Plant Growth Regulators Research Articles

Genome-wide identification and comprehensive analysis of the AP2/ERF gene family in Prunus sibirica under low-temperature stress

BackgroundAP2/ERF transcription factors are involved in the regulation of growth, development, and stress response in plants. Although the gene family has been characterized in various species, such as Oryza sativa, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Populus trichocarpa, studies on the Prunus sibirica AP2/ERF (PsAP2/ERF) gene family are lacking. In this study, PsAP2/ERFs in P. sibirica were characterized by genomic and transcriptomic analyses.ResultsIn the study, 112 PsAP2/ERFs were identified and categorized into 16 subfamilies. Within each subfamily, PsAP2/ERFs exhibited similar exon-intron structures and motif compositions. Additionally, 50 pairs of segmentally duplicated genes were identified within the PsAP2/ERF gene family. Our experimental results showed that 20 PsAP2/ERFs are highly expressed in leaves, roots, and pistils under low-temperature stress conditions. Among them, the expression of PsAP2/ERF21, PsAP2/ERF56 and PsAP2/ERF88 was significantly up-regulated during the treatment period, and it was hypothesised that members of the PsAP2/ERF family play an important role inlow temperature stress tolerance.ConclusionsThis study improves our understanding of the molecular basis of development and low-temperature stress response in P. sibirica and provides a solid scientific foundation for further functional assays and evolutionary analyses of PsAP2/ERFs.

Effect of Natural Growth Regulators on the Growth of Coffee Seedlings in the Cotyledon Phase

Coffee is an important agricultural commodity with increasing global demand, so optimizing the growth of coffee seedlings, especially during the seedling phase, is crucial to increase productivity. The use of natural plant growth regulators offers an environmentally friendly and economical solution. This study aims to evaluate the effect of natural plant growth regulators from onion extract and bean sprout extract on the growth of robusta coffee seedlings (Coffea canephora L.) during the seedling phase. The study was conducted using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three treatments, namely control, onion extract, and bean sprout extract. The parameters measured included plant height, stem diameter, and number of leaves for six weeks. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and BNT test at the 5% level. The results showed that both natural plant growth regulators significantly increased the growth of coffee seedlings compared to the control. Bean sprout extract gave the best results for plant height (16.75 cm), while onion extract was superior in increasing stem diameter (4.65 mm) and number of leaves (12.20). Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences between treatments and controls for all parameters. Thus, the use of onion and bean sprout extracts as natural growth regulators has proven effective in increasing the growth of coffee seedlings in the seedling phase, offering an environmentally friendly and economical alternative for optimizing the growth of coffee seedlings.

Tailoring Core-Shell Metal Coordination for Smart Seed Coatings in Sustainable Agriculture.

The international agriculture and food security sector is grappling with challenges like low crop yields, soil health deficiencies, and inefficient agrochemical use. The application of smart nanotechnology in agriculture, particularly surface functionalization, holds promise but has limited implementation. Engineered nanomaterials used as seed treatments, known as nanopriming, offer a simple technology to improve crop yield and stress tolerance. In this study, a multicomponent platform called Phelm (Phenolic network with a lipid core and metal coordinated shell) is proposed for encapsulating a commercial plant growth regulator, indole-3 acetic acid (IAA). Phelm comprises a hydrophobic solid lipid core, loaded with IAA, and an outer metal coordinated phenolic shell of tannic acid (TA) and Fe3+. The platform aims to treat seeds with encapsulated IAA, which can be controllably released, as well as protect the germination process at high salt concentrations. Phelm showed a remarkable increase in growth parameters of wheat seeds up to 58.6%, despite being irrigated with high concentrations of saltwater (100 mM). These findings suggest that nanopriming of seeds can effectively increase their efficacy even under abiotic stress conditions, which can drastically improve crop yields. Moreover, we envisage that the Phelm core/shell assembly can encapsulate a wide range of agrochemicals and biostimulants to promote sustainable and smart agricultural practices.

BpTCP19 targets BpWRKY53 to negatively regulate jasmonic acid- and dark-induced leaf senescence in Betula platyphylla

TCP (TEOSINTE-LIKE1, CYCLOIDEA, and PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR1) is a plant-specific transcription factor that has garnered significant attention due to its wide-ranging involvement in the regulation of plant growth or developmental processes. However, the molecular mechanisms through which TCP genes orchestrate leaf senescence have not been extensively elucidated. BpTCP19, a member of the PCF subfamily in Betula platyphylla, and has high homology to AtTCP19. BpTCP19 displayed pronounced downregulation in response to methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and dark treatment. Overexpressing BpTCP19 in Betula platyphylla led to a delay in leaf senescence, resulting in prolonged leaf greenness under both MeJA and dark conditions. Transcriptome analysis revealed that overexpression of BpTCP19 induced alterations in the expression levels of genes linked to cell proliferation, hormone signaling transduction, and leaf senescence, including the early responsive factor BpWRKY53. Furthermore, through Yeast one-hybrid assays and GUS analysis, BpTCP19 was shown to bind to the promoter region of BpWRKY53, suppressing its expression and thereby retarding leaf senescence. This study elucidates the physiological and molecular functions of BpTCP19 as a central transcriptional regulatory module in leaf senescence and provides a potential target gene for delaying leaf senescence by mitigating sensitivity to external aging signals such as Jasmonic acid (JA) and darkness.

Screening and Identification of Target Gene of StTCP7 Transcription Factor in Potato

TCP transcription factors are involved in the regulation of plant growth and development and response to stress. Previous studies showed that StTCP7 was involved in the abiotic stress response of potato and positively regulated plant tolerance to drought stress. On the basis of previous studies, this study verified the downstream target genes of StTCP7 transcription factor binding through yeast one hybridization, double luciferase and other technologies, and conducted a preliminary analysis of the downstream target genes. The results showed that the StTCP7 transcription factor could bind the promoter region of StDAM5 and StGOLS2 and regulate the expression of their genes. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression level of StDAM5 gene was the highest in flower stalk tissue and the lowest in leaf stalk. The expression of StGOLS2 gene was the highest in stem, the second in stalk, and the lower in root. Both StDAM5 and StGOLS2 genes responded to abiotic stress treated with 200 mM NaCl, 20% PEG-6000 and 100 µM ABA. The expression levels of target genes StDAM5 and StGOLS2 were up-regulated in StTCP7 interfered plants. The protein encoded by the target gene StDAM5 belongs to the Type II MADS-box protein, which contains 238 amino acids and is an acidic hydrophilic protein. The analysis of StDAM5 promoter region showed that the promoter region of StDAM5 gene contained cis-acting elements such as light response and abscisic acid. Subcellular localization showed that StDAM5 protein was expressed in both nucleus and cytoplasm.

Choosing an appropriate somatic embryogenesis medium of carrot (Daucus carota L.) by data mining technology

IntroductionDeveloping somatic embryogenesis is one of the main steps in successful in vitro propagation and gene transformation in the carrot. However, somatic embryogenesis is influenced by different intrinsic (genetics, genotype, and explant) and extrinsic (e.g., plant growth regulators (PGRs), medium composition, and gelling agent) factors which cause challenges in developing the somatic embryogenesis protocol. Therefore, optimizing somatic embryogenesis is a tedious, time-consuming, and costly process. Novel data mining approaches through a hybrid of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and optimization algorithms can facilitate modeling and optimizing in vitro culture processes and thereby reduce large experimental treatments and combinations. Carrot is a model plant in genetic engineering works and recombinant drugs, and therefore it is an important plant in research works. Also, in this research, for the first time, embryogenesis in carrot (Daucus carota L.) using Genetic algorithm (GA) and data mining technology has been reviewed and analyzed.Materials and methodsIn the current study, data mining approach through multilayer perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) as two well-known ANNs were employed to model and predict embryogenic callus production in carrot based on eight input variables including carrot cultivars, agar, magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), calcium dichloride (CaCl2), manganese (II) sulfate (MnSO4), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), and kinetin (KIN). To confirm the reliability and accuracy of the developed model, the result obtained from RBF-GA model were tested in the laboratory.ResultsThe results showed that RBF had better prediction efficiency than MLP. Then, the developed model was linked to a genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize the system. To confirm the reliability and accuracy of the developed model, the result of RBF-GA was experimentally tested in the lab as a validation experiment. The result showed that there was no significant difference between the predicted optimized result and the experimental result.ConclutionsGenerally, the results of this study suggest that data mining through RBF-GA can be considered as a robust approach, besides experimental methods, to model and optimize in vitro culture systems. According to the RBF-GA result, the highest somatic embryogenesis rate (62.5%) can be obtained from Nantes improved cultivar cultured on medium containing 195.23 mg/l MgSO4, 330.07 mg/l CaCl2, 18.3 mg/l MnSO4, 0.46 mg/l 2,4- D, 0.03 mg/l BAP, and 0.88 mg/l KIN. These results were also confirmed in the laboratory

Temporary Immersion Bioreactor (TIB) System for Large-Scale Micropropagation of Musa sp. cv Kluai Numwa Pakchong 50

Conventional in vitro propagation using semisolid Murashige and Skoog (MS) culture systems is costly, labor-intensive, and requires substantial space for large-scale plant production. This study investigated the application of a temporary immersion bioreactor (TIB) system for the micropropagation of the banana cultivar Kluai Numwa Pakchong 50, as a promising platform for economical commercial production. The cultivation parameters affecting plantlet multiplication, including plant growth regulator (PGR) use, explant density, and immersion frequency, were examined. Additionally, the ex vitro acclimatization of well-developed in vitro plantlets was also evaluated. Using liquid MS medium supplemented with 7.5 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) in the TIB system yielded significantly better results than the conventional semisolid MS control system, producing more shoots (5.60 shoots/explant) and leaves (2.80 leaves/explant) with longer shoot length (2.19 cm). Optimal conditions in the TIB system included an inoculum density of five explants per culture vessel and an immersion frequency of once every 6 or 8 h for 2 min. For root induction, 0.5 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) proved more effective than 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). After 30 days of ex vitro acclimatization, plantlets regenerated from the TIB system demonstrated high survival rates, vegetative growth performance, and root formation efficiency comparable to those from the semisolid culture system. These findings establish the TIB system as a promising platform for the mass propagation of the Kluai Numwa Pakchong 50 banana. The protocol developed in this study could potentially be adapted for large-scale production of other banana varieties.

Role of grass endophytic fungi as a natural resource of bioactive metabolites.

Grass endophytic fungi have garnered increasing attention as a prolific source of bioactive metabolites with potential application across various fields, including pharmaceticals agriculture and industry. This review paper aims to synthesize knowledge on the diversity, isolation, and bioactivity of metabolites produced by grass endophytic fungi. Additionally, this approach aids in the conservation of rare and endangered plant species. Advanced analytical techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatograpy-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography are discussed as critical tools for metabolite identification and characterization. The review also highlights significant bioactive metabolites discovered to date, emphasizing their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and insecticidal activities and plant growth regulation properties. Besides address the challenges and future prospects in harnessing grass endophytic fungi for sustainable biotenological applications. By consolidating recent advancements and identifying agaps in the current research, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the potential grass endophytic fungi as a valuable resource for novel bioactive compounds.

Efficacy of Plant Growth Regulators for the Modulation in the Productivity of Strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne)

Efficacy of Plant Growth Regulators for the Modulation in the Productivity of Strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne)

Modulatory Effect of Ginseng Extracts against Trafos Cu Plant Growth Regulators Induced Renal Toxicity in Rats

Modulatory Effect of Ginseng Extracts against Trafos Cu Plant Growth Regulators Induced Renal Toxicity in Rats

Emerging Trends in Plant Growth Regulators: Innovations and Applications

The review offers a comprehensive and illuminating summary of the most recent developments in the area of plant growth regulators (PGRs). The purpose of this research is to investigate the rapid advancements and uses of plant growth regulators (PGRs), which are vital instruments for maximizing the growth and productivity of plants. A wide variety of novel PGR compounds and technologies have been created as a result of recent breakthroughs. These new technologies and compounds provide considerable enhancements over the conventional methods. This discusses important discoveries such as innovative synthetic plant growth regulators (PGRs) and biostimulants that improve plant growth, resistance to stress, and crop output. Specifically, it investigates the manner in which these improved PGRs are developed to target certain physiological processes, which ultimately results in treatments that are more precise and successful in crop management. In addition, the study investigates the role that developing technologies play in the implementation of PGRs. These technologies include smart delivery systems and precision agricultural methods, which make it possible to adjust treatments to the individual requirements of plants and the circumstances of their environments. Additionally, the incorporation of PGRs into agricultural operations that are environmentally responsible. It highlights the potential for these advances to help to environmentally friendly agriculture by lowering the dependency on chemical inputs and enhancing the efficiency with which resources are used. The significance of these technological developments in solving global concerns such as climate change and food security is emphasized in the article. The revolutionary effect that new PGR technology have had on contemporary agricultural practices. This article highlights the potential for these technologies to improve crop productivity and promote sustainable agriculture practices by providing a detailed review of current developments and the practical consequences of those trends.

Feasible biosynthesis of biologically active metabolites in in vitro culture of Macrotyloma uniflorum

Macrotyloma uniflorum, commonly called “Horse gram” is an underutilized pulse crop recognized for its great nutritional significance and a broad range of biological properties. There have been no in vitro studies for the biosynthesis of enhanced bioactive metabolites in the callus culture of M. uniflorum. In the study reported here, we have designed a feasible protocol for high-frequency callus induction and maintenance utilizing a leaf as an explant grown on MS media enriched with various concentrations of different plant growth regulators (PGRs) including α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and thidiazuron (TDZ) either alone or in combination. Among all the tested PGRs, NAA alone resulted in high-frequency callus induction (97%), and maximum biomass accumulation (Fresh weight (FW): 200 g/L: Dry weight (DW): 20.4 g/L). Moreover, hormonally optimized callus cultures exhibit maximum production of phenolic compounds (166.6 mg/L) and flavonoid compounds (351.6 mg/L). The antioxidant potential of calli extracts was also determined by utilizing various antioxidant activities. Maximum antioxidant activities ((2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)) ABTS = 497.9; TEAC μM; (Ferric reducing antioxidant power) FRAP = 823 TEAC μM; (Cellular Antioxidant Activity) CAA: 58.2%) were recorded in leaf-derived calli supplemented with different PGRs treatments. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis further revealed maximum biosynthesis of caffeic acid (1.63 mg/g DW), gallic acid (8.92 mg/g DW), kaempferol (0.71 mg/g DW), myricetin (0.39 mg/g DW), apigenin (0.64 mg/g DW) at 10 mg/L BAP and isorhamnetin (0.68 mg/g DW) at 1 mg/L TDZ + 10 mg/L NAA. The objective of this study was to explore in vitro biosynthesis of enhanced bioactive metabolites in the callus culture of M. uniflorum, leveraging a feasible protocol for high-frequency callus induction and maintenance. The results showcase the remarkable efficacy of NAA in callus induction and biomass accumulation, highlighting the hormonally optimized callus cultures as a potent source for enhanced biosynthesis of bioactive metabolites, paving the way for further applications in pharmaceutical and commercial industries.

MiR472 deficiency enhances Arabidopsis thaliana defense without reducing seed production.

After having co-existed in plant genomes for at least 200 million years, the products of microRNA (miRNA) and Nucleotide-Binding Leucine Rich Repeat protein (NLR) genes formed a regulatory relationship in the common ancestor of modern gymnosperms and angiosperms. From then on, DNA polymorphisms occurring at miRNA target sequences within NLR transcripts must have been compensated by mutations in the corresponding mature miRNA sequence. The potential evolutionary advantage of such regulation remains largely unknown and might be related to two non-exclusive scenarios: miRNA-dependent regulation of NLR levels might prevent defense mis-activation with negative effects on plant growth and reproduction; or reduction of active miRNA levels in response to pathogen derived molecules (PAMPS and silencing suppressors) might rapidly release otherwise silent NLR transcripts for rapid translation and thereby enhance defense. Here, we used Arabidopsis thaliana plants deficient for miR472 function to study the impact of releasing its NLR targets on plant growth and reproduction and on defense against the fungal pathogen Plectospharaella cucumerina. We show that miR472 regulation has a dual role, participating both in the tight regulation of plant defense and growth. MIM472 lines, with reduced active miR472, are more resistant to pathogens and, correlatively, have reduced relative growth compared to wild-type plants although the end of their reproductive phase is delayed, exhibiting higher adult biomass and similar seed yield as the wild-type. Our study highlights how negative consequences of defense activation might be compensated by changes in phenology and that miR472 reduction is an integral part of plant defense responses.

Innovations in Date palm(Phoenix dactylifera L.) micropropagation: detailed review of in vitro culture methods and plant growth regulator applications

Innovations in Date palm(Phoenix dactylifera L.) micropropagation: detailed review of in vitro culture methods and plant growth regulator applications

Overexpression of Auxin/Indole-3-Acetic Acid Gene TrIAA27 Enhances Biomass, Drought, and Salt Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is an important forage and aesthetic plant species, but it is susceptible to drought and heat stress. The phytohormone auxin regulates several aspects of plant development and alleviates the effects of drought stress in plants, including white clover, by involving auxin/indole acetic acid (Aux/IAA) family genes. However, Aux/IAA genes and the underlying mechanism of auxin-mediated drought response remain elusive in white clover. To extend our understanding of the multiple functions of Aux/IAAs, the current study described the characterization of a member of the Aux/IAA family TrIAA27 of white clover. TrIAA27 protein had conserved the Aux/IAA family domain and shared high sequence similarity with the IAA27 gene of a closely related species and Arabidopsis. Expression of TrIAA27 was upregulated in response to heavy metal, drought, salt, NO, Ca2+, H2O2, Spm, ABA, and IAA treatments, while downregulated under cold stress in the roots and leaves of white clover. TrIAA27 protein was localized in the nucleus. Constitutive overexpression of TrIAA27 in Arabidopsis thaliana led to enhanced hypocotyl length, root length, plant height, leaf length and width, and fresh and dry weights under optimal and stress conditions. There was Improved photosynthesis activity, chlorophyll content, survival rate, relative water content, endogenous catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) concentration with a significantly lower electrolyte leakage percentage, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration in overexpression lines compared to wild-type Arabidopsis under drought and salt stress conditions. Exposure to stress conditions resulted in relatively weaker roots and above-ground plant growth inhibition, enhanced endogenous levels of major antioxidant enzymes, which correlated well with lower lipid peroxidation, lower levels of reactive oxygen species, and reduced cell death in overexpression lines. The data of the current study demonstrated that TrIAA27 is involved in positively regulating plant growth and development and could be considered a potential target gene for further use, including the breeding of white clover for higher biomass with improved root architecture and tolerance to abiotic stress.

Time to flowering of ornamental orchids

Objective: To analyze features of time to flowering of orchids and some strategies for its control in cultivation for ornamental purposes. Design/methodology/approach: Information from various authors and our own data is shown, in relation to the management of flowering time of ornamental orchids, based on treatments of environmental effects, plant growth regulators (PGRs) and nutrition. Findings/conclusions: It is possible to reduce the flowering time of orchids by environmental modifications, mainly temperature and photoperiod. This can also be achieved by nutritional management, mainly macro-nutritional, and through organic nutrition and PGRs. However, much more information is needed, especially for native orchid species with ornamental potential.

Morphological, cytogenetic, and phytochemical estimation of Lychnis flos-cuculi L. cell cultures: can cell biomass be a source of bioactive compounds?

The ragged robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi L.) from the Caryophyllaceae family contains flavonoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, triterpenoid saponins, and ecdysteroids, making it potential for biological and medicinal application. Plant cell culture technologies could be beneficial for obtaining low-cost biomass sources with valuable phytochemicals sustainably. The current study reports the induction and proliferation of ragged robin cell culture and evaluation of various plant growth regulators (PGRs) impact on the secondary metabolites profile using UPLC-HRMS/MS. Callus was initiated from different explants on the Murashige and Skoog medium with various combinations and concentrations of PGRs. It was found that prolonged proliferation on MS medium enriched with a combination of 1.0 mg l− 1 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 0.1 mg l− 1 N6-furfuryl adenine (Kinetin) yields the maximum biomass with 504.05% growth index. The results of flow cytometric analysis suggested no genetic alteration between differentiated and dedifferentiated cultures. Furthermore, the UPLC-HRMS/MS result distinguished 101 significant signals that were manually identified as ecdysteroids (16 metabolites), flavonoids (11 metabolites), phenolic acids (10 metabolites), triterpene saponins and sapogenins (53 metabolites), and some primary metabolites. Our study demonstrates that the cell culture of L. flos-cuculi displays significant differences in its phytochemical makeup to plants cultivated in vitro. Moreover, the type of growth regulators used for callus cultures was identified to cause substantial shifts in the identified metabolites.Graphical

Molecular Characteristics and Expression Patterns of Carotenoid Cleavage Oxygenase Family Genes in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Carotenoid cleavage oxygenases (CCOs) cleave carotenoid molecules to produce bioactive products that influence the synthesis of hormones such as abscisic acid (ABA) and strigolactones (SL), which regulate plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. Here, to explore the molecular characteristics of all members of the OsCCO family in rice, fourteen OsCCO family genes were identified in the genome-wide study. The results revealed that the OsCCO family included one OsNCED and four OsCCD subfamilies. The OsCCO family was phylogenetically close to members of the maize ZmCCO family and the Sorghum SbCCO family. A collinearity relationship was observed between OsNCED3 and OsNCED5 in rice, as well as OsCCD7 and OsNCED5 between rice and Arabidopsis, Sorghum, and maize. OsCCD4a and OsCCD7 were the key members in the protein interaction network of the OsCCO family, which was involved in the catabolic processes of carotenoids and terpenoid compounds. miRNAs targeting OsCCO family members were mostly involved in the abiotic stress response, and RNA-seq data further confirmed the molecular properties of OsCCO family genes in response to abiotic stress and hormone induction. qRT-PCR analysis showed the differential expression patterns of OsCCO members across various rice organs. Notably, OsCCD1 showed relatively high expression levels in all organs except for ripening seeds and endosperm. OsNCED2a, OsNCED3, OsCCD1, OsCCD4a, OsCCD7, OsCCD8a, and OsCCD8e were potentially involved in plant growth and differentiation. Meanwhile, OsNCED2a, OsNCED2b, OsNCED5, OsCCD8b, and OsCCD8d were associated with reproductive organ development, flowering, and seed formation. OsNCED3, OsCCD4b, OsCCD4c, OsCCD8b, and OsCCD8c were related to assimilate transport and seed maturation. These findings provide a theoretical basis for further functional analysis of the OsCCO family.

Genome-Wide Analysis of Aquaporins Gene Family in Populus euphratica and Its Expression Patterns in Response to Drought, Salt Stress, and Phytohormones.

Aquaporins (AQPs) play an essential role in membrane water transport during plant responses to water stresses centered on conventional upstream signals. Phytohormones (PHs) regulate plant growth and yield, working with transcription factors to help plants withstand environmental challenges and regulate physiological and chemical processes. The AQP gene family is important, so researchers have studied its function and regulatory system in numerous species. Yet, there is a critical gap the understanding of many of their molecular features, thus our full knowledge of AQPs is far-off. In this study, we undertook a broad examination of the AQP family gene in Populus euphratica via bioinformatics tools and analyzed the expression patterns of certain members in response to drought, salt, and hormone stress. A total of 22 AQP genes were examined in P. euphratica, and were categorized into four main groups, including TIPs, PIPs, SIPs, and NIPs based on phylogenetic analysis. Comparable exon-intron gene structures were found by gene structure examination, and similarities in motif number and pattern within the same subgroup was determined by motif analysis. The PeuAQP gene family has numerous duplications, and there is a distinct disparity in how the members of the PeuAQP family react to post-translational modifications. Abiotic stress and hormone responses may be mediated by AQPs, as indicated by the abundance of stress response elements found in 22 AQP genes, as revealed by the promoter's cis-elements prediction. Expression pattern analysis reveals that selected six AQP genes from the PIP subgroup were all expressed in the leaves, stem, and roots with varying expression levels. Moreover, qRT-PCR analysis discovered that the majority of the selected AQP members were up- or down-regulated in response to hormone treatment and abiotic stress. Remarkably, PeuAQP14 and PeuAQP15 appeared to be highly responsive to drought stress and PeuAQP15 exhibited a high response to salt stress. The foliar application of the phytohormones (SA, IAA, GA3, MeJA, and ABA) were found to either activate or inhibit PeuAQP, suggesting that they may mitigate the effects of water shortage of poplar water stress. The present work enhances our knowledge of the practical roles of AQPs in stress reactions and offers fundamental information for the AQP genes in poplar species. It also highlights a direction for producing new varieties of poplar species with drought, salt, and hormone tolerance and holds substantial scientific and ecological importance, offering a potential contribution to the conservation of poplar species in arid regions.

Prion-like Proteins in Plants: Key Regulators of Development and Environmental Adaptation via Phase Separation.

Prion-like domains (PrLDs), a unique type of low-complexity domain (LCD) or intrinsically disordered region (IDR), have been shown to mediate protein liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Recent research has increasingly focused on how prion-like proteins (PrLPs) regulate plant growth, development, and stress responses. This review provides a comprehensive overview of plant PrLPs. We analyze the structural features of PrLPs and the mechanisms by which PrLPs undergo LLPS. Through gene ontology (GO) analysis, we highlight the diverse molecular functions of PrLPs and explore how PrLPs influence plant development and stress responses via phase separation. Finally, we address unresolved questions about PrLP regulatory mechanisms, offering prospects for future research.