Planta最新文献

{"title":"Insight into the genetic network governing long-stalked glandular trichome development in Nicotiana tabacum.","authors":"Alice Berhin, Aldana Ramirez, Manon Peeters, Gabriel Walckiers, Maxime Vannieuwenhuyze, Sylvain Legay, Belkacem El Amraoui, Charles Hachez","doi":"10.1007/s00425-025-04840-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-025-04840-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Main conclusion: </strong>Using a transcriptional switch-based approach in Nicotiana tabacum, we identified key regulatory factors that control long-stalked trichome development. Our results highlight candidate genes implicated in glandular trichome formation and establish a foundation for future research on trichome development. Glandular trichomes play a pivotal role in plant defense against various biotic and abiotic stresses. To unravel the genetic network driving glandular trichome development in Nicotiana tabacum, we employed a transcriptional switch-based approach using heterologous expression of AmMIXTA, a MYB transcription factor from Antirrhinum majus. Through comprehensive RNA-seq analysis of transgenic tobacco seedlings where long-stalked glandular trichome development was induced in aerial parts, we identified a suite of differentially expressed genes, including several transcription factors, shedding light on the early transcriptional cascade governing this developmental process. Moreover, through confocal live cell imaging of transcriptional reporter lines, interaction studies and DAP-seq assays, we confirmed the involvement of NtZFP8, a gene identified in our study, in long-stalked glandular trichome development. Our findings support a model in which NtZFP8 regulates a gene network essential for this developmental process. This study underscores the effectiveness of our approach in decoding the regulatory landscape of glandular trichome development in N. tabacum and provides a valuable framework for future functional investigations.</p>","PeriodicalId":20177,"journal":{"name":"Planta","volume":"262 6","pages":"123"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145302664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Next-generation molecular breeding tools to harness higher genetic gains in sugarcane.","authors":"Amaresh, Nunavath Aswini, Gopalareddy Krishnappa, A Anna Durai, R Manimekalai, H K Mahadeva Swamy, T Lakshmi Pathy, Vinayaka, V G Dhanya, N D Rathan, S Nandakumar, K Shwetha, V Sreenivasa, R T Maruthi, G S Suresha, G Hemaprabha, P Govindaraj","doi":"10.1007/s00425-025-04842-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-025-04842-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Main conclusion: </strong>Next-generation molecular tools with AI integration can accelerate genetic gain in sugarcane by enhancing variation, accuracy, and efficiency, enabling rapid development of high-yielding, high-quality, and climate-resilient varieties. Enhancing genetic gain is essential for sustainable sugar and bioenergy production, especially amid growing global reliance on renewable energy sources. Sugarcane and its byproducts serve as important feedstocks for both first and second-generation biofuels, and face several breeding challenges due to its genetic complexity, extended breeding cycles, and strong environmental interactions. The breeder's equation offers a quantitative framework to accelerate genetic improvement by optimizing four key components: additive genetic variation (σ_a), heritability (h²), selection intensity (i), and breeding cycle length (L). Additive genetic variation can be enhanced through genome-wide exploration, including genome, pan-genome, and super pangenome analyses, gene discovery, characterization, and the induction of novel variations. Precise estimation of heritability in sugarcane can be achieved through the large-scale characterization of germplasm, high-throughput phenotyping, and detailed genotype × environment interaction (G × E) studies. Selection intensity can be increased by expanding population sizes via genotypic, genomic, and in vitro selection, leveraging the law of large numbers, and adopting technologies that provide greater throughput, precision, and cost efficiency. Breeding cycle time can be significantly reduced using tools, such as marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, emerging doubled haploid strategies (though still challenging in polyploid crops like sugarcane), speed breeding, transgenic approaches, and genome editing technologies like CRISPR/Cas9 (including base and prime editing), TALENs. This review provides a comprehensive overview of each component of the breeder's equation in sugarcane breeding and highlights next-generation molecular strategies and tools aligned to these components. The integration of these advanced tools with artificial intelligence holds immense potential to enhance genetic gain and accelerate the development of high-yielding, high-quality, and climate-resilient sugarcane varieties.</p>","PeriodicalId":20177,"journal":{"name":"Planta","volume":"262 5","pages":"122"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145280997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Satureja montana L. essential oil and montmorillonite nanoclay modulate the phenylpropanoid pathway and polyphenols biosynthesis of tomato plants suffering from bacterial spot disease.","authors":"Paulo R Oliveira-Pinto, Juliana Oliveira-Fernandes, Nuno Mariz-Ponte, Priscila Monge-Mora, Luís F Guido, Manuel Fernandes-Ferreira, Rose M O F Sousa, Conceição Santos","doi":"10.1007/s00425-025-04837-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-025-04837-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Main conclusion: </strong>Plant-derived GRAS Essential Oils (EOs) may be used to control plant diseases. X. euvesicatoria decreased flavonols and flavan-3-ols and their transcripts in tomato. S. montana EO downregulated the phenylpropanoid pathways' genes. Besides its antibacterial effect S. montana EO may act as defense elicitor in tomato. New efficient control methods are needed to control Xanthomonas spp. pathogens, including X. euvesicatoria (Xeu), the etiological agent of bacterial spot on tomato. Satureja montana essential oils (EOs) and nanoformulations have previously shown antibacterial activity and capacity to modulate plant hormone responses in Xeu-infected tomato plants. Still, their effects on plant key defense pathways, like the phenylpropanoid pathway, remain unknown. To assess the impact of these treatments on the phenylpropanoid pathway, uninfected and Xeu-infected tomato plants (var. cerasiforme) were treated with S. montana EO, alone or in a formulation with montmorillonite nanoclay (EO + NMT). The transcripts' levels of genes related to the phenylpropanoid pathway (c4h, hct, f5h, f3h, anr) and polyphenolics (caffeoyl-O-glucaric acid, caffeoyl quinic acid, quercetin-O-xyloside-O-rutinoside, rutin, and kaempferol rutinoside) were quantified by RT-qPCR and HPLC-DAD, respectively. EO/EO + NMT treatments significantly downregulated those genes in healthy plants. Also, the infection downregulated these pathways, which resulted in a reduction of the concentration of certain phenolics in the leaves. The EO application to infected plants shifted the levels of caffeoyl acids, which may be related to defense responses. This is the first work demonstrating that foliar applications of S. montana EOs can shift the plant production of phenolics. Our results also contribute to valorizing the use of S. montana EO as GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) biopesticides with dual roles (antimicrobial and host defense inducers).</p>","PeriodicalId":20177,"journal":{"name":"Planta","volume":"262 5","pages":"121"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145275592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of genes associated with early growth and quick development in rice by genome-wide association studies.","authors":"Ding Wang, Qingquan Xu, Yuanye Zhang, Wenchun Xin, Hongyuan Liu, Li Xiufeng","doi":"10.1007/s00425-025-04836-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-025-04836-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Main conclusion: </strong>GWAS identified key genetic loci on chromosome 8 associated with early growth vigor in direct-seeded rice, with four candidate genes (including a zinc-finger protein gene) implicated in regulating seed germination and leaf growth. Direct seeding rice, recognized for its water-efficient and resource-conserving attributes, has seen a steady expansion in cultivation area. However, this method demands enhanced early growth vigor and rapid developmental traits in seeds. To unravel the genetic basis of these characteristics, we performed genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on 196 rice accessions. Whole-genome resequencing of the panel was integrated with population structure analysis to identify loci governing early growth dynamics. Subsequent high-density genotyping pinpointed significant associations on chromosome 8, where single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) correlated strongly with target traits. In proximity to the GWAS signals, four genes were highlighted as potential candidate genes. The identified candidate genes encode zinc-finger proteins involved in regulating seed germination and leaf growth. This finding provides a basis for further functional validation of these candidate genes through the development of multiple mutant lines.</p>","PeriodicalId":20177,"journal":{"name":"Planta","volume":"262 5","pages":"119"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145275511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Radiation quality matters: morphological and biochemical responses of Brassica rapa microgreens to X-rays, C-ions, and Fe-ions.","authors":"Sara De Francesco, Chiara Amitrano, Ermenegilda Vitale, Giulia Costanzo, Walter Tinganelli, Mariagabriella Pugliese, Cecilia Arrichiello, Paolo Muto, Marco Durante, Stefania De Pascale, Carmen Arena, Veronica De Micco","doi":"10.1007/s00425-025-04835-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00425-025-04835-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Main conclusion: </strong>Radiation type and dose distinctly modulate microgreens development, revealing trait-specific thresholds where X-rays induce hormesis, carbon ions delay differentiation, and iron ions enhance biochemical balance with moderate anatomical disruption. As space exploration progresses and controlled-environment agriculture becomes increasingly relevant under extreme conditions, understanding how ionizing radiation affects plant development is crucial. Ionizing radiation poses a major constraint in space cultivation systems, also playing a role in terrestrial stress scenarios. Despite growing interest in radiation biology, few studies have systematically compared plant responses to different radiation types with distinct linear energy transfer (LET). In this study, seeds of Brassica rapa L. were exposed to increasing doses of X-rays (low-LET), carbon ions, and iron ions (high-LET). Seed germination, morpho-anatomical, and biochemical traits of plants were assessed up to the microgreens stage. Plant responses were both dose- and radiation-specific. Specifically, X-rays triggered a hormetic response at low doses (1 Gy), with a decline in several analyzed traits at higher doses. Carbon ions increased leaf expansion but reduced the content of pigments, proteins, and the structural investment, suggesting a delayed tissue differentiation and low-cost acclimation mechanism under stress. Iron ions promoted a coordinated upregulation of biochemical defenses and moderate anatomical changes. Overall, radiation quality induced distinct acclimation strategies in B. rapa, influencing the balance between growth, structural integrity, and defense mechanisms, highlighting its notable radioresistance. Moreover, identifying trait-specific thresholds and response patterns suggests that different radiation types could be selectively applied to modulate specific functions (e.g., biomass or antioxidants promotion, anatomical adjustments) based on desired outcomes. These findings provide valuable insights into how different ionizing radiation types impact plant responses, addressing a critical gap in space-oriented research and guiding strategies to optimize plant growth in extraterrestrial environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":20177,"journal":{"name":"Planta","volume":"262 5","pages":"118"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12513970/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145275563","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":"Genetic regulations of citrus flowering: insights towards climatic factors and modern biotechnological approaches.","authors":"Pradeep Singh, Gitika Thakur, Vishal Sharma, Jagveer Singh, Ankush Sharma","doi":"10.1007/s00425-025-04839-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-025-04839-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Main conclusion: </strong>The review highlights the intricate relationship between genetic and molecular mechanisms that regulate floral development and responses in citrus under diverse climatic conditions. Citrus, the world's top traded and third most produced fruit crop, holds great economic importance and provides essential nutrients, antioxidants, and medicinal properties, including anti-cancer and anti-microbial benefits. Global climatic changes and patterns pose a notable impact on the quantity and quality of blooms in mature citrus trees every year. The regulation of flowering in citrus is a complex process influenced by genetic mechanisms, along with various climatic stressors like variations in temperature, water stress and changes during vegetative phase transitions and many more. Amid unfavorable climatic scenarios, identifying robust citrus genotypes and understanding the interplay between various genetic regulatory genes and transcription factors becomes crucial and challenging for developing climate-resilient citrus varieties. In this review, detailed mechanisms of flowering in citrus have been discussed with a focus on key genetic players, such as genes and transcription factors governing the floral developmental processes. External climatic factors and their interactions with molecular pathways, influencing floral induction and development have been highlighted. Finally, the integration of modern biotechnological tools like CRISPR/Cas9, multi-omics approaches, nanomaterials, biosensors, artificial intelligence and machine learning, as a comprehensive framework to enhance stress resilience and achieve sustainable citrus production has been emphasized.</p>","PeriodicalId":20177,"journal":{"name":"Planta","volume":"262 5","pages":"120"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145275550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of 1,6-hexadecanediol and its wax diesters in chloroplasts of Nicotiana benthamiana.","authors":"Regina Wehler, Nina Hoppe, Katharina Gutbrod, Viktoria V Zeisler-Diehl, Helga Peisker, Nicolas Gisch, Per Hofvander, Ida Lager, Lukas Schreiber, Peter Dörmann","doi":"10.1007/s00425-025-04833-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00425-025-04833-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Main conclusion: </strong>Expression of the Arabidopsis phytyl ester synthase PES2 in Nicotiana benthamiana chloroplasts resulted in the accumulation of fatty acid phytyl esters and wax diesters containing the novel alkanediol 1,6-hexadecanediol. Dihydric long-chain alcohols carrying two hydroxyl groups are low abundant in plants and are mostly found in the cutin layer of leaves or the suberin of roots. Transient expression of the phytyl ester synthase PES2 from Arabidopsis thaliana in Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in the accumulation of fatty acid phytyl esters (FAPEs) and of a new lipid class that was identified as wax diesters of 1,6-hexadecanediol, carrying mostly lauric acid (12:0) and myristic acid (14:0) residues. The synthesis of FAPE and wax diesters was only observed when PES2 was targeted to the chloroplasts, in agreement with the finding that both FAPE and wax diesters are chloroplast-localized. The accumulation of wax diesters following PES2 expression demonstrates that the dihydric long-chain alcohol, 1,6-hexadecanediol, is an authentic compound produced in N. benthamiana chloroplasts. 1,6-Hexadecanediol in N. benthamiana is likely synthesized by a chloroplast-localized fatty acid reductase (FAR) in combination with a P450 monooxygenase. PES2-mediated acylation might result in chloroplast-trapping of 1,6-hexadecanediol which is possibly an intermediate in the biosynthesis of functional compounds in leaves or other plant organs.</p>","PeriodicalId":20177,"journal":{"name":"Planta","volume":"262 5","pages":"117"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12511139/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145258739","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":"Towards smart agriculture: AI-driven prediction of key genes for revolutionizing crop breeding.","authors":"Shaobo Cai, Changhui Sun, Jianhong Tian","doi":"10.1007/s00425-025-04841-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-025-04841-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Main conclusion: </strong>AI-driven key gene prediction is revolutionizing crop breeding, enhancing precision, efficiency, and sustainability while paving the way for intelligent, data-driven agricultural innovation. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into crop breeding is ushering agriculture into a data-driven era of precision practices, fundamentally reshaping the efficiency and accuracy of crop improvement. This review provides an in-depth analysis of recent advances in AI-based key gene prediction within the field of crop breeding. It comprehensively evaluates the application outcomes and potential impacts, encompassing multi-omics data integration, deep learning model construction, key gene prediction, and variety design. Representative models such as SoyDNGP have significantly improved the coefficient of determination (R²) for soybean yield prediction to 0.89-substantially outperforming traditional GBLUP models (R² = 0.72)-through innovative data transformation and analytical strategies, while accurately pinpointing high-yield associated genomic regions such as qYield-08-3. Moreover, AI has successfully identified key genes across various crops, including cotton (fiber development) and maize (nitrogen use efficiency), thereby enabling targeted trait improvement. Nonetheless, future development faces critical challenges, including the standardization of heterogeneous data sources, data security risks, the black-box nature of deep learning models, and limitations associated with small-sample learning. Looking ahead, it is imperative to establish an intelligent breeding loop encompassing AI prediction-gene editing-robotic execution, advance agricultural large language models (Agri-LLMs) for inclusive applications, build sustainable breeding evaluation systems, and empower smallholder farmers through edge computing technologies. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and global data sharing, AI is poised to break through the limitations of traditional breeding and provide essential technological support for global food security and sustainable agricultural development. In essence, this progress follows three core trajectories: (1) a technological paradigm shift from empirical breeding to precision design; (2) multidimensional application value across efficiency, productivity, and sustainability; and (3) the pursuit of an intelligent, green, and inclusive future for agriculture.</p>","PeriodicalId":20177,"journal":{"name":"Planta","volume":"262 5","pages":"116"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145252285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A perspective: A biochemical model of photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation in leaves of C₃ species (Planta 149, 78-90).","authors":"Susanne von Caemmerer, Joseph A Berry, Graham D Farquhar","doi":"10.1007/s00425-025-04834-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00425-025-04834-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The model of C₃ photosynthesis of Farquhar et al. (1980) integrated knowledge of the functioning of the biochemical components of photosynthetic carbon assimilation in C₃ plants. The model linked equations describing activated Rubisco kinetics with those on the stoichiometry of the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle and the photorespiratory carbon oxidation cycle, particularly on their energetic (electron transport, ATP synthesis and NADPH) requirements. It included temperature dependencies of these processes and combined them with a semi-empirical equation for the dependence of potential electron transport rate on absorbed irradiance. The model aimed to match generalized observations of photosynthetic gas exchange of leaves with predictions from this mathematical summary of photosynthesis. In this model, we introduced the hypothesis that the rate of Rubisco carboxylation could not exceed the capacity for RuP₂ regeneration or the enzymatic capacity to consume RuP₂, and that the system behaved as a teeter-totter (see-saw) with a sharp transition from one limiting state to the other. We suggested that to model genotypic and phenotypic variations amongst leaves most parameters could be assigned a priori and only the maximum Rubisco activity (V_cmax) and the maximal electron transport rate, J_max, needed to be varied. This simplicity of use led to the wider spread application and success of the model.</p>","PeriodicalId":20177,"journal":{"name":"Planta","volume":"262 5","pages":"115"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12500802/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145239207","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":"The transcriptional mechanism behind Mimosa pudica leaf folding in response to mechanical disturbance.","authors":"Matteo Buti, Alice Checcucci, Chiara Vergata, Luciana Renna, Susanna Pollastri, Francesco Loreto, Stefano Mancuso, Federico Martinelli","doi":"10.1007/s00425-025-04830-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00425-025-04830-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Main conclusions: </strong>Repeated stress in Mimosa pudica reduces photosystem efficiency, alters gene expression, shifting from flavonoid biosynthesis to stress resistance pathways, offering insights for sustainable plant stress defense strategies. Mimosa pudica is a plant known for its ability to fold leaves in response to mechanical disturbances, which serves as a visible phenotypic stress marker. Leaf folding response occurs with a timing and an intensity that vary depending on the stimulus. This adaptive behavior may function as a defense mechanism, helping plant resist herbivores and environmental stressors. In this study, we investigated the gene regulatory networks underlying M. pudica leaf closure following single and multiple mechanical disturbances (whole pot drops). Chlorophyll fluorescence was measured as fast phenotypic indicator of transient or permanent photochemical damage, and transcriptional responses were measured to identify the key genes regulating phenotypic changes after single or multiple drops. A progressive reduction of the quantum yield of PSII revealed a lower electron transport rate in leaves subjected to one or more drops, which may indicate the onset of energy shortage, potentially caused by limited ATP availability that constrains both leaf movement and photosynthesis. The transcriptomic profiles revealed larger differences when plants were subjected to multiple drops than to a single drop, with respect to unstressed controls. Interestingly, following a single drop, the majority of up-regulated genes were associated with the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. After multiple drops, however, genes associated with biotic and abiotic stress resistance pathways were predominantly up-regulated. These findings provide new insights into the gene regulatory networks driving stress-induced movements in M. pudica leaves and lay the groundwork for developing sustainable strategies for plant stress defense.</p>","PeriodicalId":20177,"journal":{"name":"Planta","volume":"262 5","pages":"114"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12500843/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145233281","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}