About this Research Topic

Background

Water and nutrient homeostasis are a crucial aspect of plant development and adaptation in a changing environment. Aquaporins play a key role in water transport in the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum by rapid and reversible adjustment of hydraulic conductance in plants. This is an important part of specific physiological events, including development and adaptation to water scarcity. Recent studies on plant membrane transporters, especially aquaporins, revealed their roles not only for the transport of water but also for other small substrates like boron, hydrogen peroxide, arsenite, and many others. The maximum number of aquaporin homologs has been identified in higher plants, suggesting their multiple functions for plant growth and adaptation, especially under various abiotic and biotic stresses. Furthermore, recent studies also showed the involvement of plant aquaporins during plant infection and immunity, which explores their role in plant-microbe interactions.

Aquaporins belong to the major intrinsic proteins (MIPs), which facilitate the transport of water and small molecules across cell membranes in higher plants. Recent progresses highlight their structure, classification, trafficking, subcellular localization, substrate selectivity, and gating. However, the exact mechanisms of aquaporins, and how they function under various abiotic and biotic stresses, are largely unknown in higher plants. Interactions between aquaporins and various mineral nutrients, toxic metalloids, and micro/nano plastics are also unknown. This Research Topic highlights the role of aquaporins in water and various mineral nutrients, toxic metalloids, and micro/nano plastics uptake and translocation, as well as the regulatory mechanisms that control the expression, subcellular location, stability, and transport activity of aquaporins in response to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Understanding the sophisticated plant-water-nutrient relationship at the molecular level is important for optimizing agricultural practices and assisting plant breeding programs, especially under various stress conditions.

In this Research Topic, we invite submissions that highlight the recent progress in the water and nutrient transport area, and its future challenges, to provide a thorough outline of the membrane transporters in higher plants. We welcome the submission of original papers, opinion articles, and reviews focused on the area of aquaporins and other membrane transporters that are involved in water and nutrient homeostasis in higher plants. Articles can contribute to (but are not limited to) the following topics:
• Aquaporins structure, classification, and biological functions
• Substrate specificity and transport mechanisms other than water
• Aquaporins’ role in plant-microbe interactions
• Aquaporins’ role under abiotic stresses
• Aquaporins’ role under biotic stresses

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Plant membranes, water transport, yeast expression system, plant molecular biology, nutrient homeostasis, abiotic stress, plant physiology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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