Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants最新文献

{"title":"Nanoparticles in wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L) cultivation: a promising solution to alleviate heavy metal toxicity.","authors":"Eimaan Aamer, Muhammad Saeed, Samia Muhammad Arif, Ghazala Mustafa, Riffat Naseem Malik","doi":"10.1007/s12298-026-01767-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12298-026-01767-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soil contamination with metalloids and metals (HMs) is one of the major challenges to sustainable wheat production, particularly in South Asia. Nanotechnology is a promising approach for mitigating metals/metalloids-induced phytotoxicity compared to conventional remediation methods. Several studies have indicated that nanoparticles (NPs) improve wheat growth and yield under metal stress conditions. These particles control enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, initiating efficient plant defense mechanisms against stress. Metal-based NPs (iron oxide and zinc oxide) show great potential in the mitigation of metal toxicity through mechanisms such as adsorption of toxic ions, decrease in the bioavailability of metals, regulation of uptake, and activation of antioxidant defenses. Similarly, non-metal NPs (silicon and selenium-based NPs) limit metal uptake, regulate antioxidants, and synthesize secondary metabolites to alleviate toxicity. As compared to chemically synthesized NPs, biogenic NPs provide significant potential for eco-friendly solutions for HMs mitigation. Future research is required concerning the biogenic nanoparticle application on wheat. The objective of this review is twofold: first, to deliver a comprehensive report of the metals-induced impacts in wheat, and secondly, to highlight how nanotechnology can alleviate toxic impacts posed by metals compared to traditional methods. This review aims to bridge existing gaps and stimulate future research to use this innovative approach in agriculture-related challenges. <i>Clinical trial number</i>: Not applicable.</p>","PeriodicalId":20148,"journal":{"name":"Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants","volume":"32 7","pages":"1439-1459"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350623/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Photoperiod-insensitive <i>E1-E4</i> alleles prolong the reproductive phase and enhance yield in short-season soybean grown in subtropical regions.","authors":"Nisha Agrawal, Rachana Tripathi, Sanjay Gupta, B S Gill, Giriraj Kumawat, Vangala Rajesh, Vennampally Nataraj, Shivakumar Marrana, Milind B Ratnaparkhe, Gyanesh Kumar Satpute, V S Bhatia, Anuradha Bhartiya, Nanita Heisnam, Rajendar Reddy, Kunwar Harendra Singh, Meeta Jain","doi":"10.1007/s12298-026-01777-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12298-026-01777-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Photoperiod sensitivity regulates the latitudinal adaptation of short-day soybean. In sub-tropical regions, monsoon sowing under progressively shortening day lengths often restricts growth, necessitating long juvenile photoperiod-sensitive cultivars. However, the role of major photoperiod-regulating maturity genes in determining flowering behaviour and reproductive duration across latitudinal gradients remains insufficiently understood. To address this gap, near-isogenic lines (NILs) carrying recessive alleles at the <i>E1, E2, E3</i>, and <i>E4</i> loci were developed in the genetic background of the highly photosensitive soybean variety SL 958 (<i>E1E2E3E4</i>). Multi-location trials across latitudes showed that recessive alleles at these loci reduced days to flowering (R1) without affecting maturity (R8) at higher latitudes, thereby extending the mean reproductive period by 17%. Early flowering in NILs did not reduce vegetative biomass, as vegetative growth continued into the reproductive phase, resulting in greater reproductive development and 27-126% higher grain yield per plant compared with SL 958. A photothermal sensitivity index (PTSI) based on average photoperiod and growing degree days (GDD) across latitudes showed that <i>e1-</i> and <i>e3-NILs</i> were the least sensitive to environmental variation, with PTSI values 30.4% (688.6) and 52.3% (472.2) lower than the recurrent parent SL 958 (988.9), respectively. These results demonstrate that extending the reproductive period through modification of photoperiod genes can improve yield potential in short-season rainfed soybean systems of sub-tropical regions.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-026-01777-5.</p>","PeriodicalId":20148,"journal":{"name":"Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants","volume":"32 7","pages":"1641-1654"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350579/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of light and temperature on secondary metabolite accumulation in cultured cells and hairy roots.","authors":"Rupasree Mukhopadhyay, Deekshita Kosaraju, Anil Gaddameedi, Sugunakar Vuree, K R S Sambasiva Rao, P B Kavi Kishor","doi":"10.1007/s12298-026-01764-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12298-026-01764-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many medicinal plants produce secondary metabolites, which are main sources of drugs and therapeutic products. Besides the complex biosynthetic pathways and their regulation by multiple genes, environmental factors like light play crucial roles in their accumulation, thus adding a layer of complexity. With an upsurge in market demand for secondary products throughout the world, a paradigm shift is observed towards the deployment of in vitro technologies for large-scale production of low-volume, and high-value secondary metabolites. Elicitation of plant cells is an alternative and viable strategy to augment secondary metabolites used in therapeutics. Different sources of light like fluorescent light, light-emitting diodes (LED), coloured LEDs, ultra violet (UV-A, B, C) light, a combination of lights, and temperature perceived by multisensory photoreceptors orchestrate in improving targeted secondary metabolites. This review provides an overview of the role of signaling pathways in secondary product biosynthesis and the need to explore widely light combinations as a vital source and future line of research for tailoring artificial light sources to boost the accumulation of secondary metabolites.</p>","PeriodicalId":20148,"journal":{"name":"Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants","volume":"32 7","pages":"1425-1438"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350626/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of the parameters affecting agrobacterium-mediated transformation process to produce cold stress-tolerant tomato by targeting <i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> <i>C-repeat binding factor 2</i> gene.","authors":"Koushik Halder, Abira Chaudhuri, Malik Z Abdin, Asis Datta","doi":"10.1007/s12298-026-01781-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12298-026-01781-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>C-repeat binding factors (CBFs) are a part of the AP2/ERF superfamily of transcription factors, which are known to regulate gene expression under different abiotic stress conditions, especially cold. In this study, when tomato cultivar Pusa Ruby (PR) was subjected to cold stress at 4 °C for 24 h, <i>SlCBF2,</i> along with <i>SlCBF1,</i> was found to be simultaneously induced at the early hours (3rd to 24th) of cold exposure. Similar simultaneous induction observed in another tomato variety, Arka Rakshak (AR), at the 3rd hour post-cold exposure. This brief yet strong simultaneous induction of both <i>SlCBF1</i> and <i>SlCBF2</i> provides a new insight into the initial induction of CBFs in cold-stressed tomato, which was not previously reported in PR or AR. To elucidate the <i>SlCBF2</i>-mediated cold response in tomato, we have developed stable overexpression lines that showed better cold tolerance than the wild-type PR. We have also evaluated and optimized two important parameters in the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation process and reported an improved transformation efficiency of 28.33% using 1 mg/L zeatin alone and 25% using a combination of 2 mg/L BAP and 0.1 mg/L IAA. Considering the varying degree of transformation efficiency in PR, this optimization will surely be of interest to future researchers to generate stable tomato transgenic lines. However, further works such as generating stable mutant lines targeting <i>SlCBF2</i> and studying how it reacts to cold-stress, whether <i>SlCBF2</i> directly regulates <i>SlCBF1</i> or other downstream cold-responsive genes would provide a more definitive framework for establishing <i>SlCBF2</i> as an important cold-stress-related transcription factor in tomato.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-026-01781-9.</p>","PeriodicalId":20148,"journal":{"name":"Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants","volume":"32 7","pages":"1591-1606"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350773/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-level evidence of titanium dioxide nanoparticle toxicity in blueberry plantlets.","authors":"Viktor Husak, Ulyana Kilchytska, Ivan Myroniuk, Ihor Mykytyn, Volodymyr Lushchak, Alois Bilavcik, Olena Bobrova","doi":"10.1007/s12298-026-01773-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12298-026-01773-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) are increasingly proposed for agricultural applications; however, their crop-specific safety profiles remain insufficiently understood. Here, we provide, to our knowledge, the first integrative evidence that TiO₂NPs exert predominantly negative effects on blueberry (<i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i> L.), a high-value woody perennial. In an in vitro 40-day exposure (30, 60, 90, 150 mg L^-1), we quantified coordinated responses across physiological, histological, and biochemical levels. Shoot elongation declined at all doses (up to 57%), with reduced biomass at higher concentrations. Histological analysis showed progressive tissue disorganization, from mild cell compaction at low doses to necrosis and vascular damage at 150 mg L^-1. Chlorophyll <i>a</i>, chlorophyll <i>b</i>, and carotenoid levels declined by up to 68%, indicating impaired photosynthetic capacity. Concurrently, TiO₂NPs stimulated antioxidant defenses: phenolic and flavonoid content increased up to threefold, while superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities rose by 138% and 147%, respectively. Correlation and sensitivity analyses confirmed strong antagonism between growth and defense responses. Shoot length positively correlated with pigment content (<i>r</i> = 0.99) but negatively with SOD (<i>r</i> = - 0.87) and flavonoids (<i>r</i> = - 0.75), suggesting a trade-off between growth and oxidative stress mitigation. SOD, APX, and carotenoids emerged as the most responsive biomarkers. Collectively, these multi-level data demonstrate that TiO₂NPs inhibit development and disrupt tissue integrity in blueberry, supporting a precautionary perspective: TiO₂NP-based fertilizers are not recommended for blueberry cultivation until safe exposure thresholds are validated under soil and field conditions.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-026-01773-9.</p>","PeriodicalId":20148,"journal":{"name":"Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants","volume":"32 7","pages":"1655-1670"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350783/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overexpression of β-carotene hydroxylase gene (<i>CiBCH</i>) enhances salt stress tolerance in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>.","authors":"Ying Sun, Ying Song, Shuaitong Zang, Ruiqing Zhang, Hongyao Li, Qiang Li, Liran Yue, Changle Liu, Miao He","doi":"10.1007/s12298-026-01742-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12298-026-01742-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As a widespread environmental issue, soil salinization adversely affects plant growth and productivity. Carotenoids are important photosynthetic pigments with strong antioxidant activity, which can improve the tolerance of plants to abiotic stress by quenching reactive oxygen species (ROS) through the xanthophyll cycle. Through salt stress treatment on <i>Chrysanthemum indicum</i> and utilizing quantitative real-time PCR technology (qRT-PCR), carotenoid synthesis-related genes were screened, and the β-carotene hydroxylase (<i>BCH</i>) gene was localized. The <i>CiBCH</i> gene and its promoter were cloned from <i>C. indicum</i>, and the activation activity of the <i>CiBCH</i> gene promoter indicated its response to salt stress. Functional validation of <i>CiBCH</i> through overexpression in Arabidopsis showed that, under salt stress, transgenic plants exhibited significantly reduced accumulations of malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and superoxide anion (O₂⁻) compared to their wild-type (WT) counterparts. Concurrently, the <i>CiBCH</i> not only influences the carotenoid biosynthesis network in Arabidopsis but also synergistically enhances the expression of related genes and the biosynthesis of carotenoids, thereby promoting the accumulation of their downstream product, abscisic acid (ABA). Additionally, the transgenic lines exhibited significantly enhanced activity of antioxidant enzymes along with upregulated expression of ROS scavenging genes compared to WT. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that <i>CiBCH</i> regulates plant oxidative stress responses through multiple mechanisms: inhibition of photosynthetic pigment degradation, influence on carotenoid biosynthesis, promotion of endogenous ABA accumulation, and enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activities. These findings provide a foundation for further investigation of <i>BCH</i> functions.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-026-01742-2.</p>","PeriodicalId":20148,"journal":{"name":"Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants","volume":"32 7","pages":"1551-1567"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350578/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide identification and characterization of the <i>PbrMDH</i> family in <i>Pyrus bretschneideri</i> and functional analysis of Pbr<i>MDHs</i> in response to <i>Botryosphaeria dothidea</i>.","authors":"Xiaolei Sun, Chaoyi Sun, Fei Wang, Yuting Liu, Yue Zhang, Fengpei Sun, Dan Li, Xun Sun, Shaoling Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s12298-026-01771-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12298-026-01771-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) catalyzes the interconversion of malate and oxaloacetate, but its role in pear disease resistance remains unclear. In this study, 17 <i>PbrMDH</i> genes were identified in the pear genome and classified into seven subfamilies, with members unevenly distributed across 10 chromosomes. Promoter analysis revealed the presence of multiple hormone-, light-, and stress-responsive cis-acting elements. Expression analysis showed that more than half of these genes were up-regulated after inoculation with <i>Botryosphaeria dothidea</i> (<i>B. dothidea</i>), suggesting their involvement in pathogen response. Among them, <i>PbrMDH1</i>, <i>PbrMDH5</i>, <i>PbrMDH6</i>, and <i>PbrMDH13</i> were selected for functional analysis. Virus-induced gene silencing showed that silencing each of these genes significantly increased lesion size after <i>B. dothidea</i> infection, indicating reduced resistance in pear leaves. Subcellular localization showed that PbrMDH5 is localized to the plasma membrane. In addition, stable overexpression of <i>PbrMDH5</i> in pear calli significantly enhanced resistance to <i>B. dothidea</i>. These results demonstrate that multiple <i>PbrMDH</i> genes participate in pear defense, and that <i>PbrMDH5</i> acts as a positive regulator of resistance to <i>B. dothidea</i>. This study provides a foundation for further elucidating the functions of <i>MDH</i> genes in pear disease resistance.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-026-01771-x.</p>","PeriodicalId":20148,"journal":{"name":"Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants","volume":"32 7","pages":"1625-1639"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350764/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Light induces <i>VvbHLH93</i> transcription to promote anthocyanin biosynthesis in grapes.","authors":"Jing Cheng, Xueer Chen, Xiao Bu, Keji Yu, Jun Wang","doi":"10.1007/s12298-026-01772-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12298-026-01772-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anthocyanins, the key water-soluble pigments, can determine grape berry color and contribute to market value, stress tolerance, and human health benefits. Light is a major environmental factor regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain not fully clarified. Previously, <i>VvbHLH93</i> was found to negatively regulate proanthocyanidin biosynthesis, and preliminary evidence indicated a possible influence on anthocyanin-related genes in grape. However, its specific role in light-responsive anthocyanin production had not been explored. In this study, <i>VvbHLH93</i> is demonstrated to function as a light-inducible transcription factor that may stimulate anthocyanin production. Analysis of the 1023-bp <i>VvbHLH93</i> promoter showed an enrichment of light-responsive elements (LREs), which was further supported by promoter activity assays in <i>Nicotiana benthamiana</i> and <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>. Over-expression of <i>VvbHLH93</i> in grape callus led to increased light-induced anthocyanin production, together with up-regulation of key biosynthetic genes and the master regulator <i>VvMYBA1</i>. These results suggest a potential regulatory pathway in which light signals, perceived through LREs in the <i>VvbHLH93</i> promoter, induce <i>VvbHLH93</i> expression, which may then contribute to the transcriptional activation of downstream targets to promote anthocyanin biosynthesis. The present work sheds some new lights on the light-mediated regulatory network controlling anthocyanin synthesis in grapes and suggests potential approaches for enhancing berry quality across diverse viticultural environments.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-026-01772-w.</p>","PeriodicalId":20148,"journal":{"name":"Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants","volume":"32 7","pages":"1477-1488"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350618/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Proline seed priming enhanced kenaf (<i>Hibiscus cannabinus</i> L.) cadmium tolerance by modulating physio-biochemical response and uptake capacity.","authors":"Caijin Wang, Meng Wang, Yan Liu, Rehmat Ullah, Muzammal Rehman, Samavia Mubeen, Dengjie Luo, Peng Chen","doi":"10.1007/s12298-026-01766-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12298-026-01766-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal with high biotoxicity that inhibits plant growth processes. Seed priming has important applications in crop production, as it promotes crop growth and stress tolerance, and improves both yield and quality. However, the mechanism by which Proline (Pro) priming modulates the seed response to Cd stress during kenaf seedling development remains unclear and lacks in-depth research. In this study, we examined the priming treatment of kenaf seeds with different concentrations of Pro and investigated the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of Pro-priming-induced antioxidant enzyme activity in kenaf under Cd stress. The results showed that Pro priming significantly enhanced the Cd tolerance of kenaf seedlings, with the best effect achieved with the 5 mM Pro priming treatment. Compared with the control group under Cd stress, Pro priming significantly increased the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase in kenaf seedlings, while significantly reducing the contents of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and superoxide anion (O₂ ^-). In addition, Pro priming promoted the absorption of essential nutrients, including N, P, Zn, and Fe. Moreover, the differentially expressed gene <i>HcMC9</i> was functionally analyzed via the virus-induced gene silencing technique, and the results showed that silencing <i>HcMC9</i> significantly reduced Cd tolerance in kenaf. Conversely, overexpression of <i>HcMC9</i> significantly enhanced the Cd tolerance in <i>Arabidopsis</i>, and the exogenous Pro application further improved Cd tolerance. Collectively, our study supports the application of Pro priming in agricultural production to enhance crop Cd stress tolerance and improve crop performance.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-026-01766-8.</p>","PeriodicalId":20148,"journal":{"name":"Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants","volume":"32 7","pages":"1607-1623"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350639/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-layered meta-analytical insights into arsenic and cadmium tolerance in rice: high confidence genomic landscape to functional candidates.","authors":"Anurag Mishra, Praful Mukund Damdar, Md Shamim, Ashutosh Singh","doi":"10.1007/s12298-026-01774-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s12298-026-01774-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heavy metals and metalloids (HMs), particularly arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd), are hazardous contaminants with strong carcinogenic properties that adversely affect rice production in major growing regions worldwide. In the present study, meta-quantitative trait loci (MQTL) analysis identified 35 MQTLs associated with As and Cd tolerance, achieving a 4.46-fold reduction in confidence intervals (CIs) and thereby enhancing the precision of the identified genomic regions. A total of 9432 candidate genes were detected within these MQTL regions. Transcriptomic analysis under As and Cd stress conditions revealed 170 meta-differentially expressed genes (mDEGs), and their integration with MQTL-associated genes led to the identification of 48 key candidate genes. Functional annotation classified these genes into five major biological processes associated with stress tolerance: redox regulation, glutathione metabolism, cell wall biogenesis, root development, and membrane transport. Among these, 14 highly expressed genes were selected for validation, and quantitative real-time PCR analysis in contrasting rice genotypes demonstrated that 12 genes were significantly upregulated in the resistant genotype (CSR30) under both individual and combined As and Cd stress conditions. Furthermore, haplotype analysis of these validated genes revealed considerable variation in SNP number (3-188) and haplotype frequency (0.353-0.641), along with moderate haplotype diversity (Hd: 0.4698-0.7551) and nucleotide diversity (π: 0.2834-0.4825). Predominantly negative Tajima's D values indicate purifying selection or population expansion, while positive values in some genes suggest balancing selection, highlighting their potential utility in haplotype-based genomic selection and marker-assisted breeding for developing rice cultivars with enhanced tolerance to As and Cd stress.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-026-01774-8.</p>","PeriodicalId":20148,"journal":{"name":"Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants","volume":"32 7","pages":"1569-1590"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350583/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148423252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}