Advances in the Research on Plant WRKY Transcription Factors Responsive to External Stresses
, Xi Cheng 2, Dongmei Yin 1,*, Dongliang Chen 2, Chang Luo 2, Hua Liu 2 and Conglin Huang 2,*
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe review entitled " Advances in the research on plant WRKY transcription factors
3 responsive to external stresses" aims to summarize the regulatory effects of WRKY transcription factors on plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.
The clarity of the paper is not good due to the English translation. Some parts are quite understandable, others are confusing. There are also some typographical errors, the manuscript should be revised prior publication.
Tables and Figures are informative, but need some improvement.
Figure caption 1, I NT and I CT should be explained in the order in which they appear in the figure and text.
To my opinion, the response of WRKYs to low temperature, one of the most important abiotic factors, is missing in Table 2 and in "3.2.1 Temperature stress".
In Table 3, Please correct species names column.
In Table 4, column "Species", please write "Species" in capital letters. Then standardize the naming of species, Artemisia vulgaris is missing. It may be better to give only the species name and not the common name.
In line 321, why are some enzymes named and others not? Please standardize.
When naming a gene, it may not be necessary to indicate the organism from which it is derived if it is already well indicated in a table, as this delays the reading of the text. Or, if the authors decide to indicate each time, they should do so for all genes (line 138 Fragaria vesca is not indicated).
Lines 401, 489, 493 please correct names in italics.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 1 Comments
Point 1: Figure caption 1, I NT and I CT should be explained in the order in which they appear in the figure and text.
Response 1: The Figure 1 caption was revised as suggested. (Lines 87-88)
Point 2:To my opinion, the response of WRKYs to low temperature, one of the most important abiotic factors, is missing in Table 2 and in "3.2.1 Temperature stress".
Response 2: In Table 2, we replaced “hypothermia” with “Low temperature” to more clearly describe the abiotic stress. (Line 181)
Point 3: In Table 3, Please correct species names column.
Response 3: In Table 3, the species names have been corrected. (Line 340)
Point 4: In Table 4, column "Species", please write "Species" in capital letters. Then standardize the naming of species, Artemisia vulgaris is missing. It may be better to give only the species name and not the common name.
Response 4: In Table 4, the column heading was revised as requested (i.e., Species). Additionally, we standardized the naming of the species. (Line 421)
Point 5: In line 321, why are some enzymes named and others not? Please standardize
Response 5: All enzyme names are now provided in the revised manuscript. (Lines 327–328)
Point 6: When naming a gene, it may not be necessary to indicate the organism from which it is derived if it is already well indicated in a table, as this delays the reading of the text. Or, if the authors decide to indicate each time, they should do so for all genes (line 138 Fragaria vesca is not indicated).
Response 6: All genes in the text have been named. (Lines 131, 202, 218, 224, 256, 287, 297, 312, 415, 445-446, 483, and 518)
Point 7: Lines 401, 489, 493 please correct names in italics.
Response 7: The name was confirmed and corrected. (Lines 396-397, 485, 489)
We asked an editor of native English to revise the manuscript as requested (Blue text).
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsDear Authors,
I'm glad to read your manuscript. I think it can be modified appropriately. In this paper, the roles of WRKY transcription factors in response to various stresses are described and elaborated from different levels. WRKY transcription factors play an important role in the research of resistance to abiotic stresses such as biological stress, drought and inappropriate temperature, which provides help for related research and breeding work. However, as a review, there are some problems in logic and the focus of this paper is not prominent. It is suggested to make the following minor modifications:
1. As a review, the logical structure of this paper needs further consideration. This paper mainly describes the role of WRKY transcription factors in external stress, but the structure of this paper is not obvious. It can be considered to Split the fourth segment into multiple instances and place them in the corresponding stress mechanism for explanation.
2. It is suggested to add an evolutionary tree analysis using Arabidopsis or other model plants as examples in the second part of the paper.
3. The third part is the core content of this paper. It is suggested that biological stress should be divided into stress caused by fungi/bacteria and stress caused by insects. What’s more, this part should be taken as an independent chapter to expand the description and expansion.
4. The review should have rigorous logic, and the description of various stresses should have the same order, such as in accordance with the order of secondary metabolism, plant hormone pathway, cell function and so on. Appropriate modifications are recommended.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 2 Comments
I'm glad to read your manuscript. I think it can be modified appropriately. In this paper, the roles of WRKY transcription factors in response to various stresses are described and elaborated from different levels. WRKY transcription factors play an important role in the research of resistance to abiotic stresses such as biological stress, drought and inappropriate temperature, which provides help for related research and breeding work. However, as a review, there are some problems in logic and the focus of this paper is not prominent. It is suggested to make the following minor modifications:
- As a review, the logical structure of this paper needs further consideration. This paper mainly describes the role of WRKY transcription factors in external stress, but the structure of this paper is not obvious. It can be considered to Split the fourth segment into multiple instances and placethemin the corresponding stress mechanism for explanation.
Response 1: We have revised the structure of the fourth segment of the article. (Lines 392-415)
- It is suggested to add an evolutionary tree analysis using Arabidopsis or other model plants as examples in the second part of the paper.
Response 2: We have added an evolutionary tree analysis using Arabidopsis thaliana as an example in the second part of the article. (Line 90)
- The third part is the core content of this paper. It is suggested that biological stress should be divided into stress caused by fungi/bacteria and stress caused by insects. What’s more, this part should be taken as an independent chapter to expand the description and expansion.
Response 3: We divided the third part biological stress into stress caused by fungi/bacteria and stress caused by insects follow the suggestion and took this part as an independent chapter to expand the description and expansion. (Lines 116-143)
- The review should have rigorous logic, and the description of various stresses should have the same order, such as in accordance with the order of secondary metabolism, plant hormone pathway, cell function and so on. Appropriate modifications are recommended.
Response 4: As requested, we enhanced the logicality and rigor of the manuscript, and redescribed various stresses in a consistent order.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe paper, entitled " Advances in the research on plant WRKY transcription factors responsive to external stresses " summarizes the progress in the research on the regulatory effects of WRKY transcription factors on plant responses to external stresses, with a particular focus on the structural characteristics, classifications, biological functions, effects on plant secondary metabolism, regulatory networks, and other aspects of WRKY transcription factors. Meanwhile, future research on WRKY transcription factors is also proposed. However, I still hope to see some constructive opinions in the future research directions of WRKY transcription factor function and regulation in the article, such as some signal pathways that may not be mentioned now. How do you reference with recent published data?
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 3 Comments
Major points:
The paper, entitled " Advances in the research on plant WRKY transcription factors responsive to external stresses " summarizes the progress in the research on the regulatory effects of WRKY transcription factors on plant responses to external stresses, with a particular focus on the structural characteristics, classifications, biological functions, effects on plant secondary metabolism, regulatory networks, and other aspects of WRKY transcription factors. Meanwhile, future research on WRKY transcription factors is also proposed. However, I still hope to see some constructive opinions in the future research directions of WRKY transcription factor function and regulation in the article, such as some signal pathways that may not be mentioned now. How do you reference with recent published data?
Response: The manuscript was revised to include constructive suggestions for future research on the functions and regulation of WRKY transcription factors. In terms of the recently published research, the regulatory role of WRKY transcription factors in the Ca2+ signaling pathway was introduced to provide reference material for future research. More specifically, the following text was added:
WRKY tran-scription factors in the calcium ion (Ca2+) signal transduction pathway associated with plan–pathogen interactions induces the expression of defense-related genes, implied it may be important for plant disease resistance [138-139]. However, the plant response and gene regulatory system mediated by the calcium ion (Ca2+) signal transduction pathway associated with WRKY transcription factor and plant-pathogen interaction are not well understood. Future studies should aim to integrate sequencing data with information regarding protein–DNA and protein–protein interactions to more precisely characterize the regulation of important biological functions by WRKY tran-scription factors, which may lead to the construction of a comprehensive regulatory network . A thorough understanding of the mechanisms underlying WRKY transcription factor functions at the molecular level combined with molecular mark-er-assisted breeding and biotechnological tools may enable researchers and breeders to develop and select enhanced varieties of economically important crops. (Lines 536–548)
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe reviewed manuscript entitled " Advances in the research on plant WRKY transcription factors responsive to external stresses" has been improved after English corrections and other changes suggested and it can be published as it currently stands.
