Aug 2026· Forests· Vol 17, pp. 919· 0 citations· 60 references
TL;DR
Overall, B. platyphylla responds to salt stress through a temporally coordinated regulatory network, providing new molecular insights into salt tolerance mechanisms in woody plants.
Abstract
Salt stress severely limits plant growth, particularly in woody species. In this study, a time-course transcriptomic analysis (0–24 h NaCl treatment) revealed a clear time-dependent transcriptional reprogramming pattern in Betula platyphylla, characterized by rapid early activation followed by gradual stabilization. The response can be divided into three phases: early stress perception and signaling (1–3 h), mid-stage metabolic and hormonal reprogramming (5–9 h), and late-stage homeostasis and physiological adaptation (12–24 h). Early responses are dominated by signal transduction, the middle phase by metabolic reorganization and enhanced translation, and the late phase by redox and cellular homeostasis. Compared to the limited role of the Dehydration-Responsive Element-Binding protein (DREB) pathway, Abscisic acid (ABA) and Jasmonic acid (JA) signaling appear to play more central regulatory roles. Further analyses revealed the coordinated temporal activation of Reactive oxygen species (ROS), Salt Overly Sensitive (SOS), and ABA pathways: ROS shows an early burst followed by antioxidant activation; the SOS pathway regulates ion homeostasis via the Calcineurin B-like protein (CBL)-CBL-interacting protein kinase (CIPK) module; and ABA signaling progresses from biosynthesis to downstream transcriptional regulation. Protein interaction network analysis further identifies ABA signaling as a central hub integrating Ca2+ signaling, ROS metabolism, and ion transport. Overall, B. platyphylla responds to salt stress through a temporally coordinated regulatory network, providing new molecular insights into salt tolerance mechanisms in woody plants.
This study provides a root-focused transcriptomic resource and identifies candidate regulatory genes potentially linking ABA-related responses with lignin/lignan-associated metabolism in H. pedunculosum under salt stress.
Yang Tao, Xiao Huang, Enhao Zhang et al.· Plant physiology and biochem...· 1 citation
Plant development and stress responses are coordinated through phytohormone-mediated gene networks, yet resolving their spatiotemporal crosstalk remains challenging. Here, we generate a single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of Arabidopsis seedlings, capturing early (0.5 h, 3 h) responses to 9 hormones across ~500,000 nuclei, including auxin, cytokinin, ABA, gibberellin, strigolactone, brassinosteroid, ethylene, JA, and SA. Within this window, most hormones showed rapid and cell-type-specific responses, whereas JA, SA, ABA showed more sustained and convergent responses by 3 h. Co-directional transcriptomic overlap was strongest at 0.5 h, while the JA-, SA-, and ABA-related responses showed the highest overlap at 3 h. Pathway-level analysis indicated asymmetric relationships among JA, SA, and ABA across biosynthetic and catabolic layers. Spatially, transcriptomic response overlap separated shoots from other tissues, with guard cells as shoot-side outliers showing weak JA–SA–ABA overlap. We further identified an SA-induced guard-cell-specific MYB60-centered module linked to ABA-associated stomatal regulators, suggesting a circuit that may fine-tune stomatal dynamics. Together, this atlas provides a high-resolution view of phytohormone response dynamics and interactions. Here the authors describe cell-type-specific responses of Arabidopsis seedlings to nine phytohormones. They characterize transcriptional crosstalk among them, and identify a guard-cell MYB60 module linked to stomatal regulation.
Zhijian Liu, Zhuowen Li, Yuzhuo Wang et al.· Nature Communications· 0 citations
Findings highlight evolutionarily conserved patterns in stress-specific signaling pathways and in the underlying transcriptional regulation between bryophytes and angiosperms in the response to moderate salt stress.
Armin Horn, C. Misra, Jose Miguel Sordo et al.· Journal of plant physiology· 0 citations
Introduction Widespread dicamba use poses challenges of resistance and phytotoxicity. To investigate the temporal molecular response mechanisms of tobacco, this study performed a time-resolved transcriptomic analysis of tobacco seedlings exposed to dicamba. Methods Samples were collected at 6, 24, and 72 h after treatment. Results Results indicated that tobacco exhibits a putative three-phase transcriptional adaptation pattern of “perception-defense-repair”. In the early stage (6h), NtIAA genes were rapidly induced alongside activation of the glutathione system, potentially alleviating oxidative stress; at the mid-stage (24h), enhanced carotenoid synthesis and thylakoid reconstruction appeared to protect photosynthetic structures; at the late stage (72h), the transcriptional response shifted toward systemic repair through secondary metabolism, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Predictive regulatory network analysis suggested that the ERF transcription factor Nitab4.5_0000015g0020 may act as a candidate hub, potentially linking auxin signaling and ribosomal protein genes. Discussion Taken together, this study provides transcriptomic evidence that the NtIAA family may serve as candidate genes in response to dicamba, offering potential genetic candidates for breeding herbicide-resistant crops.
Zhaopeng Luo, Lifeng Jin, Peilin Li et al.· Frontiers in Plant Science· 0 citations
Introduction Brassica rapa plants often face combined or sequential abiotic stresses, but the potential negative association between salt/drought tolerance and thermotolerance remains poorly understood. Most studies have focused on individual stress responses, leaving the regulatory networks that may constrain broad-spectrum resilience largely unexplored. Methods Here, we propose a hormone- and anthocyanin-centered framework for understanding this apparent negative association in B. rapa, based on integrated physiological, transcriptomic, hormonal and metabolic analyses across diverse inbred lines. Results Physiological characterization of 11 lines revealed an apparent negative association (salt vs. heat: r = –0.555; drought vs. heat: r = –0.339). Time-resolved transcriptomics uncovered stress-specific temporal patterns: a triphasic response under salt stress, a 'rapid response–readjustment–reactivation' pattern under drought, and a biphasic mechanism under heat stress. Hormonal profiling identified ABA and ethylene biosynthesis-related metabolites as correlates of osmotic adaptation. The chalcone synthase gene BraA10g024990.3C (CHS) showed genotype- and stress-specific expression and correlated with anthocyanin accumulation. Exogenous hormone treatments indicated that ABA and ethylene induce, while GA represses, CHS-mediated anthocyanin production. Discussion Despite the correlative nature of these data, this study provides a candidate regulatory axis and suggests that hormone-directed anthocyanin metabolism may contribute to the negative association between osmotic tolerance and thermotolerance in B. rapa, offering targets for breeding multi-stress-resilient crops.
Mei Zheng, Peirong Li, Xiaoyun Xin et al.· Frontiers in Plant Science· 0 citations
This study provided valuable insights into the heat stress response mechanisms of alfalfa at the single-cell level by integrating snRNA-seq, WGBS, and pseudo-time trajectory analyses, and demonstrated that MsHSP90 and MsHSFA5 were core transcription factors appearing repeatedly.
Yanmin Hu, Jinsong Zhang, Yao Liu et al.· Plant Physiology· 0 citations
