Transcriptional/Post-Transcriptional Regulations in Agricultural Species After Stresses

Agriculture began more than ten thousand years ago, and since then it has profoundly shaped human society and improved human civilization. More and more agricultural species come into prominence, providing not only food, but also fuel and raw materials, etc. We rely on them to nourish and sustain ourselves and the next generation. Agricultural species, however, face various stresses during development, including but not limited to bacteria, viruses, drought, temperature, confinement, feed, and chemicals. Each of these may compromise cellular functions by altering either proteins, membranes, or DNA. As a means to survive the adverse conditions, cells activate reprogramming of transcription, which is required for the maintenance of homeostasis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms and regulations underlying these processes can help select breeding populations, facilitate diagnosis, genetically modify organisms, and improve welfare.

The regulation of gene expression is a fundamental process to diverse biological processes including development, differentiation, and the response to biotic and abiotic stresses. It involves multiple layers of control at the chromatin level, the RNA level (transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation), and the protein level. This Research Topic focuses on RNA-level regulation in agricultural species, including plants and animals, in response to various stresses.

This Topic welcomes studies of differential gene expression, alternative splicing and polyadenylation, RNA editing, microRNA, lncRNA, epigenetics, etc. We aim to include a range of Original Research articles, Brief Research Reports, Perspectives, and Review manuscripts.