Plant Physiol. Biochem. [JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
CsHB5-CsWRKY22 coordinates chlorophyll degradation and reactive oxygen species homeostasis to control leaf senescence in Camellia sinensis.
Lei X, Ji J, Liu Y … +6 more , Yang L, Jiang J, Ma Y, Tian J, Zhu X, Fang W
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42364545 · Publisher ↗
Premature leaf senescence compromises leaf tenderness, reduces tea yield, and hinders the sustainable development of the tea industry. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating leaf senescence in tea plants remain lar...
Premature leaf senescence compromises leaf tenderness, reduces tea yield, and hinders the sustainable development of the tea industry. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating leaf senescence in tea plants remain largely unresolved. Here, we identify CsHB5 (Homeobox5) and CsWRKY22 (WRKY transcription factor 22) as positive regulators of leaf senescence in Camellia sinensis. Both genes exhibit markedly increased transcript levels during aging. Virus-induced gene silencing of either CsHB5 or CsWRKY22 delayed leaf senescence by suppressing chlorophyll degradation and limiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, whereas their overexpression accelerated senescence in tea and Arabidopsis thaliana. We further show that CsHB5 physically interacts with CsWRKY22, and together they synergistically activate CsNYE1 transcription through direct promoter binding. This cooperative activation enhances chlorophyll breakdown and ROS production, thereby promoting senescence progression. Our findings reveal a previously uncharacterized CsHB5-CsWRKY22-CsNYE1 (Non-Yellowing1) regulatory module that integrates chlorophyll catabolism and ROS homeostasis to control leaf senescence in tea plants. This work provides a mechanistic framework for delaying senescence and extending the tender phase of tea leaves.
Genome-wide identification and characterization of the phytochrome family in Gossypium: GhPHYB1 as a dual regulator of plant architecture and drought tolerance in upland cotton.
Li J, Zhou Z, Liu Z … +11 more , Deng Y, Wang M, Li Y, Ran L, Li C, Wang Y, Zhu J, Aierxi A, Wang W, Kong J, Zhao N
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42364544 · Publisher ↗
Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is a major industrial crop supplying raw materials for the global textile, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors. Phytochromes (PHYs) are key photoreceptors regulating plant growth and environmenta...
Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is a major industrial crop supplying raw materials for the global textile, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors. Phytochromes (PHYs) are key photoreceptors regulating plant growth and environmental adaptation, yet their functions in the complex allotetraploid genome of upland cotton (G. hirsutum) remain poorly understood. Here, we identified 29 PHY genes across four Gossypium species and performed comprehensive genomic and evolutionary analyses. We focused on GhPHYB1, a AD-Dt PHYB homolog exhibiting light-inducible and stem-predominant expression. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) revealed that GhPHYB1 negatively regulates vegetative elongation by modulating the GhPIF4 signaling axis. Additionally, GhPHYB1-silenced plants showed enhanced drought sensitivity, with reduced proline content, elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) and HO levels, and impaired photosynthesis efficiency (F/F). Heterologous expression in yeast further confirmed its role in enhancing osmotic stress tolerance. Collectively, these findings establish GhPHYB1 as a dual regulator of plant architecture and drought tolerance, offering a promising target for molecular breeding of industrial cotton varieties.
Assessing the drought response of the wild potato relative Solanum brevicaule from contrasting environments.
Carolina KP, Javier BF, Verónica GC … +2 more , Federico MC, Williams MR
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42361630 · Publisher ↗
Climate change threatens global food security, particularly for drought-sensitive crops such as potato (Solanum tuberosum). The use of crop wild relatives in breeding remains limited by scarce phenotypic and genotypic in...
Climate change threatens global food security, particularly for drought-sensitive crops such as potato (Solanum tuberosum). The use of crop wild relatives in breeding remains limited by scarce phenotypic and genotypic information, hindering germplasm selection and conservation planning. In this study, we evaluated the drought response of six genotypes of the wild potato Solanum brevicaule, collected from two contrasting environments within Los Cardones National Park. Plants were subjected to well-watered (WW) and water-deficit (WD) treatments under common garden conditions. Biomass partitioning, yield components, physiological and anatomical traits, and damage- and defense-related responses were evaluated. Water deficit reduced tuber number, tuber weight, stomatal conductance, and leaf relative water content across genotypes, indicating a common plastic response. However, performance and defense traits showed strong site-dependent patterns. Genotypes from the drier site exhibited higher biomass and yield under WW and maintained a stable harvest index under WD, together with increased accumulation of phenolic compounds. In contrast, genotypes from the more humid site displayed lower growth but greater plasticity in water-use efficiency (δC) and higher proline accumulation under WD. The relative contribution of site and genotype varied among traits: growth and allocation traits were influenced by both factors, whereas stomatal conductance and photosynthetic efficiency were mainly genotype-dependent, and leaf water status responded uniformly across all genotypes. These results reveal contrasting drought-response strategies in S. brevicaule. This study provides key phenotypic insights to support germplasm conservation and the use of wild relatives in breeding drought-resilient potato cultivars.
QQS as a dual-mode regulator of carbon and nitrogen allocation in Arabidopsis.
Tanvir R, Zheng W, Koeppen E … +7 more , Kercheval C, White K, Miller MV, Zhang K, Ganguly DR, Gregory BD, Li L
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42349001 · Publisher ↗
The Arabidopsis thaliana orphan gene QQS (Qua-Quine Starch) regulates carbon and nitrogen allocation, leading to increased protein accumulation, reduced starch content, and enhanced resistance to pests and pathogens. Alt...
The Arabidopsis thaliana orphan gene QQS (Qua-Quine Starch) regulates carbon and nitrogen allocation, leading to increased protein accumulation, reduced starch content, and enhanced resistance to pests and pathogens. Although these physiological effects are well documented, the molecular basis of QQS function, specifically the relative contributions of its 59-amino-acid protein product and its transcript, remains unresolved. Here, we dissect QQS function using engineered Arabidopsis lines designed to favor either peptide-associated or transcript-associated activity. Synonymously recoded constructs were used to preserve the encoded peptide while altering RNA sequence features, whereas noATG constructs were used to disrupt canonical AUG-dependent translation initiation. Variants containing or lacking introns and untranslated regions were generated in both Columbia-0 (Col-0) and qqs knockout backgrounds and validated by RT-qPCR. Metabolic phenotyping, including iodine staining, quantitative starch assays, and total protein measurements, showed that constructs favoring either QQS peptide production or QQS transcript accumulation partially restored the high-starch, low-protein phenotype of the qqs mutant, although neither recapitulated the full metabolic effect of QQS overexpression. These results support separable contributions of the QQS transcript and its encoded microprotein to carbon and nitrogen allocation. Because construct-based approaches cannot fully exclude rare non-AUG or downstream translation initiation, especially in short ORFs, definitive confirmation of translation status will require ribosome profiling and targeted peptide detection.
Durum wheat under plastic pressure: genotype-specific adaptation to polystyrene nanoplastics.
Bruno G, Pizziconi B, Bonarrigo M … +9 more , Quagliata G, Liakopoulos P, Kolovos P, Kourkoutas Y, Astolfi S, Cimini S, De Gara L, Sestili F, Palombieri S
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42349000 · Publisher ↗
An emerging and underestimated threat to crop productivity and food safety stems from the increasing presence of nanoplastics, particularly polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs), in agricultural soils, a challenge further int...
An emerging and underestimated threat to crop productivity and food safety stems from the increasing presence of nanoplastics, particularly polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs), in agricultural soils, a challenge further intensified by climate change. Although the phytotoxicity of NPs has been examined in several crop species, their impact on Triticum turgidum ssp. durum, a crop of significant nutritional importance and widespread in the semi-arid region, remains largely unexplored. In this study, we assessed the systemic effects of PSNP exposure (10 mg/L) on two durum wheat genotypes, Kronos (wild type) and MRP3 (a low-phytate mutant with altered root traits and micronutrient uptake), following plant development from seedling to grain filling. Through a combined phenotypic, physiological, ionomic, and transcriptomic approach, we identified clear genotype-dependent responses to PSNP-induced stress. Kronos showed a higher tolerance, maintaining nutrient homeostasis and sustaining photosynthetic activity, accompanied by a moderate transcriptional adjustment. In contrast, MRP3 exhibited substantial disruptions in ion balance, alongside intensified oxidative stress and extensive transcriptomic remodeling. Enrichment analyses revealed distinct molecular pathways underpinning each genotype's response, with Kronos activating photosynthesis- and defense-related pathways, while MRP3 triggered responses associated with nutrient deprivation, detoxification, and cell wall biosynthesis. Our findings demonstrate that PSNPs act as a significant abiotic stressor in durum wheat, eliciting genotype-dependent adaptive capacities. The contrasting responses highlight the critical role of transporter-mediated detoxification and nutrient homeostasis in shaping plant resilience to nanoplastic exposure. This study provides the first integrated molecular framework describing PSNP-induced stress responses in durum wheat and underscores the importance of genetic background in determining plant adaptive strategies to emerging environmental contaminants.
Transcriptomic analysis of response to high-temperature stress in cotton.
Wang X, Ge C, Liu S … +7 more , Cao N, Liu R, Zhang S, Ma H, Pang C, Shen Q, Wan S
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42341566 · Publisher ↗
High temperature stress (HT) is a major abiotic factor limiting global crop production. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is particularly susceptible to heat stress, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly und...
High temperature stress (HT) is a major abiotic factor limiting global crop production. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is particularly susceptible to heat stress, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we integrated physiological, transcriptomic, and functional analyses to elucidate the response of cotton material ZhongMianSuo087 (ZMS087) to HT. Field-based assays revealed that heat stress compromised cotton productivity by impairing pollen viability, reducing chlorophyll biosynthesis and leaf area, and altering biomass partitioning, leading to significant yield losses. Controlled-environment experiments demonstrated that heat stress disrupted oxidative homeostasis and photosynthetic capacity, as evidenced by increased lipid peroxidation and osmoregulatory accumulation, reduced antioxidant enzyme activities, and decreased chlorophyll content. Transcriptome sequencing identified 5211 differentially expressed genes, with significant activation of the raffinose metabolic process. GhRS2 and GhGOLS1 emerged as key upregulated genes, corresponding with increased raffinose content. Functional validation via virus-induced gene silencing demonstrated that silencing either gene compromised thermotolerance by reducing raffinose accumulation, impairing antioxidant enzyme activities, and exacerbating oxidative damage. Furthermore, exogenous application of raffinose (20-200 mg/L) alleviated heat-induced damage by improving leaf water status, enhancing survival rates, and promoting biomass accumulation. Collectively, This study provides species-specific functional evidence in cotton that the GhRS2/GhGOLS1-mediated raffinose biosynthesis pathway positively regulates thermotolerance, and reveals a mechanistic link between raffinose metabolism and antioxidant responses under heat stress.
Hetero-top-grafting impairs carbon allocation and induces defense-related metabolic remodeling at the citrus top graft union.
Xiong H, Liu S, Niu R … +7 more , Chen Z, Hu B, Fu XZ, Rennenberg H, Shi X, Zhang Y, Xie J
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42341565 · Publisher ↗
Top-grafting is widely used for cultivar renewal in old citrus orchards, yet some hetero-top-grafted combinations show poor tree vigor and restricted growth. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying this growth l...
Top-grafting is widely used for cultivar renewal in old citrus orchards, yet some hetero-top-grafted combinations show poor tree vigor and restricted growth. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying this growth limitation remain unclear. Here, we investigated carbon allocation, carbohydrate metabolism, phytohormone accumulation, anatomical structure, and multi-omics responses in citrus plants subjected to non-top-grafted, self-top-grafted, and hetero-top-grafted. Hetero-top-grafted plants showed significantly lower aboveground, root, and whole-plant biomass than both non-top-grafted and self-top-grafted plants, with reductions of 41.0%, 38.3%, and 39.9%, respectively, relative to non-top-grafted plants. Stable C tracing revealed that hetero-top-grafted caused strong retention of newly fixed carbon in the top-grafted union bark, accompanied by reduced carbon allocation to the roots, indicating impaired downward carbon allocation. Consistently, hetero-top-grafted plants accumulated starch and soluble sugars in the top-grafted union bark, but showed reduced carbohydrate availability in roots. Anatomical observations further revealed swelling, bark cracking, and disrupted phloem structure at the hetero-top-grafted union. Hormone analysis showed increased auxin and abscisic acid contents but decreased cytokinin and gibberellin contents in the union top-grafted union bark, indicating disturbed hormone status. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses further revealed coordinated changes in starch and sucrose metabolism, hormone signaling, and phenylpropanoid/flavonoid biosynthesis. These findings support a model in which hetero-top-grafted impairs downward carbon allocation and induces physiological and molecular reprogramming at the graft union, thereby contributing to growth inhibition in citrus.
Genome-wide identification of the CsLBD gene family in tea plant and functional characterization of CsAS2 in tea leaf development.
Yu S, Liu J, Yang M … +6 more , Long T, Liu H, Peng A, Zhou C, Song L, Zhao J
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42341564 · Publisher ↗
LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN (LBD) family transcription factors play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, their evolutionary characteristics, stress-responsive expression patter...
LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN (LBD) family transcription factors play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, their evolutionary characteristics, stress-responsive expression patterns, and molecular functions in tea plants remain poorly understood. Here, 54 LBD genes were identified from Camellia sinensis genome. Genome-wide analyses revealed that CsLBD genes were unevenly distributed across 15 chromosomes and 11 pairs of segmentally duplicated genes were detected, indicating gene duplication contributing to CsLBD family gene expansion. Comparative synteny analyses between tea and Arabidopsis further suggested evolutionary conservation of several LBD members. Expression profiling indicated that CsLBD genes responded to gray blight infection, shading treatment, MeJA treatment, and leafhopper attack, and exhibited differential expression patterns during leaf development. Notably, functional characterization of CsAS2 revealed its involvement in tea leaf morphogenesis. CsAS2 complemented Arabidopsis as2 mutant phenotypes in leaf size, shape, and plant height. CsAS2 and CsAS1a, 1b displayed similar decreasing transcript levels during leaf growth and maturation, and similar co-expression patterns with leaf sizes in tea varieties with diverse leaf types. CsAS2 physically interacted with CsAS1a to form a CsAS2-CsAS1a complex, which can bound to and synergistically repressed CsARF3 promoter trans-activation activity. The conserved CsAS2-CsAS1a-CsARF3 regulatory module regulated tea leaf development in tested tea varieties. This study provides the integrated evolutionary and functional analysis of the tea LBD family, linking genome evolution, stress-responsive regulation, and leaf developmental mechanisms, and offers candidate genes and theoretical support for genetic improvement of tea cultivars.
Trait-based selection for excess moisture tolerance in chickpea: genetic and physiological insights.
Naveed M, Nadeem M, Bansal U … +1 more , Kaiser BN
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42341563 · Publisher ↗
Excess soil moisture is an increasingly important yet underexplored constraint to chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) production. To elucidate the physiological and agronomic basis of tolerance, 191 recombinant inbred lines (R...
Excess soil moisture is an increasingly important yet underexplored constraint to chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) production. To elucidate the physiological and agronomic basis of tolerance, 191 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were evaluated under optimum (OM), suboptimum (SM), and supra-optimum (SuM) moisture regimes. Agronomic, phenological, and physiological traits, together with Ascochyta blight severity, were assessed using variance component analysis, heritability estimates, stress indices, and multivariate approaches. Significant genotypic variation and genotype × environment interactions (P < 0.001) were detected for all traits, with high broad-sense heritability (75-91%). Excess moisture delayed flowering and maturity by approximately 16 and 12 d, respectively, and reduced seed number, biomass, and grain yield by 44-54%. However, an extended grain-filling period under SuM partially mitigated yield losses. Physiological traits, particularly normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at anthesis and ground cover, remained relatively stable across moisture regimes. In contrast, NDVI at podding increased under stress conditions, indicating delayed canopy senescence. These traits were strongly and positively associated with grain yield, suggesting their utility as indicators of stress adaptation and productivity. Ascochyta blight developed only under SM and SuM and was strongly negatively associated with grain yield (R = 0.74 under SuM). Principal component analysis identified agronomic and physiological traits as the major contributors to genotypic differentiation. Consistent with these findings, stress indices identified RIL 1_97 as a superior genotype combining high yield potential with stability across moisture regimes, highlighting its value as a donor parent for breeding chickpea cultivars with improved excess-moisture tolerance. Overall, this study provides the first comprehensive field-based assessment of chickpea responses to contrasting moisture regimes and demonstrates the value of integrating physiological, agronomic, and disease-related traits for the identification of excess-moisture-tolerant germplasm and the advancement of trait-based breeding strategies.
The ArMAPK5-ArbHLH3-Ar4CL3 module is associated with salicylic acid-induced phenolic biosynthesis in Agastache rugosa.
Wang P, Li J, Wei H … +5 more , Di P, Sui Y, Yan Y, Han M, Zhang J
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42341562 · Publisher ↗
Agastache rugosa is a medicinal and aromatic plant that accumulates phenolic compounds with important pharmacological and antioxidant activities. However, the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying elicitor-in...
Agastache rugosa is a medicinal and aromatic plant that accumulates phenolic compounds with important pharmacological and antioxidant activities. However, the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying elicitor-induced phenolic accumulation remain insufficiently understood. In this study, an Agrobacterium rhizogenes C58C1-mediated hairy root system was established in A. rugosa and used to investigate the effects of salicylic acid (SA, 100 μM) on phenolic metabolism. Integrated HPLC analysis, enzyme activity assays, transcriptome profiling, and functional validation showed that SA markedly promoted phenolic accumulation in hairy roots. After 36 h of SA treatment, rosmarinic acid content reached 3.44 mg/g DW, accompanied by increases in caffeic acid, protocatechuicaldehyde, and chlorogenic acid contents. SA treatment also enhanced peroxidase activity, which increased to 4.94-fold that of the control, indicating an active physiological response associated with phenolic metabolism. RNA-seq analysis identified 13,356 differentially expressed genes, with significant enrichment in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, and MAPK signaling pathways. Further functional analyses revealed that ArMAPK5 interacts with ArbHLH3, while ArbHLH3 directly activates Ar4CL3 expression by binding to the G-box motif (CACGTG) in its promoter. Together, these results suggest that the ArMAPK5-ArbHLH3-Ar4CL3 module contributes to SA-induced activation of phenylpropanoid metabolism in A. rugosa hairy roots. This study provides new insight into the physiological and transcriptional regulation of phenolic metabolism in medicinal plants.
Corrigendum to "Integrated physiological, biochemical, and transcriptomic analyses reveal changes in photosynthetic capacity of the endangered tree Cinnamomum chago under water stress" [Plant Physiol. Biochem. 234 (2026) 111349].
Yang H, Wang Y, Shen S … +2 more , Yang L, Zhou X
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42336751 · Publisher ↗
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Polyploidization disrupts drought priming in the desert wild potato species Solanum kurtzianum.
Jerez DN, Gonzalez CV, Kozub PC … +1 more , Marfil CF
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42335600 · Publisher ↗
Climate change-induced droughts threaten biodiversity and global food security, highlighting the importance of understanding the factors that enhance stress tolerance. Wild potato species are valuable genetic resources f...
Climate change-induced droughts threaten biodiversity and global food security, highlighting the importance of understanding the factors that enhance stress tolerance. Wild potato species are valuable genetic resources for improving stress tolerance in this major crop, but the interaction between polyploidy and stress priming remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of ploidy level and drought priming in the desert wild potato Solanum kurtzianum using an euploid series (a diploid genotype K and two derived synthetic autotetraploid lines; A1 and A3). Tubers from well-watered plants (non-primed) or from plants exposed to moderate water deficit (primed) conditions were subsequently exposed to either well-watered or drought treatments. Drought reduced plant height, biomass, tuber number, and weight across all genotypes, while also lowering stomatal conductance and leaf relative water content. Priming effects were genotype-dependent: primed diploid K plants exhibited higher tuber weight and improved drought tolerance indices compared with their non-primed counterparts and with autotetraploid lines, regardless of priming status. In contrast, autotetraploids displayed weaker or absent priming responses, suggesting a reduced capacity for stress memory following genome duplication. Our findings demonstrate that polyploidization may impair drought memory in S. kurtzianum, supporting the hypothesis that diploid wild potatoes maintain superior adaptive capacity to recurrent water deficit. These results highlight the importance of considering ploidy effects when exploiting wild relatives for breeding drought-resilient potatoes and underscore potato as a model for studying the evolutionary and mechanistic links between polyploidy and stress priming.
Integrated physiological, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses shed light on the complex mechanisms underlying low temperature resistance in kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta).
Wen M, Li Y, Lang H … +4 more , Wang C, Zhang A, Zhang H, Tang X
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42335599 · Publisher ↗
Actinidia arguta is an emerging fruit crop in northern China, characterized by its strong tolerance to low temperature (LT). Investigating the LT stress response of A. arguta is essential to elucidate the intricate resis...
Actinidia arguta is an emerging fruit crop in northern China, characterized by its strong tolerance to low temperature (LT). Investigating the LT stress response of A. arguta is essential to elucidate the intricate resistance mechanisms in kiwifruit. For this purpose, A. arguta seedlings were subjected to 4 C LT stress for 0, 12, 24 and 48 h. Physiological analyses revealed that LT stress induced a significant increase in the activities of key antioxidant enzymes, concurrent with the elevated levels of malonaldehyde (MDA) and proline. Transcriptome profiling identified 2297 genes with consistent expression changes across all treatment groups, among which the plant hormone signaling pathway was the most significantly enriched. Furthermore, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) pinpointed 15 hub genes positively correlated with LT resistance in A. arguta. In addition, the integrative analysis of transcriptome and metabolome revealed that the starch and sucrose metabolism pathway exhibited the most consistent changes, spanning from gene expression to metabolite accumulation. Specifically, LT stress induced changes in the levels of two important metabolites sucrose and UDP-glucose and the expressions of 32 genes encoding carbohydrate metabolic enzymes under LT stress. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the intricate mechanisms of LT resistance in kiwifruit, and provides gene resources for the molecular breeding of LT resistant kiwifruit varieties.
Heterologous overexpression of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) SiCAMTA6 increases drought tolerance and salt sensitivity in Arabidopsis and rice.
Su Z, Liu S, Sun Y … +2 more , Di Y, Yi H
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42335598 · Publisher ↗
Crop productivity is significantly restricted by drought and salt stress. As a conserved family of calmodulin-binding proteins with transcriptional activation activity, CAMTAs are essential for modulating plant responses...
Crop productivity is significantly restricted by drought and salt stress. As a conserved family of calmodulin-binding proteins with transcriptional activation activity, CAMTAs are essential for modulating plant responses to a range of abiotic stressors. Nevertheless, there is still much to learn about the functional characterisation of CAMTAs in foxtail millet, which is a model plant for the study of cereal crops. In this study, we amplified and explored the molecular function of foxtail millet SiCAMTA6 gene. The result of subcellular localization showed that SiCAMTA6 was localized in both the nuclear and plasma membrane. Heterologous overexpression of SiCAMTA6 in Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) and rice improves drought tolerance but increases salt sensitivity. These results provide a basis for future molecular breeding efforts to increase foxtail millet resistance to stress.
Identification of the Importin β gene family in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and functional analysis of SlIMB4 in response to drought stress.
Wang Y, Zhao R, Yin C … +3 more , Wang P, Xu Y, Fang Y
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42330786 · Publisher ↗
The Importin β (IMB) family of karyopherins mediates nucleocytoplasmic transport, a fundamental process governing the exchange of macromolecules between the nucleus and cytoplasm. While extensively characterized in Arabi...
The Importin β (IMB) family of karyopherins mediates nucleocytoplasmic transport, a fundamental process governing the exchange of macromolecules between the nucleus and cytoplasm. While extensively characterized in Arabidopsis thaliana, the IMB family remains poorly studied in horticulturally important crops such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Here, we conducted a genome-wide identification and characterization of the IMB gene family in tomato, identifying 19 non-redundant SlIMB genes phylogenetically classified into 15 subfamilies. These genes exhibited an uneven chromosomal distribution, diverse gene structures, and promoter elements enriched for stress and hormonal response motifs. Transcriptomic and cis-element analyses identified SlIMB4 as a key candidate gene specifically upregulated under drought and abscisic acid (ABA) conditions. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of SlIMB4 significantly reduced drought tolerance and suppressed the expression of key drought-responsive genes. Furthermore, we showed that SlIMB4 interacts with SlOST1, promotes its nuclear accumulation, and contributes to drought-induced stomatal closure. Our study provides a comprehensive genomic resource of the SlIMB family and suggests that SlIMB4 acts as a positive regulator of drought tolerance, likely involving the nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of SlOST1, which highlights its potential for genetic improvement of crop resilience.
SmMYC complexes cooperative mediate methyl jasmonate regulates tanshinone biosynthesis in Salvia miltiorrhiza.
Yao SC, Liao JQ, Yu HM … +9 more , Yang RW, Jiang YY, Deng XX, Zhang X, Shen G, Pan RL, Deng Y, Lv R, Zhang L
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 May · PMID 42330785 · Publisher ↗
The traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases due to its rich of phenolic acids and tanshinones. Among S. miltiorrhiza from different producing areas in C...
The traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases due to its rich of phenolic acids and tanshinones. Among S. miltiorrhiza from different producing areas in China, the Sichuan ecotype (S. m.-SC) has the highest accumulation of phenolic acids, while the lack of tanshinones content seriously restricts its quality and downstream industrial development. It is urgent to develop the quality improvement cultivation technology and explore the regulation mechanism of tanshinone biosynthesis. Herein, we systematically evaluated the interaction between exogenous hormones and tanshinone accumulation in S. m.-SC, and found that Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) could significantly increase the accumulation of tanshinones in S. m.-SC. Based on the integration of pan-transcriptome datasets led to the construction of a tanshinones core metabolic regulatory network and SmMYC3 is a novel discovered positive regulator of tanshinone biosynthesis following SmMYC2a/2b. Yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and Dual-LUC experiments showed that SmMYC3 directly binds to the G-box elements in the promoters of tanshinone biosynthesis genes (SmGGPPS1, SmKSL1, and SmCYP76AH1). Unexpectedly, SmMYC3-SmMYC2b/SmMYC3 complex identified via yeast two-hybrid (Y2H), Bimolecular fluorescence complementation (Bi-FC) and Dual-LUC experiments has robust enhance the transcriptional activation of the tanshinone metabolism genes upon the involvement of MeJA signaling. This work further expanded the molecular network of MYC transcription factor regulating tanshinone metabolism, clarified the regulatory mechanism of tanshinone biosynthesis mediated by MeJA, and drew a new blueprint for the application of MeJA in the increase of tanshinone content in S. miltiorrhiza.
Improving plant salt tolerance using the endophytic halophile Vreelandella salis sp. nov.
Peng Y, Lee J
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42330784 · Publisher ↗
Soil salinity is a pervasive abiotic stress that severely constrains global crop productivity, demanding sustainable biotechnological solutions. This study characterized Vreelandella salis strain PAMB 3232ᵀ, a novel spec...
Soil salinity is a pervasive abiotic stress that severely constrains global crop productivity, demanding sustainable biotechnological solutions. This study characterized Vreelandella salis strain PAMB 3232ᵀ, a novel species of halophilic endophytic bacterium isolated from the shoot of the halophyte Suaeda maritima. Polyphasic analyses confirmed the taxonomic delineation of PAMB 3232ᵀ. This strain exhibits remarkable halotolerance, sustaining growth in up to 24% (w/v) NaCl. Genomic analysis revealed an enrichment of genes associated with metabolic resilience, particularly those involved in carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, as well as cofactor and vitamin biosynthesis. Inoculation with strain PAMB 3232ᵀ significantly enhanced growth in Brassica rapa, increasing the shoot fresh weight by 26% under non-saline conditions and by 17.0% under salinity stress (200 mM NaCl). Physiological analyses further indicated enhanced stress tolerance, reflected by improved K/Na homeostasis and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Moreover, rhizosphere microbiome profiling revealed that inoculation reshaped the rhizosphere microbial community. Under salinity, the rhizosphere network showed increased connectivity and modularity, with Pseudomonadota serving as key hubs and enrichment of beneficial Bacillota. Collectively, these results indicate that V. salis PAMB 3232ᵀ enhances crop salt tolerance via coordinated physiological and microbiome-mediated effects, supporting its potential as a microbial inoculant for salt-affected agriculture.
Melatonin buffers antioxidant defense but only partially sustains photosynthesis under combined abiotic stresses in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.
Raza A, Li Y, Li X … +3 more , Zhao M, Guo C, Hu Z
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42330783 · Publisher ↗
Melatonin (MLT) is a key regulator of stress responses across photosynthetic systems, yet its role remains uncertain under combined abiotic stresses. Here, we examined MLT-mediated antioxidants, photosynthetic, and trans...
Melatonin (MLT) is a key regulator of stress responses across photosynthetic systems, yet its role remains uncertain under combined abiotic stresses. Here, we examined MLT-mediated antioxidants, photosynthetic, and transcriptional responses in algae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) under single and combined abiotic stress (cadmium, heat, salinity, and red light). MLT significantly enhanced catalase and peroxidase activities, specifically under dual, triple, and quadruple stress combinations. However, superoxide dismutase displayed limited changes. This enzymatic response was supported by the upregulation of antioxidant genes (CAT, POD3, SOD-Mn1/3, GPX3, and GSTs). In contrast, photosynthetic performance was impaired under stress, as chlorophyll a/b contents declined across most treatments, with only condition-specific improvement under cadmium + MLT, despite moderate induction of photosynthesis-related genes (Chla/b, and PSI-psaA/B). Transcriptional exploration further highlighted the selective induction of transcription factors (NAC1 and MYB2, positively correlated with antioxidant genes), while MLT biosynthesis-related genes showed minimal changes. This suggests that exogenous MLT acts independently of the endogenous pathway in algae. In short, these findings demonstrate that MLT functions as a "stress-buffering modulator", favorably enhancing antioxidant defense while providing limited protection to photosynthesis under multifactorial stress combinations. This differential regulation highlights the dynamic role of MLT to promote algal tolerance and adaptation to multi-stress conditions.
A proteome-wide lysine succinylome reveals TCA-related succinic acid metabolism and heat-stress responses in Reynoutria japonica.
You L, Xiong H, Zhang Y … +13 more , Yang Q, Song W, Deng Y, Zhang P, Zhang J, Ye Z, Li C, Miao Y, Liu D, Zhou C, You J, Zheng L, Zhang Y
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42330782 · Publisher ↗
Reynoutria japonica is an economically vital, resveratrol-producing medicinal plant whose growth and quality are increasingly threatened by climate-induced heat stress. To elucidate the post-translational mechanisms unde...
Reynoutria japonica is an economically vital, resveratrol-producing medicinal plant whose growth and quality are increasingly threatened by climate-induced heat stress. To elucidate the post-translational mechanisms underlying thermal adaptation, we established the first comprehensive, proteome-wide lysine succinylation (Ksucc) landscape in R. japonica. A total of 1722 Ksucc sites were mapped across 650 proteins, including eight distinct sites on histones H3 and H4. Evolutionary analysis of these histone marks revealed a combination of conserved (H3K56, H3K79, H4K31, H4K77, and H4K91) and species-specific sites. Functional profiling demonstrated that succinylated proteins are heavily enriched in central metabolism, particularly photosynthesis and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, with extensive modifications targeting key enzymes tied to succinic acid metabolism. Under acute heat stress (42 °C), R. japonica seedlings exhibited pronounced physiological chlorosis, accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and a robust global hyper-succinylation response. Beyond transcriptional screening, a combined strategy of pharmacological inhibition and in planta transient expression assays successfully identified candidate acetyltransferase RjapHAC2-like and deacetylase RjapHDA5-like as the functional writer and eraser, respectively driving Ksucc homeostasis. In conclusion, these findings provide a comprehensive lysine succinylation dataset for R. japonica and highlight its dynamic response to heat stress, offering a valuable reference for future succinylome investigations across medicinal plants.
A functional allelic variation in BoFHL influences plant height through differential interaction with BoBIM1 in ornamental kale.
Feng X, Wang H, Huo C … +5 more , Liu Y, Zhang Y, Lv X, Guo Y, Zhu P
Plant Physiol Biochem · 2026 Jun · PMID 42323919 · Publisher ↗
Plant height serves as a remarkable aesthetic characteristic in ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala). We previously performed bulked segregant analysis of two inbred lines, the tall, smooth-leafed S0835 and...
Plant height serves as a remarkable aesthetic characteristic in ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala). We previously performed bulked segregant analysis of two inbred lines, the tall, smooth-leafed S0835 and the dwarf, feathered-leaf F0819, and their F segregating progeny. Our fine-mapping results suggested that BoFHL, which encodes a FAR-RED ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL1-LIKE (FHL) protein, was likely to be responsible for the differences in plant height among these lines. Here, we compared BoFHL sequences from tall (S0835 and S0836) and dwarf (F0819 and 6BZ) inbred lines and identified six single-nucleotide polymorphisms that resulted in three amino acid substitutions and one stop-codon loss. Overexpression of the tall allele BoFHL restored normal plant height in the dwarf inbred line 6BZ, whereas overexpression of BoFHL did not alter the 6BZ phenotype. Conversely, point mutation of BoFHL by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing produced dwarf mutants in the S0836 background. The brassinolide signaling component BoBIM1 interacted with the tall variant BoFHL but not with the dwarf variant BoFHL in yeast two-hybrid, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and co-immunoprecipitation assays. A cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence marker was developed based on the first allelic variation in BoFHL and confirmed that it was an effective marker for the plant-height trait. These findings provide novel insight into plant height morphogenesis and can be used to facilitate the development of elite germplasm.
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