomic reshuffling, revealing a deeper level of drought resilience. Our results uncover a layered memory system in plants where past stresses do not act in isolation but interact to reshape future responses. This offers new insight into how plants prepare for stress and suggests practical strategies for priming drought tolerance across plant generations.