The heat shock transcription factors regulate response mechanisms to abiotic stresses in plants

Plants frequently encounter diverse abiotic stresses, including high temperature, low temperature, drought, salinity, and heavy metal contamination during their growth and development. These environmental challenges disrupt cellular homeostasis, impacting cell membrane stability, osmotic regulation, ionic composition, thereby leading to protein misfolding and the over-accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) play a crucial role in plant stress response and adaptation by regulating the transcription of heat shock protein (HSP) genes and other stress-inducible genes. This process is integral to plant resilience against adverse conditions and other physiological functions. This review synthesizes the structure features, classification, regulatory mechanisms, and functional roles of plant HSFs in response to abiotic stresses such as high and low temperature, drought and salinity. Furthermore, we discuss future research directions, aiming to provide a theoretical guidance and genetic resources for enhancing crop stress tolerance through genetic improvement.