About this Research Topic
The C4 cereals (such as pearl millet, sorghum, sugarcane, etc.) are stress-tolerant and thrive in tropical and dry temperate ecosystems. Growing evidence suggests that C4 photosynthesis alone is insufficient to account for abiotic stress (i.e. heat/drought/cold, etc.) resilience in cereals, pointing to other adaptations contributing to tolerance traits.
The molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress are complex and involve multiple pathways and genes. Some key molecular mechanisms include the Abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway: ABA is a plant hormone critical in heat/drought response. Under stress conditions, ABA level increases and activates a signaling pathway that leads to stomatal closure, transpiration reduction, and increases water use efficiency. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging: Plants generate ROS during drought/heat, which can damage cellular components. C4 cereals have an efficient ROS scavenging system that helps to reduce oxidative stress and maintain cellular integrity. Similarly, osmotic adjustment: Plants can accumulate solutes such as proline, betaine, and sugars, which helps to maintain cellular turgor and prevent water loss. In addition, several transcription factors have been implicated in the regulation of stress response in C4 cereals, including DREB (dehydration-responsive element-binding protein), NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC), and MYB (myeloblastosis) families. These transcription factors regulate the expression of downstream genes involved in stress response and tolerance.
This research topic aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the identification methods, identification indicators, and comprehensive evaluation methods of abiotic stress resistance in C4 cereals from four aspects: transcriptome analysis, multiomics, QTL mapping and stress resistance gene mining, to provide a reference for the breeding of stress-tolerant varieties of C4 cereals. The identification and evaluation of important physiological traits would aid and fortify molecular breeding and genetic engineering in targeting and delivering traits to improve the stress tolerance capability of crops. This research topic mainly focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of C4 crops such as pearl millet, sorghum, maize, sugarcane, etc. under such abiotic stress. We welcome submissions of original research, reviews, and methods, including but not limited to studies on the following topics:
- Screening of stress tolerance (heat/drought) in a variety of germplasms
- Morphological and physiological responses under abiotic stress
- QTL Mapping and identification of QTL hotspots for stress-tolerant genes
- Phenotypic response under abiotic stress condition
- Multi-omics analysis and high-throughput data integration for crop improvement
The molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress are complex and involve multiple pathways and genes. Some key molecular mechanisms include the Abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway: ABA is a plant hormone critical in heat/drought response. Under stress conditions, ABA level increases and activates a signaling pathway that leads to stomatal closure, transpiration reduction, and increases water use efficiency. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging: Plants generate ROS during drought/heat, which can damage cellular components. C4 cereals have an efficient ROS scavenging system that helps to reduce oxidative stress and maintain cellular integrity. Similarly, osmotic adjustment: Plants can accumulate solutes such as proline, betaine, and sugars, which helps to maintain cellular turgor and prevent water loss. In addition, several transcription factors have been implicated in the regulation of stress response in C4 cereals, including DREB (dehydration-responsive element-binding protein), NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC), and MYB (myeloblastosis) families. These transcription factors regulate the expression of downstream genes involved in stress response and tolerance.
This research topic aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the identification methods, identification indicators, and comprehensive evaluation methods of abiotic stress resistance in C4 cereals from four aspects: transcriptome analysis, multiomics, QTL mapping and stress resistance gene mining, to provide a reference for the breeding of stress-tolerant varieties of C4 cereals. The identification and evaluation of important physiological traits would aid and fortify molecular breeding and genetic engineering in targeting and delivering traits to improve the stress tolerance capability of crops. This research topic mainly focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of C4 crops such as pearl millet, sorghum, maize, sugarcane, etc. under such abiotic stress. We welcome submissions of original research, reviews, and methods, including but not limited to studies on the following topics:
- Screening of stress tolerance (heat/drought) in a variety of germplasms
- Morphological and physiological responses under abiotic stress
- QTL Mapping and identification of QTL hotspots for stress-tolerant genes
- Phenotypic response under abiotic stress condition
- Multi-omics analysis and high-throughput data integration for crop improvement
Keywords: drought stress, Molecular Mechanism, morphological response, physiological response, molecular response, C4 cereals, heat stress
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