RNA polymerase V (Pol V) is a plant-specific RNA polymerase that plays a central role in RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) and transcriptional silencing. In Arabidopsis thaliana, Pol V synthesizes scaffold noncoding RNAs that are recognized through small interfering RNAs bound to AGO4/AGO6, thereby recruiting de novo DNA methyltransferases and maintaining genome stability. Beyond transposable element repression, Pol V modulates developmental and stress-responsive gene expression and influences specialized metabolic pathways, including the biosynthesis of flavonoids, phenolic acids, phytoalexins and terpenoids that underpin defence, oxidative stress tolerance and environmental adaptation. Despite major structural and mechanistic advances, key questions remain regarding the determinants of Pol V recruitment specificity, its crosstalk with histone modifications and chromatin remodelers, and the extent to which its functions are conserved and exploitable in crops. Future work should define Pol V targets within phenylpropanoid and jasmonate-regulated defence pathways and integrate epigenomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling under stress to resolve how Pol V-dependent RdDM reprograms metabolic flux. Harnessing Pol V via synthetic biology and programmable RdDM platforms could enable precise epigenetic tuning of metabolite output, supporting crop varieties with enhanced phytonutrient content, pathogen resistance, abiotic stress tolerance and improved food quality. These advances will inform rational, climate-resilient epigenetic breeding strategies.
RNA聚合酶V （RNA polymerase V, Pol V）是一种植物特异性RNA聚合酶，在RNA定向DNA甲基化（RNA-directed DNA methylation, RdDM）和转录沉默中起核心作用。在拟南芥中，Pol V合成支架非编码rna，通过与AGO4/AGO6结合的小干扰rna识别，从而招募新的DNA甲基转移酶并维持基因组稳定性。除了转座因子抑制外，Pol V还调节发育和应激反应基因表达，并影响专门的代谢途径，包括黄酮类化合物、酚酸、植物抗毒素和萜类化合物的生物合成，这些物质支持防御、氧化应激耐受性和环境适应。尽管在结构和机制方面取得了重大进展，但关于Pol V募集特异性的决定因素、其与组蛋白修饰和染色质重塑物的串扰以及其功能在作物中保存和利用的程度等关键问题仍然存在。未来的工作应该在苯丙素和茉莉酸调节的防御途径中确定Pol V靶点，并整合应激下的表观基因组学、转录组学和代谢组学分析，以解决Pol V依赖性RdDM如何重编程代谢通量。通过合成生物学和可编程RdDM平台利用Pol V可以实现代谢物输出的精确表观遗传调节，支持作物品种提高植物营养素含量，抗病原体，抗非生物胁迫和改善食品质量。这些进展将为合理的、适应气候变化的表观遗传育种策略提供信息。
{"title":"Biochemical perspectives and epigenetic regulation: Insights from RNA Polymerase V in Arabidopsis thaliana","authors":"Misbah Naz, Xiaosi Bu, Yuqi Bin, Zhibing Rui, Haowen Ni, Zhuo Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>RNA polymerase V (Pol V) is a plant-specific RNA polymerase that plays a central role in RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) and transcriptional silencing. In <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em>, Pol V synthesizes scaffold noncoding RNAs that are recognized through small interfering RNAs bound to AGO4/AGO6, thereby recruiting de novo DNA methyltransferases and maintaining genome stability. Beyond transposable element repression, Pol V modulates developmental and stress-responsive gene expression and influences specialized metabolic pathways, including the biosynthesis of flavonoids, phenolic acids, phytoalexins and terpenoids that underpin defence, oxidative stress tolerance and environmental adaptation. Despite major structural and mechanistic advances, key questions remain regarding the determinants of Pol V recruitment specificity, its crosstalk with histone modifications and chromatin remodelers, and the extent to which its functions are conserved and exploitable in crops. Future work should define Pol V targets within phenylpropanoid and jasmonate-regulated defence pathways and integrate epigenomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling under stress to resolve how Pol V-dependent RdDM reprograms metabolic flux. Harnessing Pol V via synthetic biology and programmable RdDM platforms could enable precise epigenetic tuning of metabolite output, supporting crop varieties with enhanced phytonutrient content, pathogen resistance, abiotic stress tolerance and improved food quality. These advances will inform rational, climate-resilient epigenetic breeding strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 101268"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146191169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2026.101264
Sarbjeet Kaur , Deeksha Padhiar , Uday C. Jha , Mohar Singh , Kamal Dev Sharma , P.V.Vara Prasad , Kadambot H.M. Siddique , Harsh Nayyar
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a vital pulse crop that contributes significantly to global nutrition and food security. However, its narrow genetic base limits improvement for tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Wild relatives of chickpea, comprising 44 species across the primary, secondary, and tertiary gene pools, represent an invaluable reservoir of genetic variation that can help overcome these limitations. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the role of wild Cicer species in enhancing chickpea resilience. Annual species such as C. reticulatum, C. echinospermum, and C. pinnatifidum confer drought and cold tolerance, while the recently described C. turcicum shows adaptation to heat stress. Perennial species, including C. microphyllum and C. anatolicum, thrive in extreme environments and contribute traits for drought and cold tolerance. Several wild accessions also exhibit resistance to major biotic stresses such as Fusarium wilt, Ascochyta blight, and nematodes. Advances in molecular genetics and genomics have accelerated the discovery of quantitative trait loci, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, and candidate genes associated with these adaptive traits, facilitating their use in pre-breeding, marker-assisted selection, and comparative genomics. Nonetheless, challenges such as cross-incompatibility, linkage drag, and limited pre-breeding efforts persist. Innovative techniques, including embryo rescue, tissue culture, and genome editing, offer promising solutions to these barriers. Harnessing the genetic potential of wild Cicer species is therefore crucial for developing climate-resilient, high-yielding cultivars. Integrating genomics, advanced phenotyping, and pre-breeding will be key to realizing this potential and ensuring sustainable chickpea production for future food and nutrition security.
{"title":"Harnessing wild Cicer for climate-resilient chickpea: Genetic resources, traits, and genomics insights","authors":"Sarbjeet Kaur , Deeksha Padhiar , Uday C. Jha , Mohar Singh , Kamal Dev Sharma , P.V.Vara Prasad , Kadambot H.M. Siddique , Harsh Nayyar","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101264","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101264","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chickpea (<em>Cicer arietinum</em> L.) is a vital pulse crop that contributes significantly to global nutrition and food security. However, its narrow genetic base limits improvement for tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Wild relatives of chickpea, comprising 44 species across the primary, secondary, and tertiary gene pools, represent an invaluable reservoir of genetic variation that can help overcome these limitations. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the role of wild <em>Cicer</em> species in enhancing chickpea resilience. Annual species such as <em>C. reticulatum, C. echinospermum</em>, and <em>C. pinnatifidum</em> confer drought and cold tolerance, while the recently described <em>C. turcicum</em> shows adaptation to heat stress. Perennial species, including <em>C. microphyllum</em> and <em>C. anatolicum</em>, thrive in extreme environments and contribute traits for drought and cold tolerance. Several wild accessions also exhibit resistance to major biotic stresses such as Fusarium wilt, Ascochyta blight, and nematodes. Advances in molecular genetics and genomics have accelerated the discovery of quantitative trait loci, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, and candidate genes associated with these adaptive traits, facilitating their use in pre-breeding, marker-assisted selection, and comparative genomics. Nonetheless, challenges such as cross-incompatibility, linkage drag, and limited pre-breeding efforts persist. Innovative techniques, including embryo rescue, tissue culture, and genome editing, offer promising solutions to these barriers. Harnessing the genetic potential of wild <em>Cicer</em> species is therefore crucial for developing climate-resilient, high-yielding cultivars. Integrating genomics, advanced phenotyping, and pre-breeding will be key to realizing this potential and ensuring sustainable chickpea production for future food and nutrition security.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 101264"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146191171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2026.101267
Aaqib Shaheen , Yingying Yang , Gulmeena Shah , Hafeez Ali Bhatti , Zheng Li , Hao Li
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a vital crop in arid and semi-arid regions, requiring sustainable intensification to ensure global food security. The growing impacts of climate change are worsening abiotic stresses in wheat production worldwide, where drought, high salinity, temperature extremes, and heavy metal toxicity are key factors reducing yields. These stressors impair wheat development by disrupting physiological and biochemical pathways, while triggering complex cellular responses that modulate stress-related gene expression. Biostimulants offer a sustainable approach to enhance wheat resilience and productivity, while decreasing reliance on traditional agrochemicals. However, their widespread adoption faces hurdles, including an incomplete understanding of the mechanistic pathways. Biostimulants enhance plant growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and stress resilience by upregulating antioxidant systems while supporting sustainable agricultural practices that balance productivity with ecological preservation. To address abiotic stress challenges and enhance wheat productivity, the application of nanoparticles in agriculture offers a promising approach by improving nutrient utilization and ultimately increasing yield. The interaction between nanoparticles and wheat plants can lead to both minor and major impacts on the ultimate grain yield, affecting a range of physiological and biochemical processes. These impacts, however, differ based on the type of nanoparticles involved and are further shaped by factors like the duration of exposure and the conditions in which the plants grow. This highlights the challenges that must be addressed and the opportunities that should be explored to enhance the use of biostimulants in sustainable agriculture, especially for wheat cultivation. This review seeks to provide researchers, breeders, and agronomists with a framework for utilizing biostimulants to enhance crop resilience against climate change.
{"title":"From stress to success: Biostimulants and nanotechnology-driven strategies to enhance wheat resilience under abiotic stress","authors":"Aaqib Shaheen , Yingying Yang , Gulmeena Shah , Hafeez Ali Bhatti , Zheng Li , Hao Li","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101267","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101267","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wheat (<em>Triticum aestivum</em> L.) is a vital crop in arid and semi-arid regions, requiring sustainable intensification to ensure global food security. The growing impacts of climate change are worsening abiotic stresses in wheat production worldwide, where drought, high salinity, temperature extremes, and heavy metal toxicity are key factors reducing yields. These stressors impair wheat development by disrupting physiological and biochemical pathways, while triggering complex cellular responses that modulate stress-related gene expression. Biostimulants offer a sustainable approach to enhance wheat resilience and productivity, while decreasing reliance on traditional agrochemicals. However, their widespread adoption faces hurdles, including an incomplete understanding of the mechanistic pathways. Biostimulants enhance plant growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and stress resilience by upregulating antioxidant systems while supporting sustainable agricultural practices that balance productivity with ecological preservation. To address abiotic stress challenges and enhance wheat productivity, the application of nanoparticles in agriculture offers a promising approach by improving nutrient utilization and ultimately increasing yield. The interaction between nanoparticles and wheat plants can lead to both minor and major impacts on the ultimate grain yield, affecting a range of physiological and biochemical processes. These impacts, however, differ based on the type of nanoparticles involved and are further shaped by factors like the duration of exposure and the conditions in which the plants grow. This highlights the challenges that must be addressed and the opportunities that should be explored to enhance the use of biostimulants in sustainable agriculture, especially for wheat cultivation. This review seeks to provide researchers, breeders, and agronomists with a framework for utilizing biostimulants to enhance crop resilience against climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 101267"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146191172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2026.101266
Maria Jose Estay , Carolina Sanhueza , Néstor Fernández del Saz , Luisa Bascuñan-Godoy , José Ortiz
During drought stress and subsequent recovery, plants adjust their water–carbon dynamics, typically increasing intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) and mobilizing non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) pools. However, in tree species, the physiological and metabolic changes underlying these adjustments remains poorly understood because their larger size, slower turnover rates, and complex compartmentalization of carbon and water fluxes make difficult to capture coordinated whole-plant responses under natural drought–recovery cycles. In Porlieria chilensis, a species currently classified as vulnerable, we performed short- and long-term drought experiments, followed by recovery conditions in juvenile trees to investigate sugar-mediated responses associated with the dynamics of NSC, iWUE and primary metabolites by combining enzymatic activities, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, respiration rates and omics technologies. Long-term drought increased significantly iWUEmes (integrating mesophyll conductance and δ¹³C) due to stomatal closure, and decreased starch content coinciding with an inactivation of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) activity. Short-term recovery restored photosynthetic activities to pre-stress levels, while long-term recovery triggered the upregulation of several sugar-related enzymes to replenish NSC pools, and the accumulation of metabolites involved in osmotic regulation and polyamine metabolism. We concluded that a sugar futile cycle may help to sustain leaf carbon metabolism, supporting osmotic balance and carbon reserves during prolonged drought and recovery in this species. Overall, these findings improved understanding of carbon dynamics and stress-induced metabolic imprinting in woody species, providing insights for restoration strategies and predicting plant responses to climate change.
{"title":"Metabolic and physiological coordination of drought response and recovery in Porlieria chilensis","authors":"Maria Jose Estay , Carolina Sanhueza , Néstor Fernández del Saz , Luisa Bascuñan-Godoy , José Ortiz","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101266","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101266","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During drought stress and subsequent recovery, plants adjust their water–carbon dynamics, typically increasing intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) and mobilizing non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) pools. However, in tree species, the physiological and metabolic changes underlying these adjustments remains poorly understood because their larger size, slower turnover rates, and complex compartmentalization of carbon and water fluxes make difficult to capture coordinated whole-plant responses under natural drought–recovery cycles. In <em>Porlieria chilensis</em>, a species currently classified as vulnerable, we performed short- and long-term drought experiments, followed by recovery conditions in juvenile trees to investigate sugar-mediated responses associated with the dynamics of NSC, iWUE and primary metabolites by combining enzymatic activities, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, respiration rates and omics technologies. Long-term drought increased significantly iWUEmes (integrating mesophyll conductance and δ¹³C) due to stomatal closure, and decreased starch content coinciding with an inactivation of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) activity. Short-term recovery restored photosynthetic activities to pre-stress levels, while long-term recovery triggered the upregulation of several sugar-related enzymes to replenish NSC pools, and the accumulation of metabolites involved in osmotic regulation and polyamine metabolism. We concluded that a sugar futile cycle may help to sustain leaf carbon metabolism, supporting osmotic balance and carbon reserves during prolonged drought and recovery in this species. Overall, these findings improved understanding of carbon dynamics and stress-induced metabolic imprinting in woody species, providing insights for restoration strategies and predicting plant responses to climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 101266"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146191226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2026.101265
Rashid Jamei , Ommolbanin Onsori , Mahdi Jamei
Salinity stress is a major abiotic constraint limiting agricultural productivity worldwide, a challenge that is expected to intensify under climate change and unsustainable land-use practices. Salinity disrupts plant growth through osmotic stress, ionic toxicity, nutrient imbalance, oxidative damage, and extensive reprogramming of physiological and molecular processes. Although plants possess intrinsic adaptive mechanisms, conventional strategies for managing salinity stress remain insufficient to ensure sustainable crop production. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach to enhance plant resilience against salinity stress by improving nutrient use efficiency, modulating stress signaling pathways, and reinforcing antioxidant defense systems. This review critically synthesizes current knowledge on the roles of nanoparticles (NPs) in mitigating salinity stress in plants, with a particular focus on their uptake, translocation, and interactions at physiological, molecular, and epigenetic levels. We discuss how engineered NPs influence ion homeostasis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulation, hormonal balance, gene expression, and epigenetic modifications that collectively underpin enhanced salt tolerance. Special attention is given to NP-mediated regulation of key transporters, stress-responsive genes, antioxidant enzymes, and signaling networks, as well as emerging evidence for nano-enabled stress memory and epigenetic priming. Furthermore, the review highlights the dual nature of NPs, emphasizing both their potential as nano-fertilizers and plant biostimulants, as well as the associated risks of phytotoxicity, environmental persistence, and food-chain safety concerns. Finally, we outline critical knowledge gaps, regulatory challenges, and future research directions necessary for translating laboratory-scale findings into safe, effective, and field-applicable nano-enabled strategies. Overall, this work provides an integrative framework for understanding NP–plant–salinity interactions and underscores the potential of nanotechnology to support sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural systems.
{"title":"Nanoparticles and salinity stress: Emerging insights into plant responses and stress mitigation","authors":"Rashid Jamei , Ommolbanin Onsori , Mahdi Jamei","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Salinity stress is a major abiotic constraint limiting agricultural productivity worldwide, a challenge that is expected to intensify under climate change and unsustainable land-use practices. Salinity disrupts plant growth through osmotic stress, ionic toxicity, nutrient imbalance, oxidative damage, and extensive reprogramming of physiological and molecular processes. Although plants possess intrinsic adaptive mechanisms, conventional strategies for managing salinity stress remain insufficient to ensure sustainable crop production. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach to enhance plant resilience against salinity stress by improving nutrient use efficiency, modulating stress signaling pathways, and reinforcing antioxidant defense systems. This review critically synthesizes current knowledge on the roles of nanoparticles (NPs) in mitigating salinity stress in plants, with a particular focus on their uptake, translocation, and interactions at physiological, molecular, and epigenetic levels. We discuss how engineered NPs influence ion homeostasis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulation, hormonal balance, gene expression, and epigenetic modifications that collectively underpin enhanced salt tolerance. Special attention is given to NP-mediated regulation of key transporters, stress-responsive genes, antioxidant enzymes, and signaling networks, as well as emerging evidence for nano-enabled stress memory and epigenetic priming. Furthermore, the review highlights the dual nature of NPs, emphasizing both their potential as nano-fertilizers and plant biostimulants, as well as the associated risks of phytotoxicity, environmental persistence, and food-chain safety concerns. Finally, we outline critical knowledge gaps, regulatory challenges, and future research directions necessary for translating laboratory-scale findings into safe, effective, and field-applicable nano-enabled strategies. Overall, this work provides an integrative framework for understanding NP–plant–salinity interactions and underscores the potential of nanotechnology to support sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 101265"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146191163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2026.101263
Kyeonglim Min , Eun Jin Lee
Chilling stress is a major constraint in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit, often causing chilling injury (CI) on the peel during low-temperature handling. This study investigated how phosphorus (P), an essential nutrient for plant metabolism, modulates fruit responses to chilling stress. Chilling stress induced the expression of multiple inorganic P (Pi)-responsive genes and altered P allocation toward organic P (Po), suggesting crosstalk between the chilling response and P homeostasis. To further examine the role of P in modulating the chilling response, exogenous KH₂PO₄ was applied to cucumber fruits. P-treated fruits showed significant CI mitigation, largely due to reducing oxidative stress without a concomitant increase in antioxidant activity. P supply increased Po levels, with no significant difference in Pi, suggesting that enhanced allocation to Po is a key acclimation strategy. Among Po fractions, metabolite P showed the most prominent accumulation, likely contributing to improved metabolic stability under chilling stress. Additionally, P-supplemented fruits exhibited elevated expression of cold-responsive genes (CsMPK3-like, CsICE1s, and CsCBF) and Pi-related regulators (CsPHR1-1 and CsSPX1-2), suggesting their coordinated regulation by P availability. Overall, these findings suggest P as a potential modulator of chilling stress responses and demonstrate its role in alleviating CI through coordinated metabolic and signaling adjustments in cucumber fruit.
{"title":"Phosphorus availability alleviates chilling injury through modulation of phosphorus metabolism and cold-responsive gene expression in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit","authors":"Kyeonglim Min , Eun Jin Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chilling stress is a major constraint in cucumber (<em>Cucumis sativus</em> L.) fruit, often causing chilling injury (CI) on the peel during low-temperature handling. This study investigated how phosphorus (P), an essential nutrient for plant metabolism, modulates fruit responses to chilling stress. Chilling stress induced the expression of multiple inorganic P (Pi)-responsive genes and altered P allocation toward organic P (Po), suggesting crosstalk between the chilling response and P homeostasis. To further examine the role of P in modulating the chilling response, exogenous KH₂PO₄ was applied to cucumber fruits. P-treated fruits showed significant CI mitigation, largely due to reducing oxidative stress without a concomitant increase in antioxidant activity. P supply increased Po levels, with no significant difference in Pi, suggesting that enhanced allocation to Po is a key acclimation strategy. Among Po fractions, metabolite P showed the most prominent accumulation, likely contributing to improved metabolic stability under chilling stress. Additionally, P-supplemented fruits exhibited elevated expression of cold-responsive genes (<em>CsMPK3-like, CsICE1s</em>, and <em>CsCBF</em>) and Pi-related regulators (<em>CsPHR1-1</em> and <em>CsSPX1-2</em>), suggesting their coordinated regulation by P availability. Overall, these findings suggest P as a potential modulator of chilling stress responses and demonstrate its role in alleviating CI through coordinated metabolic and signaling adjustments in cucumber fruit.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 101263"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146191221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a vital crop worldwide for sugar production. Therefore, improving yield, quality, and stress resistance is a primary goal of modern sugarcane breeding efforts. Sucrose invertase is a critical enzyme in sugar metabolism and plays an important role in plant growth, development, and stress responses. This study systematically identified the invertase gene family in sugarcane by employing the telomere-to-telomere complete genome of the sugarcane cultivar ‘Xintaitang 22. ’ A total of 225 invertase genes were identified, which was significantly greater than that in related crops, such as maize, sorghum, and rice, revealing substantial expansion of this gene family in the polyploid genome. Evolutionary and collinearity analyses showed that the expansion of this family is primarily driven by segmental duplications accompanied by tandem duplication events. Promoter analysis demonstrated that most members were enriched with cis-regulatory elements associated with auxin, gibberellin, light response, and various abiotic stresses, indicating their broad involvement in developmental regulation and stress adaptation. The study identified a chloroplast-localized protein ShN/AINV3.1 (Sh_So05A0220418), as a key factor regulating sugarcane agronomic traits and stress responses. This gene is drought-inducible and its overexpression promotes plant growth, increases glucose content, and enhances catalase activity, thereby synergistically improving drought tolerance in sugarcane. In summary, this study systematically elucidated the evolutionary characteristics and regulatory potential of the invertase gene family in sugarcane and revealed a potential mechanism by which ShN/AINV3.1, which integrates sugar metabolism and oxidative stress defense to enhance drought resistance. These findings provide important genetic resources and a theoretical basis for molecular breeding of sugarcane.
{"title":"Identification of the sugarcane invertase gene family with deciphering the key role of ShN/AINV3.1 in drought stress response","authors":"Ruiqiang Lai , Ming Chen , Jiarui Chen , Jiakun Wen, Yiqi Luo, Zaid Chachar, Mengshi Wang, Jiajia Li, Zhaofeng Liu, Zixuan Zhen, Xiaodi Zhen, Zhichong Li, Runbing Lin, Xiaolong Wang, Weiqian Cai, Songmei Liu, Lina Fan, Yongwen Qi","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101261","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101261","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sugarcane (<em>Saccharum</em> spp.) is a vital crop worldwide for sugar production. Therefore, improving yield, quality, and stress resistance is a primary goal of modern sugarcane breeding efforts. Sucrose invertase is a critical enzyme in sugar metabolism and plays an important role in plant growth, development, and stress responses. This study systematically identified the invertase gene family in sugarcane by employing the telomere-to-telomere complete genome of the sugarcane cultivar ‘Xintaitang 22. ’ A total of 225 invertase genes were identified, which was significantly greater than that in related crops, such as maize, sorghum, and rice, revealing substantial expansion of this gene family in the polyploid genome. Evolutionary and collinearity analyses showed that the expansion of this family is primarily driven by segmental duplications accompanied by tandem duplication events. Promoter analysis demonstrated that most members were enriched with cis-regulatory elements associated with auxin, gibberellin, light response, and various abiotic stresses, indicating their broad involvement in developmental regulation and stress adaptation. The study identified a chloroplast-localized protein ShN/AINV3.1 (Sh_So05A0220418), as a key factor regulating sugarcane agronomic traits and stress responses. This gene is drought-inducible and its overexpression promotes plant growth, increases glucose content, and enhances catalase activity, thereby synergistically improving drought tolerance in sugarcane. In summary, this study systematically elucidated the evolutionary characteristics and regulatory potential of the invertase gene family in sugarcane and revealed a potential mechanism by which ShN/AINV3.1, which integrates sugar metabolism and oxidative stress defense to enhance drought resistance. These findings provide important genetic resources and a theoretical basis for molecular breeding of sugarcane.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 101261"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146081689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2026.101257
Tong Lin , Bin Wang , Shuaiqi Wang , Fasih Ullah Haider , Peng Zhang , Xiangnan Li
Heat and drought stress during the grain-filling stage are critical abiotic factors restricting wheat yield and quality. However, the genotype-dependent differences in physiological and biochemical responses under combined stress remain poorly understood. Hence, this study utilized a wheat chlorophyll b-deficient mutant (ANK32B) and its wild type (WT) to investigate the effects of post-anthesis drought stress (DT), heat stress (HT), and combined drought–heat stress (DHT) on yield and grain end-use quality. Compared with ANK32B, WT exhibited greater resilience across all stress treatments, maintaining higher photosynthetic capacity, spikelet fertility, and thousand-grain weight, particularly under DHT, where yield losses were 24.65% in WT versus 14.36% in ANK32B. Under combined stress, the activities of sucrose synthase (SS) and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) in WT leaves increased significantly more than in ANK32B, leading to enhanced sucrose accumulation and more efficient carbohydrate translocation to spikes. WT also showed a stronger hormonal response, with abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin (GA) concentrations rising by 20.83% and 63.63%, respectively, under DHT, whereas ANK32B displayed overall hormone suppression. These differences suggest that WT mitigates stress-induced assimilate limitations through coordinated hormonal regulation and enzymatic adjustments, promoting nutrient remobilization to developing grains. In contrast, ANK32B’s chlorophyll deficiency and reduced hormonal signaling limited sucrose metabolism and sink strength, resulting in lower grain-filling efficiency. Protein composition analyses revealed that WT accumulated more albumin and gliadin under stress (DHT > HT > DT > control), whereas ANK32B showed significant reductions in these fractions under DHT. Stress treatments reduced wet gluten content and flour quality index (FQN) in both genotypes, but declines were more pronounced in WT due to higher protein turnover under combined stress. Overall, WT’s superior coordination of carbohydrate metabolism and hormonal regulation allowed partial preservation of grain quality despite yield penalties, while ANK32B’s impaired photosynthetic and metabolic responses amplified stress sensitivity. These genotype-specific mechanisms offer key insights for developing wheat cultivars with enhanced tolerance to concurrent heat and drought stress.
{"title":"Integrated physiological, hormonal, and metabolic mechanisms regulating wheat yield quality under combined drought and heat stress","authors":"Tong Lin , Bin Wang , Shuaiqi Wang , Fasih Ullah Haider , Peng Zhang , Xiangnan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heat and drought stress during the grain-filling stage are critical abiotic factors restricting wheat yield and quality. However, the genotype-dependent differences in physiological and biochemical responses under combined stress remain poorly understood. Hence, this study utilized a wheat chlorophyll b-deficient mutant (ANK32B) and its wild type (WT) to investigate the effects of post-anthesis drought stress (DT), heat stress (HT), and combined drought–heat stress (DHT) on yield and grain end-use quality. Compared with ANK32B, WT exhibited greater resilience across all stress treatments, maintaining higher photosynthetic capacity, spikelet fertility, and thousand-grain weight, particularly under DHT, where yield losses were 24.65% in WT versus 14.36% in ANK32B. Under combined stress, the activities of sucrose synthase (SS) and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) in WT leaves increased significantly more than in ANK32B, leading to enhanced sucrose accumulation and more efficient carbohydrate translocation to spikes. WT also showed a stronger hormonal response, with abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin (GA) concentrations rising by 20.83% and 63.63%, respectively, under DHT, whereas ANK32B displayed overall hormone suppression. These differences suggest that WT mitigates stress-induced assimilate limitations through coordinated hormonal regulation and enzymatic adjustments, promoting nutrient remobilization to developing grains. In contrast, ANK32B’s chlorophyll deficiency and reduced hormonal signaling limited sucrose metabolism and sink strength, resulting in lower grain-filling efficiency. Protein composition analyses revealed that WT accumulated more albumin and gliadin under stress (DHT > HT > DT > control), whereas ANK32B showed significant reductions in these fractions under DHT. Stress treatments reduced wet gluten content and flour quality index (FQN) in both genotypes, but declines were more pronounced in WT due to higher protein turnover under combined stress. Overall, WT’s superior coordination of carbohydrate metabolism and hormonal regulation allowed partial preservation of grain quality despite yield penalties, while ANK32B’s impaired photosynthetic and metabolic responses amplified stress sensitivity. These genotype-specific mechanisms offer key insights for developing wheat cultivars with enhanced tolerance to concurrent heat and drought stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 101257"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146081690","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2026.101256
Qingwen Wang , Min Liu , Zhengshuang Liu , Tao Shen , Yong Gao
Copper (Cu), an essential micronutrient for plant growth, becomes toxic at excessive levels, posing risks to both plant development and human health. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) as a staple crop for over two-thirds of the global population, requires precise regulation of copper homeostasis to mitigate its toxicity. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been implicated in be involved in the tolerance of rice to copper stress. However, as the major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the role and mechanism of respiratory burst oxidase homologs (Rbohs) in the copper stress response of rice remain unclear. In this study, we found that CuSO4 stress strongly induced OsRbohB expression at both transcriptional and translational levels in rice shoots and roots. Phenotypic and physiological analysis showed that overexpression of OsRbohB significantly enhanced copper stress tolerance, improved photosynthetic capacity, and promoted seedling growth under CuSO4 stress. Furthermore, OsRbohB was found to positively regulate the increase in H2O2 accumulation induced by CuSO4 in both shoots and roots. Additionally, OsRbohB suppressed copper uptake by regulating the expression of Cu transporters-related genes (OsCOPT1, OsHMA5, and OsZIP1) and alleviated intracellular copper toxicity by upregulation of metal chelation genes (OsPCS1 and OsMT-1) in roots. Taken together, our findings reveal that OsRbohB modulates Cu homeostasis by coordinating copper uptake and detoxification-related gene expression through H2O2 signaling, thereby enhancing copper tolerance in rice.
{"title":"OsRbohB-mediated H2O2 signaling underlies rice copper tolerance by regulating copper uptake and detoxification gene expression","authors":"Qingwen Wang , Min Liu , Zhengshuang Liu , Tao Shen , Yong Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101256","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101256","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Copper (Cu), an essential micronutrient for plant growth, becomes toxic at excessive levels, posing risks to both plant development and human health. Rice (<em>Oryza sativa</em> L.) as a staple crop for over two-thirds of the global population, requires precise regulation of copper homeostasis to mitigate its toxicity. Hydrogen peroxide (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) has been implicated in be involved in the tolerance of rice to copper stress. However, as the major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the role and mechanism of respiratory burst oxidase homologs (Rbohs) in the copper stress response of rice remain unclear. In this study, we found that CuSO<sub>4</sub> stress strongly induced OsRbohB expression at both transcriptional and translational levels in rice shoots and roots. Phenotypic and physiological analysis showed that overexpression of <em>OsRbohB</em> significantly enhanced copper stress tolerance, improved photosynthetic capacity, and promoted seedling growth under CuSO<sub>4</sub> stress. Furthermore, OsRbohB was found to positively regulate the increase in H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> accumulation induced by CuSO<sub>4</sub> in both shoots and roots. Additionally, OsRbohB suppressed copper uptake by regulating the expression of Cu transporters-related genes (<em>OsCOPT1, OsHMA5,</em> and <em>OsZIP1</em>) and alleviated intracellular copper toxicity by upregulation of metal chelation genes (<em>OsPCS1</em> and <em>OsMT-1</em>) in roots. Taken together, our findings reveal that OsRbohB modulates Cu homeostasis by coordinating copper uptake and detoxification-related gene expression through H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> signaling, thereby enhancing copper tolerance in rice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 101256"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146057624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2026.101260
Yuting Chen , Xueying Cui , Ziming Ren , Huiqi Fu , Yufeng Luo , Linji Xu , Ziwei Song , Yonghua Qin , Guanghui Yu , Xiaoning Lei , Bing Liu
The emerging contaminant chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonic acid (Cl-PFESA, trade name F-53B) damages mitotic cell viability leading to inhibited vegetative development in plants. However, its impact on plant reproductive development remains elusive. In this study, by using a combination of cytogenetic and microscopic approaches, we analyzed gametogenesis and meiosis in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) exposed to F-53B (50 or 100 μM). We show that F-53B disrupts embryo development and gametogenesis leading to reduced fertility. Moreover, F-53B interferes with chromosome distribution and microtubule organization during male meiosis. Remarkably, we show that F-53B lowers crossover rate possibly by reducing double-strand break formation. This study unveils the toxicity of F-53B to gametophytic cell viability and meiosis in plants, which highlights the concerns on its potential threats to agricultural safety and biological diversity considering its global distribution at a wide range of environmental matrices.
{"title":"F-53B interferes with meiosis and damages reproduction in Arabidopsis thaliana","authors":"Yuting Chen , Xueying Cui , Ziming Ren , Huiqi Fu , Yufeng Luo , Linji Xu , Ziwei Song , Yonghua Qin , Guanghui Yu , Xiaoning Lei , Bing Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101260","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.stress.2026.101260","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The emerging contaminant chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonic acid (Cl-PFESA, trade name F-53B) damages mitotic cell viability leading to inhibited vegetative development in plants. However, its impact on plant reproductive development remains elusive. In this study, by using a combination of cytogenetic and microscopic approaches, we analyzed gametogenesis and meiosis in Arabidopsis (<em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em>) exposed to F-53B (50 or 100 μM). We show that F-53B disrupts embryo development and gametogenesis leading to reduced fertility. Moreover, F-53B interferes with chromosome distribution and microtubule organization during male meiosis. Remarkably, we show that F-53B lowers crossover rate possibly by reducing double-strand break formation. This study unveils the toxicity of F-53B to gametophytic cell viability and meiosis in plants, which highlights the concerns on its potential threats to agricultural safety and biological diversity considering its global distribution at a wide range of environmental matrices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34736,"journal":{"name":"Plant Stress","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 101260"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146057625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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