Environmental and Experimental Botany最新文献

{"title":"Saprotrophic-ectomycorrhizal fungal interactions affect poplar performance","authors":"Rodica Pena ,&nbsp;Gemma Milner ,&nbsp;Mark Tibbett","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106246","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106246","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi are key players in plant nutrition in forest ecosystems, affecting nutrient availability and plant nutrient acquisition, but the impact of their interaction on plant performance remains largely understudied. Their interaction is particularly important under nutrient-limited conditions (e.g., nitrogen limitation) as they may compete for resources or engage in facilitative interactions that ultimately affect plant nutrient uptake and growth. Here, we used a simplified, plant-centric experimental design to investigate the effects of fungal interactions on plant performance. Poplar (<em>Populus × canescens</em>) plantlets were grown under nutrient-poor conditions for 23 weeks with a single nutrient source: a mixture of ¹⁵N-labelled poplar (labile) and beech (recalcitrant) leaf litter. Plants were inoculated with <em>Pholiota squarrosa</em> (saprotrophic), <em>Laccaria bicolor</em> (ectomycorrhizal), both, or neither. We analysed growth, nitrogen uptake, and photosynthetic performance.</div><div>Ectomycorrhizal-inoculated plants showed greater growth, root development, and nitrogen accumulation than non-inoculated controls or those inoculated with saprotrophic fungi alone. Photosynthetic performance, particularly at 16 weeks, was also enhanced. In contrast, saprotrophic fungi increased nitrogen concentration in roots but did not improve plant biomass. Plant biomass and root architecture did not differ between EMF-only and dual-inoculated plants, suggesting that the addition of saprotrophic fungi did not further enhance or impair these traits. However, for nitrogen-related traits, dual-inoculated plants showed intermediate values between EMF-only and STF-only treatments. Despite these trends, statistical analysis did not detect a significant interaction between fungal guilds. These findings indicate that ectomycorrhizal fungi play a stronger role in promoting plant performance under nitrogen-limited conditions, likely through enhanced nutrient uptake and photosynthetic efficiency. Saprotrophic fungi alone did not promote plant growth under the experimental conditions, nor did their presence alter the benefits conferred by ectomycorrhizal fungi.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 106246"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145118188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nitrogen fertilization modulates the endophytic bacteria of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. and the quality of medicinal materials","authors":"Yichuan Liang ,&nbsp;Hongji Hou ,&nbsp;Guangfei Wei ,&nbsp;Yujia Fu ,&nbsp;Qian Wang ,&nbsp;Tianwei Su ,&nbsp;Lan Zou ,&nbsp;Jing Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106223","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106223","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Aconitum carmichaelii</em> Debx. is a traditional medicinal plant with substantial economic value. Prolonged use of chemical fertilizers or high nitrogen (N) input may reduce the accumulation of pharmacodynamic compounds and adversely influence ecosystems. Although the impact of N fertilization on soil microorganisms has been extensively investigated, how N fertilization modulates the endophytic bacterial community and thus affects secondary metabolite accumulation in the host plant remains unclear. This study hypothesizes that moderate nitrogen fertilization enhances alkaloid accumulation by modulating endophytic bacterial communities, thereby altering plant metabolic pathways. The field experiment demonstrated that moderate N fertilization (N2: 350 kg N ha⁻¹) significantly increased the total alkaloid content in <em>A. carmichaelii</em> by 14.45 % (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) compared with that in the zero N control. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that moderate N fertilization significantly increased the diversity (Chao 1 and Shannon index, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and altered the community composition (R² = 0.5081, <em>P</em> = 0.001) of endophytic bacteria. 64 endophytic bacterial taxa were identified differentially abundant taxa varying N treatments. Among them, 20 belonged to the N2 group, 16 of which demonstrated a strong positive correlation with alkaloid contents. Subsequent experiments confirmed that <em>Bacillus subtilis</em> JY-7–2L significantly enhanced alkaloid accumulation in <em>A. carmichaelii</em> (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) by producing alkaloids and inducing host metabolic pathways. Further analysis revealed that the metabolites from <em>B. subtilis</em> JY-7–2L remarkably up-regulated the genes related to signal transduction and alkaloid biosynthesis, thereby enhancing alkaloid accumulation in <em>A. carmichaelii</em>. This study demonstrated that rational fertilization significantly enhances plant–microbe interactions, particularly through the role of <em>B</em>. <em>subtilis</em> JY-7–2L in promoting alkaloid accumulation. These findings laid the foundation for optimizing the N fertilization strategy for <em>A. carmichaelii</em> cultivation and developing <em>B</em>. <em>subtilis</em> JY-7–2L strain into environmentally friendly biofertilizers to advance agricultural sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 106223"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145118189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transcriptomic and metabonomic analysis of quorum sensing signal (N-octanoyl-DL-homoserine lactone) on regulating poplar fine roots growth","authors":"Qi Liang Zhu ,&nbsp;Nian Zhao Wang ,&nbsp;Wen Hao Han ,&nbsp;Shu Qi Ma ,&nbsp;You Lv ,&nbsp;Yan Ping Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106229","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106229","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Root-microbe transboundary communication is important to dominate the interaction between plant and microorganism. However, the influence of quorum sensing signals among bacteria community on the root growth and development is still obscure. The study focused on one quorum sensing signal isolated from poplar rhizosphere, <em>N</em>-octanoyl-DL-homoserine lactone (C8-HSL), and examined its influence on the morphological structure, ultrastructure, and subcellular structure of poplar roots. Transcriptome and metabolome sequencing were further performed to reveal the potential mechanisms of C8-HSL regulating the root morphological development. The results showed C8-HSL demonstrated dual regulatory effects on the growth of poplar fine roots. At high concentrations (more than 100 μM), root growth of poplar seedlings was suppressed by C8-HSL, and the primary and lateral roots appeared short and thick. Conversely, at low concentrations (10 nM), root growth was promoted by C8-HSL, and the primary and lateral roots were elongated. Fluorescent probes indicated that Ca^2 + , reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nitric oxide (NO) in root tip cells were significantly up-regulated at concentrations more than 1 μM of C8-HSL, while only Ca²⁺ and NO concentration were significantly up-regulated at concentrations less than 1 μM of C8-HSL. Transcriptome and metabolome analysis further revealed that high concentration C8-HSL significantly upregulated the expression of poplar genes related to secondary wall biogenesis (e.g., <em>MYB46</em>, <em>MYB83</em>, <em>CESA</em>) and auxin transport (e.g., <em>PIN6</em>, <em>AUX22B</em>, <em>GH3.6</em>). In contrast, low concentration C8-HSL upregulated calmodulin expression and increased indoleacrylic acid and 3-indolebutyric acid content. Taken together, these findings provide a deeper insight to the interaction between root and microbes, and imply the potential utilization of quorum sensing signals in regulating root growth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 106229"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144926418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coprinellus disseminates ArsM confers multi-layer arsenic resistance in transgenic tobacco by coordinating detoxification, photosynthetic protection, and stress signaling","authors":"Yalin Yang,&nbsp;Fuxin Yang,&nbsp;Lijun Qin","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plant arsenic pollution, entering the food chain via soil-plant systems, constitutes a global environmental health threat. The macrofungus <em>Coprinellus disseminatus</em> (Pers.:Fr.) J.E. Lange, endemic to arsenic-contaminated areas of Bijie, China, exhibits exceptional arsenic resistance confirmed through physiological analysis under arsenic exposure. Integrated transcriptomics identified key resistance genes (<em>CdACR3</em>, <em>CdsHSP</em>, <em>CdSEP</em>, <em>CdArsM</em>), with qRT-PCR revealing time-dependent upregulation of <em>CdArsM</em> and <em>CdACR3</em> during prolonged arsenic stress. Given reported roles of ArsM orthologs in plant tolerance, we engineered codon-optimized <em>CdArsM</em>-expressing <em>Nicotiana tabacum</em> transgenics. Under arsenic stress, transgenic lines showed enhancing chloroplast/mitochondrial integrity, significantly reducing ROS accumulation (O₂˙⁻, H₂O₂), lower oxidative damage (reduced MDA) and elevating antioxidant enzyme activity. Transcriptomics revealed pronounced enrichment of upregulated DEGs in arsenic-stressed transgenics (12 h) versus wild-type across: photosynthesis, phenylpropanoid metabolism, light-circadian signaling, energy-carbon partitioning, stress transduction, and redox homeostasis. qRT-PCR further validated progressive upregulation of key regulators: phosphate transporter (<em>Pht1;1</em>), metal transporter (<em>MTP1</em>), transcription factor (<em>NAC029</em>), and glutathione peroxidase (<em>GSH2</em>). These results demonstrate <em>CdArsM</em>-mediated arsenic resistance involves coordinated activation of complementary physiological pathways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 106236"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145020003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing ecological restoration efficiency in antimony mining areas using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: Perspectives from plant physiology and transcriptomic analysis","authors":"Xinru Li ,&nbsp;Yidong Mi ,&nbsp;Rong Zhang ,&nbsp;Fuhan Guo ,&nbsp;Min Zhou ,&nbsp;Yuan Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106249","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106249","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The high concentration of antimony (Sb) pollution poses severe challenges to ecological restoration in Sb mining areas in southwestern China. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have demonstrated considerable application potential this context; however, related research remains insufficient. This study systematically evaluated the enhancement effects and mechanisms of different AMF inoculations on ecological restoration efficiency using two pioneer plant species, <em>Trifolium repens</em> (Tr) and <em>Artemisia argyi</em> (Aa) in southwestern Sb mining areas, through plant physiology and transcriptomics analysis. The results showed that <em>Rhizophagus intraradices</em> (Ri) and mixed inoculation consistently exhibited superior growth-promoting effects, increasing the dry weight biomass by 1.89–6.13-fold and 1.90–7.44-fold, respectively. This was associated with increased phosphorus absorption and reduced Sb concentration in plant tissues, which mitigated environmental stress and enhanced both heavy metal tolerance and plant growth. <em>Funneliformis mosseae</em> (Fm) showed significant growth promotion only in soils with high pH and calcium content. Additionally, AMF inoculation increased the total Sb uptake by the plants in each pot while also activating soil nutrients, thereby improving the plant growth environment, which is a critical ecological restoration objective. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the effects of AMF on host plants varied depending on plant functionality and soil properties. In Tr, AMF regulated genes associated with signal transduction, oxidative stress response, and metal ion transport, while AMF in Aa primarily induced significant co-enrichment in photosynthetic pathways. This study substantiates the growth-promoting effects of AMF on pioneer plants and their improvement of rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties, providing a feasible strategy for ecological restoration of Sb mining areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 106249"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145217020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adaptation strategies of eight crop legume species to low phosphorus availability: Root morphology, exudates and microbiome interactions","authors":"Yu Dai ,&nbsp;Hao-Wen Tian ,&nbsp;Qiao Zhu ,&nbsp;Cheng-Xi Yi ,&nbsp;Yu-Mei Wang ,&nbsp;Jiayin Pang ,&nbsp;Hans Lambers ,&nbsp;San-Wei Yang ,&nbsp;Jin He","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106252","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106252","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Crop legumes are a crucial source of vegetable protein for humans, and phosphorus (P) is essential for seed yield and quality. However, the adaptations to low plant-available soil P conditions among crop legume species remain underexplored. We investigated eight crop legume species under two P levels, i.e. 0 (P0) and 40 mg P kg⁻¹ dry soil (P40), and determined root traits, rhizosheath carboxylates, soil P fractions and microbiomes to explore their adaptative mechanisms. Across the eight crop legume species, the angle of adventitious and lateral roots, lateral root density, rhizosheath organic-P concentration, acid phosphatase activity and carboxylates significantly increased under P0, while total root length, plant-available P concentration, Al-P and Fe-P concentrations in rhizosheath soil were significantly reduced. The diversity and composition of bacterial and fungal communities varied among the species. Under P0, bacterial diversity (Shannon index) was lower and fungal diversity was higher compared with P40. Similarly, bacterial community stability decreased, whereas fungal community stability increased relative to P40. The abundance of phosphate−solubilizing bacteria at the genus level, such as <em>Flavobacterium</em> and <em>Bacillus</em>, significantly increased in rhizosheath soil under P0. Both <em>Flavobacterium</em> and <em>Bacillus</em> showed positive correlations with rhizosheath plant-available soil P concentration. We conclude that the crop legume species are adapted to a low soil P environment by exuding carboxylates, which not only mobilize inorganic P factions but also support phosphate−solubilizing bacteria, enhancing plant-available soil P availability. Our results provide new insights into plant-microbe interactions mediated by carboxylates, highlighting their roles in helping crop legume species adapt to P deficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 106252"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide analysis of the caffeic acid O-methyltransferase gene family reveal the role of PnCOMT1 in phytomelatonin biosynthesis and biotic stress tolerance in Panax notoginseng","authors":"Jianbin Li ,&nbsp;Leilin Li ,&nbsp;Jiae Hou ,&nbsp;Mingtao Ai ,&nbsp;Tiantai Liu ,&nbsp;Xiuming Cui ,&nbsp;Qian Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106212","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106212","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Panax notoginseng</em>, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, is renowned for its rich and diverse triterpenoid saponins. <em>P. notoginseng</em> is extremely vulnerable to pathogens during cultivation due to its unique growth conditions. Phytomelatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, MT), a ubiquitous signaling molecule essential for plant biotic resistance, is catalyzed by Caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) from N-acetyl-serotonin in the cytoplasm. However, information on COMT with N-acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase (ASMT) activity was lacking in <em>P. notoginseng</em>. In this study, twelve putative <em>PnCOMT</em> genes were identified in <em>P. notoginseng</em>. Furthermore, its physiochemical characteristics, phylogenetic relationship, chromosomal distribution, gene collinearity and promoter <em>cis</em>-element were investigated. Among them, <em>Pno01G002223.t1</em> (<em>PnCOMT1</em>) was considered a potential MT biosynthesis gene based on its high similarity to <em>AtCOMT1</em>, which is involved in MT biosynthesis in <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em>. The PnCOMT1 protein is localized in the cytoplasm. Notably, <em>P. notoginseng caffeic acid O-methyltransferase 1</em> (<em>PnCOMT1</em>) showed a high transcript level after MT treatment and black blot disease infection. To further evaluate PnCOMT1 function in MT biosynthesis, we overexpressed or complemented the <em>PnCOMT1</em> gene in the <em>A. thaliana comt</em> mutant and <em>P. notoginseng</em> callus. Overexpression/complementation of <em>PnCOMT1</em> significantly increased the concentration of phytomelatonin in <em>P. notoginseng</em> callus and <em>A. thaliana comt</em> mutant. Furthermore, <em>PnCOMT1</em>-overexpressing <em>A. thaliana</em> plant (PnCOMT1-OE) showed higher immunity-related genes expression and MAPK activity, and lower bacterial abundance after <em>Pst</em> DC3000/flg22 treatment compared with <em>comt</em> mutant and <em>comt</em> complemented (<em>comt/</em>PnCOMT1) plants, indicating that overexpression of <em>PnCOMT1</em> increased the bacterial resistance of the transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Taken together, our results indicated that PnCOMT1 positively regulates biotic stress resistance via enhancement of endogenous phytomelatonin biosynthesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 106212"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145096346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The emerging contaminant Cl-PFAES/F-53B induces nucleus instability leading to disrupted root development in Arabidopsis","authors":"Jiayi Zhao ,&nbsp;Wenjing Pan ,&nbsp;Huiqi Fu ,&nbsp;Yuting Chen ,&nbsp;Xueying Cui ,&nbsp;Yufeng Luo ,&nbsp;Zitong Chen ,&nbsp;Nan Huang ,&nbsp;Yue Hu ,&nbsp;Yonghua Qin ,&nbsp;Guanghui Yu ,&nbsp;Ziming Ren ,&nbsp;Wenyi Wang ,&nbsp;Bing Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaoning Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106251","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106251","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The emerging contaminant chlorinated polyfluoroalkyl ether sulfonate (Cl-PFAES/F-53B) has been detected from many plant species, which raises serious concerns for its global contamination and threats to agriculture and ecology security. However, the impacts of F-53B on plant development and the underpinning mechanisms remain largely unelucidated. In this study, by using molecular biology, cytogenetics, and fluorescence microscopy approaches, we analyzed seedling development in <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em> exposed to an increasing concentration of F-53B (20, 50 and 100 μM). We show that F-53B prohibits root elongation by inducing nuclei stability and cell unviability predominantly at the meristematic zone in a dosage-dependent manner. Disrupted cell wall formation and microtubule-mediated cell plate assembly in meristem cells reveal that F-53B is toxic to cell division and cytoskeleton organization. Notably, we show that F-53B does not trigger double-strand breaks but evokes autophagy-mediated cellular responses, which suggests that the impact of F-53B on DNA stability varies across species. Moreover, we show that F-53B and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have different impacts on seedling develompent, which unveils that F-53B-disrupted root development is not caused by ROS-induced cell damage. This study provides cytogenetic and molecular insights into the toxicity of F-53B to plant cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 106251"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145266605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From signal perception to adaptive responses: A comprehensive review of plant mechanisms under cadmium, lead, and aluminum stress","authors":"Natalia Krówczyńska,&nbsp;Małgorzata Pietrowska-Borek","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106240","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106240","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heavy metals (HMs), pollutants produced by humans, significantly impact crop yields. The contamination of soil and water by HMs poses a serious environmental challenge. Although HMs naturally occur in the soil as rare elements, agricultural practices, refuse dumping, metallurgy, and manufacturing contribute to their environmental spread in higher concentrations that lead to negative effects on crop plants and human health. Even at low concentrations, HMs, such as cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and aluminum (Al), adversely impact root uptake and transport to vegetative and reproductive organs, disrupting mineral nutrition and homeostasis, which in turn influence the growth and development of both plant shoots and roots. Plants absorb HMs from contaminated soil or water, which inhibits root growth, causes leaf chlorosis, hinders stomatal opening, and can lead to wilting or death. Additionally, it suppresses photosynthesis and transpiration, induces oxidative stress, alters enzyme activity, and modifies gene expression. Resource allocation between growth and defense is a key trade-off for plant survival and fitness. Under heavy metal exposure, stronger defense responses often coincide with reduced growth, even without visible damage. Plants have evolved complex signaling networks that respond to environmental stimuli through signaling proteins, such as plasma membrane receptors and ion transporters, as well as cascades of kinases and other enzymes, ultimately leading to the activation of effectors. In the plant response to HMs stress, the pivotal signaling role is played by hormones and many additional compounds, including second messengers such as cytosolic Ca^2 + , reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and cyclic nucleotides such as cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). Moreover, it has recently been demonstrated that nucleotides such as exogenous ATP (eATP) can also play signaling roles in plant cells. These are part of the regulatory network, involving MAP kinase, SnRK, and transcription factors, that leads to the synthesis of metabolites capable of mitigating plant stress caused by HMs. Their uptake triggers diverse epigenetic mechanisms that may either promote or hinder plant stress tolerance. In response to HMs exposure, plants adjust gene expression through DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and microRNA-mediated gene silencing. Recent findings also highlight the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms as important post-transcriptional regulators within this signaling network, further fine-tuning plant responses to HMs. However, more research is still needed to identify the signaling networks involved in this process. This review summarizes the current understanding of perception, signal transduction, and plant responses to Cd, Pb, and Al stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 106240"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145118187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Understanding the mechanism of action of stress-acclimatized rhizospheric microbiome towards salinity stress mitigation in Vigna radiata: A focus on the emission of volatiles” [Environ. Exp. Bot. 201, September 2022, 104988]","authors":"Shubham Dubey ,&nbsp;Abhishek Anand ,&nbsp;Annapurna Bhattacharjee ,&nbsp;Shivani Khatri ,&nbsp;Floriane L’Haridon ,&nbsp;Laure Weisskopf ,&nbsp;Shilpi Sharma","doi":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106243","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.envexpbot.2025.106243","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11758,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Experimental Botany","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 106243"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145358428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}