{"title":"Exploiting plant immune \"switches\" for resistance engineering.","authors":"Bangting Wu, Kaichen Xu, Anum Bashir, Xinyu Han, Qiping Sun, Peng Sun, Guan-Feng Wang, Ricky J Milne, Meixiang Zhang, Leiyun Yang, Guoyong Xu, Guotian Li","doi":"10.1007/s44154-026-00306-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44154-026-00306-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant diseases, caused by various pathogens, pose a serious threat to sustainable agriculture. Plants have evolved a sophisticated immune system to detect and mount effective responses against pathogens. The plant immune system contains numerous programmable immune \"switches\" that safeguard plants against pathogens while minimizing energy consumption in the absence of pathogens. The cloning of disease-resistance (R) genes, along with the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms regulating these immune \"switches\", has provided resources and strategies for genetic engineering of novel disease resistance. This review focuses on the resistance engineering through the manipulation of immune \"switches\". It begins by summarizing recent advances in plant immunity, then explores the mechanisms behind plant immune \"switches\", and finally discusses potential strategies for engineering immune genes via these \"switches\". These strategies include engineering promoters to confer precise spatiotemporal regulation at the transcriptional level; engineering mRNA or its regulatory elements to facilitate specific and stable translation of R proteins at the post-transcriptional and translational levels; and engineering proteins at the post-translational level to broaden the pathogen-recognition spectrum of R proteins. Collectively, these strategies will accelerate the development of disease-resistant crop cultivars, thereby enhancing agricultural productivity and global food security.</p>","PeriodicalId":74874,"journal":{"name":"Stress biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13109558/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147791913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stress biologyPub Date : 2026-04-21DOI: 10.1007/s44154-026-00303-7
Gabriele Rocchetti, Michela Errico, Emanuele Capra, Marco Milanesi, Giulia Fappani, Jose Fernando Garcia, Guilherme de Paula Nogueira, Yuri Tani Utsunomiya, Luigi Lucini, Ana Maria Perez OBrien, Paolo Ajmone Marsan
{"title":"Metabolomic profiling of blood from Nellore and Angus cattle under heat stress.","authors":"Gabriele Rocchetti, Michela Errico, Emanuele Capra, Marco Milanesi, Giulia Fappani, Jose Fernando Garcia, Guilherme de Paula Nogueira, Yuri Tani Utsunomiya, Luigi Lucini, Ana Maria Perez OBrien, Paolo Ajmone Marsan","doi":"10.1007/s44154-026-00303-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44154-026-00303-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Heat stress (HS) negatively affects cattle welfare, productivity, and sustainability, with marked differences between heat-tolerant breeds such as Nellore and heat-susceptible breeds such as Angus. In this study, an untargeted UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS metabolomic approach was used to investigate breed-specific differences in the blood metabolome associated with HS. Blood samples were collected from the same Nellore and Angus steers during peak HS exposure and after recovery, allowing both inter-breed and within-animal longitudinal comparisons. Multivariate analyses revealed a clear metabolic divergence between breeds during the challenge period, involving metabolites related to amino acid metabolism, lipid remodeling, energy pathways, and steroid metabolism. Longitudinal analyses accounting for repeated measures showed pronounced breed-specific metabolic responses. Nellore cattle displayed extensive and statistically robust metabolic changes across phases, with 114 metabolites remaining significant after false discovery rate (FDR) correction, including amino acids and peptides, nucleotide derivatives, carbohydrates, acyl-carnitines, steroids, and tetrapyrrole-related compounds. In contrast, Angus cattle showed only a limited number of FDR-significant metabolites, indicating a less consistent systemic response to HS. Pathway analysis identified porphyrin, purine, and pyrimidine metabolism as key pathways modulated by HS, particularly in Nellore cattle. Overall, these results suggest that heat tolerance is associated with coordinated metabolic adaptations rather than isolated metabolite changes. Further studies on larger cohorts are needed to validate the functional relevance of these findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":74874,"journal":{"name":"Stress biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13096380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147730987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Integrative analysis of gut microbiota and plasma metabolites reveals mechanisms underlying aggressive behavior in chronically stressed broiler chickens.","authors":"Xuanfu Wu, Jiaolong Zhang, Hongrui Ren, Xiaoxian Cheng, Jiang Gao, Wenqiang Ma","doi":"10.1007/s44154-026-00297-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44154-026-00297-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chronic stress in livestock production affects animal welfare and productivity, often leading to aggressive behavior in broiler chickens. We exposed broiler chickens to chronic corticosterone to simulate stress and compared them to controls, evaluating production performance, hypothalamic serotonin levels, cecal microbiota, plasma metabolites, and aggression. In this study, broiler chickens were divided into two groups following corticosterone injection: the control group (CON) and the chronic corticosterone exposure group (CORT). Stressed chickens showed reduced growth, lower hypothalamic serotonin, and increased aggression. Gut microbiota changes included increased Clostridium and decreased Actinomycetales and Coriobacteriaceae, correlating with aggression. Plasma metabolomics revealed that indole and O-acetylcarnitine. butyryl-lcarnitine, 6-hydroxydaidzein, guanidinoacetate, d-fructose, (R)-4-hydroxymandelate, biochanin A, 26-hydroxyecdysone and L-tryptophanwere positively associated with aggression, while kaempferol niacinamide, indican, pyroglutamic acid, 2,4-dinitrophenol, salicylic acid and leucodopachrome were negatively associated. These findings suggest that gut microbiota and plasma metabolites mediate stress-induced aggression in broiler chickens, providing potential targets for managing behavior in stressed poultry.</p>","PeriodicalId":74874,"journal":{"name":"Stress biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13096309/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147731000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Yersinia pseudotuberculosis secretes an Fe (II)-binding effector to evade calprotectin-mediated nutritional immunity.","authors":"Qingyun Dai, Hongxin Guan, Jianan Huang, Jing Hou, Mengsi Zhang, Yudi Wang, Pengfei Zhang, Lei Xu, Huawei Gu, Yao Wang, Songying Ouyang, Xihui Shen","doi":"10.1007/s44154-026-00304-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44154-026-00304-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Iron is an essential cofactor for core metabolic processes and is critical to both host physiology and invading pathogens. While the competition between host and pathogen for ferric iron [Fe (III)] and heme has been well characterized, microbial strategies to overcome Fe (II) limitation-particularly under calprotectin (CP)-mediated Fe (II) chelation-remain poorly understood. In this study, we show that Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (Yptb) employs its type VI secretion system 1 (T6SS1) to acquire Fe (II) through secretion of the Fe (II)-binding effector SfeP. Deletion of sfeP significantly reduced bacterial loads in wild-type mice but not in CP-deficient mice, highlighting its essential role in virulence under CP-imposed Fe (II) restriction. Mechanistically, SfeP acts as a proteinaceous ferrousophore that specifically interacts with the outer-membrane porin OmpF to facilitate Fe (II) uptake, and the resulting SfeP-mediated iron homeostasis contributes critically to bacterial resistance against oxidative and acidic stress. Together, these findings uncover a T6SS-dependent Fe (II)-scavenging pathway in which SfeP cooperates with OmpF to counteract host nutritional immunity and promote Yptb virulence. This work not only underscores the versatility of T6SS in metal acquisition and stress adaptation, but also highlights the physiological significance of CP-mediated Fe (II) sequestration in host defense against bacterial infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":74874,"journal":{"name":"Stress biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13079257/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147679339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stress biologyPub Date : 2026-04-13DOI: 10.1007/s44154-026-00301-9
Chao Yang, Milca Banda Medison, Yuping Li, Yi Shi, Rudoviko Galileya Medison, Huanfang Liu, Ying Wang
{"title":"Transcriptional and post-translational regulation of aquaporins in plants.","authors":"Chao Yang, Milca Banda Medison, Yuping Li, Yi Shi, Rudoviko Galileya Medison, Huanfang Liu, Ying Wang","doi":"10.1007/s44154-026-00301-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44154-026-00301-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aquaporins (AQPs) are channel proteins belonging to the major intrinsic protein (MIP) superfamily that mediate the transport of water and other small uncharged molecules across biological membranes. They play essential roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis during plant growth and environmental adaptation. Studies on the molecular regulation of AQP expression and post-translational modification have unveiled an exquisite panorama. The expression of AQP genes is dynamically regulated in response to external and internal signals. Stress- and development-responsive transcription factors (TFs) from AP2/ERF, MYB, NAC, and WRKY families, govern the transcriptional reprogramming in response to drought, salinity stress and/or developmental cues. Besides, post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as residue-specific phosphorylation by kinases (e.g., CPKs, SnRK2s) and ubiquitination by E3 ligases (e.g., AtRma1, OsHIR1), precisely modulate AQP activity and/or stability. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation and PTM-driven fine-tuning of AQPs, emphasizing their important roles in optimizing plant growth resilience under fluctuating environmental conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":74874,"journal":{"name":"Stress biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13076704/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147679358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The lipid flippase MoNeo1 mediates vesicle trafficking and pathogenicity in Magnaporthe oryzae.","authors":"Yan Cai, Xiuwei Huang, Yufan Nie, Yueying Luan, Aarti Aarti, Qing Gong, Peng Sun, Yakubu Saddeeq Abubakar, Baohua Wang, Airong Wang, Guotian Li, Lili Lin, Wenhui Zheng","doi":"10.1007/s44154-026-00305-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44154-026-00305-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae poses a major threat to global rice production. In this study, we characterized MoNeo1, a P4-ATPase flippase, as a key regulator of fungal development and pathogenicity. Deletion of MoNEO1 significantly impaired hyphal growth, conidiation, and appressorium function, and resulted in greatly reduced virulence. Lipidome profiling showed that MoNeo1 is essential for lipid homeostasis. The mutant exhibited significant accumulation of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine, in addition to altered concentrations of phosphatidic acid and storage lipids. We further demonstrated that MoNeo1 physically interacts with the retromer subunit MoVps35, and that its subcellular localization at the interface between the trans-Golgi network and endosomes depends on retromer-mediated retrograde transport. Remarkably, MoNeo1 is required for the stability and proper transport of the SNARE protein MoSnc1, an important mediator of effector secretion. Our findings demonstrated MoNeo1 as a central hub that integrates lipid dynamics with vesicle transport to support fungal pathogenesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":74874,"journal":{"name":"Stress biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13076854/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147679291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Polarisome core component FgPea2 regulates FgBoi2-mediated polarized growth, pathogenicity and environmental stress in Fusarium graminearum.","authors":"Xinrui Guo, Pengfang Li, Yunsi Xiao, Jingkun Liang, Cheng Zheng, Chenxuan Huang, Yakubu Saddeeq Abubakar, Zonghua Wang, Huawei Zheng, Jingwan Yan, Guo-Dong Lu","doi":"10.1007/s44154-026-00300-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44154-026-00300-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fusarium graminearum is a devastating plant pathogenic fungus that is the predominant causal agent of Fusarium head blight. Our previous study showed that the polarisome core component FgPea2 regulates polarized growth, deoxynivalenol (DON) production and virulence of F. graminearum. To further investigate the regulatory network of FgPea2, FgPea2-GFP pull down was performed and the anillin-related protein FgBoi2 was identified. FgBoi2 interacts with FgPea2 and exhibits partial co-localization at the hyphal tips of F. graminearum. Interestingly, FgPea2 regulates the polarized localization of FgBoi2-GFP, suggesting that FgPea2 functions upstream of FgBoi2. Furthermore, deletion of FgBOI2 resulted in a significant reduction in vegetative growth, conidiation, DON production and pathogenicity, as well as increased hyphal branching in F. graminearum. Structural analysis revealed that FgBoi2 contains SH3, SAM and PH domains. Further domain deletion experiments showed that the PH domain is crucial for vegetative growth, hyphae branching and polarized localization of FgBoi2. In addition, FgBoi2 negatively regulates the cell wall integrity and oxidative stress response pathways. FgPea2 and FgBoi2 modulate susceptibility to the fungicides tebuconazole, carbendazim, phenamacril and difenoconazole. In conclusion, this study shows that FgPea2 interacts with FgBoi2 and regulates FgBoi2-mediated polarized growth, stress tolerance, pathogenicity and fungicide resistance in F. graminearum.</p>","PeriodicalId":74874,"journal":{"name":"Stress biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13057054/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147629396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stress biologyPub Date : 2026-03-30DOI: 10.1007/s44154-026-00289-2
Fei Li, Lijun Wang, Ji Cheng, Shifeng Pan, Yao Lu
{"title":"Oral supplementation of sodium butyrate prevents lipid metabolism disorders and intestinal injury by modulating immunity, intestinal barrier functions, and gut microbiota in a corticosterone-induced chronic stress model in mice.","authors":"Fei Li, Lijun Wang, Ji Cheng, Shifeng Pan, Yao Lu","doi":"10.1007/s44154-026-00289-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44154-026-00289-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In intensive livestock and poultry farming, chronic stress poses a significant threat to animal health, primarily through its impact on butyric acid levels and intestinal microbiota balance. In our previous study, we found that the intestinal butyric acid level was significantly reduced in chronic stress models, suggesting that butyrate supplementation should be an effective anti-chronic stress strategy. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate whether sodium butyrate (NaBu) prevents chronic stress-induced lipid metabolism disorders and intestinal injury by reducing intestinal damage and remodeling the microbiota. In vitro models, IEC-6 cells, a small intestinal epithelial cell line, were divided into three groups, including control (CON), corticosterone (CORT, 400 μM) and CORT + NaBu (400 μM CORT + 1 mM NaBu). In vivo models, sixty mice were divided into CON, CORT (intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg CORT) and CORT + NaBu (intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg CORT + intragastric gavage with 200 mg/kg NaBu). The results showed that NaBu effectively reversed CORT-induced IEC-6 migration inhibition, inhibited apoptosis, and restored barrier function, which was associated with downregulated IL-12 and upregulated LRP5 expression. In addition, NaBu administration prevented anorexia, promoted body weight gain, and improved lipid metabolism in a corticosterone-induced chronic stress model in mice, as evidenced by a significant reduction of serum alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Histopathological staining and scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed that NaBu treatment restored the normal villi morphology of the small intestinal villi and mitigated epithelial cell damage caused by CORT. 16S rRNA sequencing demonstrated that NaBu facilitated intestinal microbiota remodeling, marked by significant increases in Desulfobacterota and Bacillus abundance and decreases in Proteobacteria and Enterorhabdus abundances. Furthermore, analysis suggests that CORT-induced chronic stress may disrupt the cecal microbiota-metabolite axis and lead to intestinal injury and metabolic abnormalitiesbased on previous metabolic evidence and current results of microbial imbalance and downstream metabolic/intestinal abnormalities. These findings indicate that NaBu exerts a protective role in the prevention of chronic stress-related disorders, providing a potential prophylactic strategy for animals at high risk of stress exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":74874,"journal":{"name":"Stress biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13035998/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147576835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stress biologyPub Date : 2026-03-24DOI: 10.1007/s44154-026-00294-5
Jin-Soo Son, Su Yeon Lee, Mee Kyung Sang, Francesco Spinelli, Choong-Min Ryu
{"title":"Protective holobiome promotes strawberry tolerance of biotic stresses.","authors":"Jin-Soo Son, Su Yeon Lee, Mee Kyung Sang, Francesco Spinelli, Choong-Min Ryu","doi":"10.1007/s44154-026-00294-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44154-026-00294-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The commercial cultivation of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is increasingly challenged by biotic stresses such as plant pathogens and insect pests, while climate change exacerbates abiotic stresses. Reliance on chemical fumigants and broad-spectrum pesticides presents risks to human health, environmental quality, and microbial diversity. The strawberry holobiome, defined as the integrated community of plant-associated microorganisms that inhabit the rhizosphere, phyllosphere, endosphere, and fruit surface, is emerging as a key determinant of plant health and productivity. Recent metagenomic and metabolomic studies have identified cultivar-specific microbial consortia that suppress plant disease, enhance stress tolerance via induced systemic resistance, and modulate fruit quality. The engineering of synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) offers a targeted approach to microbiome augmentation, but the lack of high-resolution functional data hinders the development of effective SynComs, especially in hydroponic and substrate culture systems. This review synthesizes recent advances in holobiome profiling, evaluates microbial biocontrol strategies against major pathogens, and outlines future directions, including AI (artificial intelligence)-driven community design, integrated multi-omics analysis, and microbiome-assisted breeding. Addressing these gaps will enable precision management of the strawberry microbiome to sustain yield, quality, and resilience under dynamic environmental conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":74874,"journal":{"name":"Stress biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13013861/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147517416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stress biologyPub Date : 2026-03-24DOI: 10.1007/s44154-026-00291-8
Devyani Shinde, Sunil Pareek
{"title":"Beyond neurotransmission: dopamine as an emerging biotic and abiotic stress regulator in plants.","authors":"Devyani Shinde, Sunil Pareek","doi":"10.1007/s44154-026-00291-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44154-026-00291-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dopamine (DA) is a catecholamine that plays a role in both animals and plants. Popularly known as a neurotransmitter hormone in animals involved in motor control and reward sensing, it also has a defense-related function in the plant kingdom. In plants, DA functions as a redox-active metabolite, a signalling regulator, and a metabolic modulator, rather than a classical neurotransmitter. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that DA enhances tolerance to diverse abiotic and biotic stresses, including drought, salinity, heavy metals, nutrient imbalance, temperature extremes, and pathogen attack, by stabilizing photosynthetic machinery, optimizing root architecture, improving water and nutrient use efficiency, and activating antioxidant and detoxification systems. Mechanistically, DA operates through coordinated regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) signalling, calcium-mediated secondary messenger cascades, transcription factor activation (WRKY, ERF, NAC), and reprogramming of nutrient and ion transporter networks. DA also exhibits extensive crosstalk with phytohormones, fine-tuning growth defence trade-offs in a species and stress-specific manner. Collectively, these findings position DA as a central signalling hub integrating redox balance, metabolic plasticity, and transcriptional control in plants. Understanding the conserved structure yet divergent biosynthesis and signalling logic of DA across kingdoms provides critical insights into its distinct modes of action and highlights its potential as a next-generation regulator for enhancing plant resilience under changing environmental conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":74874,"journal":{"name":"Stress biology","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13013875/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147517438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}