Plant signaling & behavior最新文献

{"title":"An overview of fluoride stress: physiological and biochemical responses of plants.","authors":"Anum Ijaz, Ammara Saleem, Asma Zulfiqar, Muhammad Zeeshan Arshed, Javed Iqbal, Banzeer Ahsan Abbasi, Sajad Ali, Sajid Ullah, Rashid Iqbal","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2706350","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2706350","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fluoride, a hazardous air and soil contaminant, poses significant risks to agricultural productivity and plant health. Its accumulation in soil and subsequent uptake by plant roots and mesophyll cells interfere with critical morphological, physiological, and biochemical processes essential for growth and development. Fluoride toxicity affects germination, respiration, photosynthesis, mineral nutrition, enzyme activity, and reproduction, ultimately reducing crop yield. It disrupts cell signaling pathways, impairs antioxidant enzyme function (e.g., superoxide dismutase), and interacts antagonistically with calcium, a key element in fertilization and pollen tube growth. The resulting toxicity manifests as chlorosis, necrosis, growth inhibition, leaf and fruit abscission, and reduced seed production. This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of fluoride-induced stress in plants, highlighting recent advances in understanding its mechanisms and potential mitigation strategies. By synthesizing current findings, this study offers insights into developing fluoride-resistant crops and improving management practices to safeguard agricultural productivity in contaminated regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2706350"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13390534/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148538048","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":"Computational studies deciphered the role of key genes and associated networks regulating the defense mechanism in chickpea under <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i><b>ciceris</b></i> induced wilt condition.","authors":"Anjali Chaudhary, Annamalai Arunachalam, P T V Lakshmi","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2631915","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2631915","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Cicer arietinum</i>, a nutritionally rich legume and a key Rabi crop, is severely impacted by vascular wilt caused by <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> f. sp. <i>ciceris</i>, leading to substantial yield loss. To understand molecular reprogramming, a transcriptomic dataset of chickpea seedling roots exposed to fungal infection at 7 and 12 d post-inoculation (dpi) was analyzed. The comparison was made between the control and stressed at 7 and 12 dpi (C_7 vs S_7 and C_12 vs S_12) to be compared against stressed at 7 vs 12 dpi (S_7 vs S_12). The analyses included differentially expressed gene (DEGs) patterns, protein interaction networks, hub genes, carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), resistance genes (R-genes), and transcription factor (TF) identifications at two different time points. It revealed a total of 894, 867, and 535 significant DEGs respectively, which were associated mainly with cell-wall modification, membrane components, pectinesterase inhibitor activity, terpene synthase activity, and the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Further, the protein‒protein interaction network revealed that hub genes associated with chloroplast-localized reactive oxygen species scavenging activity and CAZyme, particularly glycosyl hydrolase 28 (GH28), to be involved during the early phase of infection. R-genes belonging to the classes of KIN (kinase domain), RLP (receptor-like protein), and RLK (receptor-like kinase) were significantly expressed while TFs, bHLH (basic helix-loop-helix), and GeBP (glabrous-enhancer-binding protein) were downregulated with prolonged infection. Hence, the overall study identified the key regulators, orchestrating the defense molecular mechanisms in relation to the time course of infection by the pathogen.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2631915"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12928610/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146222572","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":"Jasmonic acid and engineered dog manure biochar improve salinity tolerance in <i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> through coordinated hormonal, antioxidant, and root responses.","authors":"Ghulam Murtaza, Muhammad Usman, Zeeshan Ahmed, Mohammed S Alotaibi, Asqer S Aloteeb, Sajad Ali, Sajid Ullah, Rashid Iqbal","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2707834","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2707834","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Salinity is a major abiotic stress that disrupts plant growth by altering hormone balance, oxidative homeostasis, and root development. However, the combined effects of jasmonic acid and engineered biochar on these responses remain poorly understood. A two-year glasshouse pot experiment was conducted during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons using a randomized complete block design with four replications to investigate the effects of JA (0, 1, and 2 mM) and dog-manure-derived biochar (raw, hydrochloric acid-modified, and hydrogen peroxide-modified) on the morphological, root anatomical, physiological, biochemical, and hormonal responses of <i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> under three salinity levels (0, 3, and 6 dS m^-1 NaCl). Salinity significantly inhibited shoot and root growth, root cortical parenchyma and vascular cylinder development, relative water content, and endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), while promoting oxidative stress. In contrast, JA and biochar jointly improved salinity acclimation, as shown by changes in endogenous ABA, IAA, and ACC concentrations, antioxidant enzyme activities, oxidative damage markers, osmotic adjustment, and root traits. Under saline conditions, biochar treatments reduced the ACC and ABA concentrations while increasing the IAA and the IAA to ABA and IAA to ACC ratios, indicating a shift in hormone balance associated with improved root growth and plant water status. The combined treatments also strengthened the antioxidant capacity through increased catalase activity and reduced oxidative damage. Root anatomical traits remained largely unaffected by biochar under non-saline conditions, suggesting that biochar-induced structural remodeling primarily occurred during stress adaptation. The strongest osmoprotective response was observed with raw biochar plus 2 mM JA under moderate salinity, whereas hydrochloric acid-modified biochar combined with 1 mM JA produced the greatest catalase activity. To our knowledge, this study provides the first integrated evaluation of dog manure-derived biochar and JA across hormonal, antioxidant, oxidative, and root anatomical, and growth responses in salt-stressed common bean. These findings show that the combined treatments are associated with coordinated changes in hormone balance, antioxidant capacity, oxidative damage, and root traits, while direct signaling mechanisms require molecular and pathway-based validation. These findings identify a potential treatment approach for improving salinity tolerance in <i>P. vulgaris</i> under controlled glasshouse conditions and provide a basis for future field evaluation.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2707834"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13418481/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148611424","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":"Foliar serotonin and allantoin mitigate tellurium toxicity in Quinoa (<i>Chenopodium quinoa</i> Willd.) through antioxidant activation and nutrient homeostasis to enhance yield and grain quality.","authors":"Rashid Iqbal, Hassan Mehmood, Sajjad Hyder, Dilfuza Jabborova, Ghulam Murtaza, Mohammed S Alotaibi, Asqer S Aloteeb, Sajid Ullah, Sajad Ali","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2710523","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2710523","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tellurium toxicity severely impairs soil health, plant physiology and crop productivity, posing a critical threat to global food security, ecosystem sustainability and human health. The exogenous application of phytohormones and osmoprotectants offers a sustainable strategy for mitigating heavy metal-induced phytotoxicity and restoring agricultural viability. A comprehensive experiment was conducted to evaluate the synergistic efficacy of serotonin (5-HT) and allantoin (ALL) in ameliorating tellurite stress in quinoa plants. Plants subjected to 50 µM sodium tellurite soil drenching were treated with 50 µM 5-HT and 100 µM ALL via foliar spray under a randomized complete block design with a factorial arrangement and four replications. Tellurite stress alone drastically reduced morphological traits and overall yield, while simultaneously elevating oxidative damage. However, combined 5-HT and ALL application under stress increased grain yield by 90.41%, photosynthetic rate by 78.68%, stomatal conductance by 80.30%, relative water content by 33.52%, and antioxidant enzyme activities by up to 84.86%. Furthermore, it decreased malondialdehyde content by 58.20%, hydrogen peroxide by 61.16%, tellurium root accumulation by 52.48%, shoot translocation by 60.41%, and grain residue by 66.74% compared to stressed controls, while concurrently improving soil microbial biomass carbon by 63.71%, dehydrogenase activities by 88.49%, and available nitrogen by 39.48%. The integrated treatment significantly restored cellular ion homeostasis, enhanced complex root architectural traits, and effectively restricted heavy metal translocation to the edible harvested grains. Consequently, the co-application of 5-HT and ALL is highly recommended as a robust agronomic intervention to safeguard crop productivity, improve soil health, and ensure long-term food safety in severely Te-contaminated agricultural environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2710523"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13432906/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148649939","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":"β-carotene enhances drought tolerance in fenugreek by modulating antioxidant defense and redox homeostasis.","authors":"Minahal Hussain, Tahrim Ramzan, Muhammad Shahbaz, Arslan Haider, Muhammad Ahmad, Ejaz Ahmad Waraich, Usman Zulfiqar, Hossam S El-Beltagi, Abdulrahman Alasmari, Mohammed S Alotaibi, Mayank Anand Gururani","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2716518","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2716518","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drought stress is one of the main abiotic factors that modulates the morphology and physiology of crops. This study investigated the effect of foliar application of <i>β</i>-carotene on the growth, physiological, and biochemical responses of fenugreek (<i>Trigonella foenum-graecum</i> L.) under drought stress conditions. A pot experiment was conducted using two varieties, Kasuri and Local, under two drought stress levels (control and 50% field capacity), and three <i>β</i>-carotene concentrations (0, 100, and 200 ppm) were applied. Drought stress significantly declined shoot fresh weight up to 35.02% and 58.04%, and shoot length to 17.12% and 17.14%, while increasing the root fresh weight by 133% and 26.2% and the root length to 109.1% and 13.4%, respectively, in the Kasuri methi and Local. Drought stress decreases the total Chl. by 55.4% and 59.3% and carotenoids 42.1% and 59.3% and increased the MDA by 6.35% and 24.2%, respectively, and the content of hydrogen peroxides increased by 12.05% and 44.2% in Kasuri and Local as compared to control. By the application of 200  ppm <i>β</i>-carotene, the shoot fresh weight increased by 95.06% and 66.7%, the shoot length increased by 49.6% and 44.5%, and the total Chl. increased by 194.3% and 144.3%, and carotenoids 71.6% and 63%, and MDA decreased by 14.7% and 15.8%, hydrogen peroxides 26.6% and 27.8%, in Kasuri methi and Local under drought stress conditions. Additionally, with the application of <i>β</i>-carotene, antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, and CAT) and osmoprotectants (total soluble proteins and sugars) improved significantly, indicating enhanced oxidative defense. Overall, foliar <i>β</i>-carotene application, especially at 200 ppm, proved highly effective in improving fenugreek's drought tolerance by enhancing antioxidant capacity, maintaining pigment stability, and supporting metabolic homeostasis, thereby highlighting its potential role in sustainable crop management under water-limited conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2716518"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13596906/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148993359","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":"Heat stress responses of plants during adaptation to high temperature environments: A review of recent advances and insights.","authors":"Xinsong Wei, Huankai Zhang, Ruize Ma, Jie Zang, Yan Wang, Caiyu Yu","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2735211","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2735211","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plants, as sessile organisms, continuously encounter diverse environmental challenges, often experiencing multiple abiotic stresses during their development and growth. Among these stress events, heat has emerged as an increasingly severe factor because of global warming and currently poses a major threat to plant development, crop productivity, and agricultural sustainability. As a heat stress response, plants have evolved multilayered sensing and signaling systems that perceive heat cues and activate downstream protective and adaptive programs. This review summarizes recent knowledge regarding heat stress responses of <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> and major crops, including maize, rice, and wheat. We first outline the morphological, physiological, and molecular consequences of heat stress and then examine current models of heat perception and downstream regulatory networks. Particular emphasis is placed on second messenger signaling, transcriptional control, epigenetic regulation, post-transcriptional regulation, and heat memory. We also highlight stem cell homeostasis as an emerging component of heat adaptation that links stress signaling with developmental stability. Finally, we evaluate current strategies for improving crop heat tolerance, particularly during the reproductive stage, and discuss priorities for future research and breeding in a warming climate.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2735211"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13596914/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149013549","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":"<i>Bacillus aerophilus</i> A5 suppresses tobacco root rot and gene expressions involved in fungal chitin metabolism.","authors":"Xinrui Li, Fei Xiong, Ning Jiang, Tianfu Zhao, Yanxia Hu, Yongzhan Cai, Yuanhu Xuan, Xiaotong Gai","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2723413","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2723413","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tobacco root rot is a destructive soil-borne disease that constrains sustainable tobacco production in Yunnan. <i>Fusarium oxysporum</i> and <i>Fusarium solani</i> species complex are currently considered the principal pathogens associated with this disease. Therefore, effective biocontrol agents are needed, and understanding their pathogen-side modes of action is essential for improving biological management strategies. This study screened 100 bacterial strains isolated from the tobacco rhizosphere using plate confrontation assays and identified A5 as a broad-spectrum antagonistic strain. A5 consistently inhibited four tobacco root rot-associated <i>Fusarium</i> species, with hyphal growth inhibition rates of 63.31%, 59.42%, 69.64%, and 68.82%, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA and <i>gyrB</i> sequences placed A5 close to <i>Bacillus aerophilus</i>, supporting its classification as a <i>B. aerophilus</i>-related biocontrol candidate. To investigate the fungal response to A5, <i>F. solani</i> was exposed to 10% sterile A5 fermentation supernatant and analyzed using transcriptomic sequencing. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in UDP-<i>N</i>-acetylglucosamine biosynthesis and associated cell wall precursor metabolic processes. Because <i>F. oxysporum</i> has a more established genetic manipulation system in tobacco root rot research, this species was used for downstream functional validation. RT-qPCR confirmed the significant expression responses of FOXG_19023, FOXG_10443, and FOXG_12345 after the treatment with A5 supernatant. Subsequent construction of knockout mutants demonstrated that deletion of FOXG_19023 significantly restricted colony growth, suggesting that FOXG_19023 may contribute to vegetative growth of <i>F. oxysporum</i>, although its specific role in UDP-<i>N</i>-acetylglucosamine-related cell wall metabolism remains to be explored. Overall, A5 was identified as a tobacco root rot biocontrol bacterium with activity against <i>Fusarium</i> pathogens. These results further suggest that A5 may affect expression of genes involved in pathogen UDP-<i>N</i>-acetylglucosamine-related metabolism, and this response may be associated with impaired <i>Fusarium</i> hyphal growth. This study provides a potential biocontrol resource for sustainable tobacco root rot management and offers candidate pathogen-side targets for future studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying <i>Bacillus</i>-mediated suppression of <i>Fusarium</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2723413"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13625722/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149070722","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":"Coordinated physiological and molecular reprogramming by brassinosteroids improves soybean tolerance to combined salt and drought stress.","authors":"Tanveer Alam Khan, Taiba Saeed, Lam Son Phan Tran, Mayank Anand Gururani","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2616539","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2616539","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigates how brassinosteroids (BRs) enhance stress tolerance in soybean under combined salt and drought stress by examining growth, chlorophyll content, photosynthesis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. Salt and drought stress significantly reduced soybean growth and photosynthetic performance, as reflected by lower SPAD chlorophyll values and decreased photosystem II (PSII) efficiency. In contrast, BR (24-epibrassinolide, EBL) significantly improved growth parameters and spectral indices, indicating a healthier pigment status and improved canopy function. EBL-treated plants also exhibited enhanced PSII performance, as indicated by increased Fv/Fm and a higher performance index (PI). Furthermore, BRs modulated ROS levels and promoted cellular homeostasis by elevating the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as APX, CAT, and POX, thereby mitigating oxidative damage. Consistently, expression of key stress-responsive genes (<i>GmCAT, GmSOD</i>, and <i>GmP5CS</i>) was strongly induced under combined salt, drought, and EBL treatment, highlighting the synergistic role of EBL in transcriptional activation under combined stress. EBL treatment increased the proline content and the activities of ProDH and P5CS, supporting proline-mediated osmoprotection, while BR-treated plants exhibited reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and electrolyte leakage (EL), indicating lower lipid peroxidation and better membrane integrity under stress. Overall, this study demonstrates that EBL enhances soybean resilience to combined salt and drought stress by improving growth, photosynthetic efficiency, antioxidant defense, osmotic adjustment, and membrane stability.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2616539"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12826711/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146013946","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":"Research progress of endophytes and their secondary metabolites in <i>Morus</i> plants.","authors":"Yiwei Geng, Wei Geng, Chao Song, Yuqing Tian, Liang Wang, Wei Guo","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2626186","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2626186","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Morus</i> plants are globally recognized as essential economic woody species. Investigating cross-kingdom interaction mechanisms between <i>Morus</i> and endophytes, along with the regulatory networks of secondary metabolism, is crucial for sustainable agricultural development and innovative drug research. However, systematic analyses remain lacking. The variations in endophytic communities across different mulberry species, varieties, and tissues have not been fully elucidated. This review systematically reviewed the diverse characteristics of endophytes in <i>Morus</i> plants and the biological activities of their secondary metabolites, with particular emphasis on the co-evolution mechanisms between endophytes and their hosts. It was demonstrated that the endophytic communities in <i>Morus</i> plants exhibited significant species-specific differences, tissue specificity, and cultivar dependence. These endophytic communities enhance host nutrient utilization efficiency and promote plant growth through metabolic reciprocity, primarily via nitrogen fixation and phosphorus solubilization. Furthermore, they directly synthesize bioactive metabolites (such as flavonoids and alkaloids) while functioning as biological elicitors that activate host secondary metabolic pathways, thereby facilitating secondary metabolites accumulation. Additionally, endophytes were observed to improve host stress resistance by enhancing photosynthetic efficiency, maintaining ion homeostasis, and regulating soil nutrients. Hairy root cultures facilitate industrial-scale production of secondary metabolites from <i>Morus</i> plants through efficient biosynthesis platforms. This review established a theoretical foundation for in-depth analyses of plant-microbe cross-kingdom interaction networks and the development of targeted regulation technologies. Future research should prioritize investigations into dynamic metabolic interaction mechanisms and ecological safety assessments of engineered strains.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2626186"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12885435/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146133832","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":"ZmWRKY104-ZmCCaMK interaction enhances brassinosteroid-promoted salt tolerance in maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) via antioxidant defense.","authors":"Li-Li Zhao","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2025.2611639","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2025.2611639","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Brassinosteroid (BR)-mediated salt tolerance is a crucial mechanism for maize (<i>Zea</i> <i>mays</i> L.) adaptation to saline-alkaline environments. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying BR-induced salt tolerance in maize, focusing on the regulatory roles of ZmWRKY104 and ZmCCaMK. Key results showed that ZmWRKY104 directly interacts with ZmCCaMK in the nucleus in a non-phosphorylation-dependent manner, forming a novel regulatory module. BR treatment upregulates <i>ZmWRKY104</i> expression, and overexpression of <i>ZmWRKY104</i> significantly enhances the activities of antioxidant enzymes (APX and SOD). Co-expression of <i>ZmWRKY104</i> and <i>ZmCCaMK</i> synergistically promotes the antioxidant defense system in maize. Transgenic maize overexpressing <i>ZmWRKY104</i> exhibits obvious salt tolerance advantages under 100 mM NaCl stress compared to wild-type plants, including reduced leaf yellowing, increased plant height and root length, as well as decreased electrolyte leakage (EL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Collectively, this study identifies a novel non-phosphorylation-dependent WRKY-CCaMK regulatory module in the BR signaling pathway, which enhances BR-induced maize salt tolerance by synergistically activating antioxidant defense. The findings highlight <i>ZmWRKY104</i> as a candidate gene and provide a potential molecular mechanism for salt-tolerant maize breeding in saline-alkaline regions of northern China.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2611639"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12773624/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145893359","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}