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Recent Advances in Molecular Breeding for Drought and Salt Stress Tolerance in Crops: 2nd Edition

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2025 | Viewed by 2824

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Zhaoshi Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: drought; salt; heat; fusarium crown rot (FCR); regulation network; wheat; soybean
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Abiotic stresses, especially drought and salt, seriously affect plant growth and crop quality and yield. Plants have evolved defense systems and sophisticated mechanisms that help them adapt to changing environments. These systems include plant hormones and related signaling compounds, which play important roles in the regulation of plant responses to various environmental stresses. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms involved in plant stress tolerance is critical for relieving the effects of environmental stresses on plant growth.

With the advance in high-throughput sequencing technologies, the isolation of multiple genes and analyses of the gene regulation network have ballooned in recent years. The scope of this Special Issue is to summarize and enhance knowledge about abiotic stress recognition, transduction, and regulation networks in plants.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Abiotic stresses, including drought, salt, heat, cold, dry–hot wind, and hormones.
  • Gene isolation, functional identification, and tolerant mechanisms.
  • Stress signal transduction pathway, including receptor signal recognition, transduction, and regulation networks.
  • Abiotic stress responses, gene–abiotic stress interactions, and diverse signaling molecules.
  • Multiomics analysis.

Prof. Dr. Zhaoshi Xu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • drought
  • salt
  • heat
  • cold
  • gene regulation
  • genomic research
  • multiomics
  • epigenetics
  • stress signal transduction

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 6097 KiB  
Article
Phenotypic, Physiological, and Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal Different Responses to Salt Stress in Cultivated Red Lettuce and Wild Lettuce Seedlings
by Wei Chen, Jiahao Lian, Caiyun Hong, Shuguang Sun, Jia Hao, Shengqi Huang, Jialin Wang, Yue Guan, Zhenwei Lu, Zhenlong Wang, Shixin Zhu and Zhen Wei
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(7), 3425; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26073425 (registering DOI) - 6 Apr 2025
Viewed by 29
Abstract
Cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is considered one of the most important economic vegetables worldwide; however, it is subjected to different stresses (salt stress, etc.) during its growth and development, resulting in yield reductions. In this study, we selected cultivated red lettuce [...] Read more.
Cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is considered one of the most important economic vegetables worldwide; however, it is subjected to different stresses (salt stress, etc.) during its growth and development, resulting in yield reductions. In this study, we selected cultivated red lettuce and wild lettuce species (Lactuca serriola L.) to investigate the phenotypic and physiological changes in these lettuce under different salt treatment conditions. Functional annotation and enrichment analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the lettuce leaves and roots between the control and salt treatments were performed, identifying the key genes responding to salt stress. The results showed that the growth of the two types of lettuce was limited by salt stress, with decreased leaf area, main root length, biomass, and photosynthesis parameters noted. The cultivated red lettuce and the wild lettuce exhibited similar trends in terms of the variation in their antioxidant enzymatic activity and the content of osmoregulatory compounds in their leaves. The results of our transcriptomic analysis revealed that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, transporters, cytochrome P450, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and isoflavonoid biosynthesis were involved in the response to salt stress in the lettuce seedlings. The red lettuce cultivar showed a greater abundance of DEGs related to secondary metabolite biosynthesis and aquaporins under the salt treatment, resulting in a salinity-tolerant capacity comparable to that of the wild lettuce species. These results reveal important biosynthesis pathways that may play a key role in the salt tolerance of lettuce seedlings and provide key candidate genes that could be functionally characterized further and utilized to genetically improve new salt-tolerant varieties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Molecular Breeding for Drought and Salt Stress Tolerance in Crops: 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 6542 KiB  
Article
Exogenous SNP Alleviates Drought Stress in Wheat During the Grain-Filling Stage by Modulating TaP5CS Gene Transcription
by Xinyu Xue, Ruqing Li, Menghan Zhang, Sixu Jin, Haifang Jiang, Chongju Wang, Yifei Pang, Ruili Xue and Yuexia Wang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(2), 618; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26020618 - 13 Jan 2025
Viewed by 579
Abstract
Drought stress severely damages wheat growth and photosynthesis, and plants at the grain-filling stage are the most sensitive to drought throughout the entire period of development. Exogenous spraying of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) can alleviate the damage to wheat caused by drought stress, but [...] Read more.
Drought stress severely damages wheat growth and photosynthesis, and plants at the grain-filling stage are the most sensitive to drought throughout the entire period of development. Exogenous spraying of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) can alleviate the damage to wheat caused by drought stress, but the mechanism regulating the proline pathway remains unknown. Two wheat cultivars, drought-sensitive Zhoumai 18 and drought-tolerant Zhengmai 1860, were used as materials when the plants were cultivated to the grain-filling stage. The results show that under drought stress, SNP pretreatment effectively improved the physiological basis of photosynthesis and water use efficiency of the two cultivars, increased their tolerance to photosystem II (PSII) damage, and maintained a normal photosynthetic rate and yield. Drought stress induced an increase in pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase (TaP5CS) gene transcription, and a comparatively greater increase was detected in Zhengmai 1860. When SNP treatment was applied before drought exposure, TaP5CS transcription was further enhanced. Induction of TaP5CS transcription promoted proline accumulation in response to drought stress, increased osmotic ability, and maintained the net photosynthetic rate, thereby increasing the accumulation of dry matter and yield traits. In this study, exogenous SNP regulates the transcription of genes related to the proline metabolism pathway and provides a theoretical basis for the establishment of wheat cultivation technology using SNP to resist drought stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Molecular Breeding for Drought and Salt Stress Tolerance in Crops: 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 2527 KiB  
Article
Exploring Drought Resistance Genes from the Roots of the Wheat Cultivar Yunhan1818
by Linyi Qiao, Lifang Chang, Mengxiang Kai, Xueqi Zhang, Tingting Kang, Lijuan Wu, Xiaojun Zhang, Xin Li, Jiajia Zhao, Zhiyong Zhao and Jun Zheng
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(24), 13458; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252413458 - 16 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 815
Abstract
The root is an important organ by which plants directly sense variation in soil moisture. The discovery of drought stress-responsive genes in roots is very important for the improvement of drought tolerance in wheat varieties via molecular approaches. In this study, transcriptome sequencing [...] Read more.
The root is an important organ by which plants directly sense variation in soil moisture. The discovery of drought stress-responsive genes in roots is very important for the improvement of drought tolerance in wheat varieties via molecular approaches. In this study, transcriptome sequencing was conducted on the roots of drought-tolerant wheat cultivar YH1818 seedlings at 0, 2, and 7 days after treatment (DAT). Based on a weighted gene correlation network analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 14 coexpression modules were identified, of which five modules comprising 3107 DEGs were related to 2 or 7 DAT under drought stress conditions. A total of 223,357 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of these DEGs were retrieved from public databases. Using the R language package and GAPIT program, association analysis was performed between the 223,357 SNPs and the drought tolerance coefficient (DTC) values of six drought resistance-related traits in 114 wheat germplasms. The results revealed that 18 high-confidence SNPs of 10 DEGs, including TaPK, TaRFP, TaMCO, TaPOD, TaC3H-ZF, TaGRP, TaDHODH, TaPPDK, TaLectin, and TaARF7-A, were associated with drought tolerance. The RT–qPCR results confirmed that these genes were significantly upregulated by drought stress at 7 DAT. Among them, TaARF7-A contained three DTC-related SNPs, which presented two haplotypes in the tested wheat germplasms. YH1818 belongs to the Hap1 allele, which is involved in increased drought tolerance. This study revealed key modules and candidate genes for understanding the drought-stress response mechanism in wheat roots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Molecular Breeding for Drought and Salt Stress Tolerance in Crops: 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 5292 KiB  
Article
Wheat WW Domain-Containing Protein TaCFL1 Negatively Regulates Cuticular Wax Biosynthesis
by Wanzhen Chen, Lang Liu, Xiaoyu Wang, Haoyu Li, Jiao Liu, Pengfei Zhi and Cheng Chang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(23), 13187; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252313187 - 8 Dec 2024
Viewed by 810
Abstract
Waxy cuticle covers plant aerial organs and protects plants against environmental challenges. Although improved cuticle-associated traits are aimed at the wheat breeding programs, the mechanism governing wheat cuticular wax biosynthesis remains to be elucidated. Herein, wheat WW domain-containing protein TaCFL1 is characterized as [...] Read more.
Waxy cuticle covers plant aerial organs and protects plants against environmental challenges. Although improved cuticle-associated traits are aimed at the wheat breeding programs, the mechanism governing wheat cuticular wax biosynthesis remains to be elucidated. Herein, wheat WW domain-containing protein TaCFL1 is characterized as a negative regulator of wax biosynthesis. The knockdown of TaCFL1 expression results in a 15% increase in wax accumulation and decreased leaf cuticle permeability in bread wheat. Furthermore, wheat class IV homeodomain transcription factors TaHDG1.1 and TaHDG1.2 are identified as partially redundant activators of wax biosynthesis. The silencing of TaHDG1.1 or TaHDG1.2 expression leads to an 11% reduction in epidermal wax accumulation and an increase in leaf cuticle permeability wax, while the co-silencing of TaHDG1.1 and TaHDG1.2 results in a 31% reduction in epidermal wax accumulation and a further increase in wax in the leaf cuticle permeability. Moreover, wheat 3-Ketoacyl-CoA synthase TaKCS10 is isolated as an essential component of the wax biosynthetic machinery. The silencing of TaKCS10 expression results in a 22% reduction in wax accumulation and increased leaf cuticle permeability. In addition, we demonstrated that the TaKCS10 expression is activated by TaHDG1.1 and TaHDG1.2, and that TaCFL1 attenuates the TaHDG1-mediated transcriptional activation of TaKCS10. This evidence supports that the WW domain-containing protein TaCFL1 negatively regulates wax biosynthesis via attenuating the transcriptional activation of the TaKCS10 gene mediated by HD-ZIP IV transcription factor TaHDG1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Molecular Breeding for Drought and Salt Stress Tolerance in Crops: 2nd Edition)
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