The molecular mechanisms of the response of tobacco to chilling stress

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the future work and abstract and future-work section of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2024 and 2026, spanning 5 journals. Those papers have been cited 364 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 8 representative gaps

• Regulatory Mechanisms of Calcineurin B-Like Proteins (CBLs) in Plant Stress Tolerance: A Review (2026) · Plant Molecular Biology Reporter · doi

  The open questions outlined in Table 3 provide a roadmap for future CBL research. As plant-specific Ca2⁺ sensors, CBLs play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses through their canonical interaction with CIPK kinases (see Sect. "Transcriptional and Post- translational Regulation of CBLs"). In addition to CIPKs, CBLs also interact with other proteins, including GI, AKT1, PAT10, and RBOHs, to coordinately regulate stress responses and developmental processes. To date, CBL family members have been identified and characterized across a wide range of plant species, and their expression patterns and biological functions under stress conditions have been extensively studied. However, research on the fine-tuned regulatory mechanisms, interac- tion networks, downstream regulators, and associated events of CBLs in stress responses remains limited and warrants further investigation. In view of this, future research on CBLs can be pursued from the following three aspects: 1) Dissecting the regulatory networks of CBLs. Using tech- niques such as overexpression, gene editing, and RNA interference, future studies should investigate the interac- tion mechanisms between CBLs and their downstream tar- gets, effectors, and transcription factors, and elucidate the regulatory networks involving CBLs and their functional mechanisms in stress responses, thereby laying a foundation for identifying key regulatory nodes and molecular targets for crop improvement. 2) Elucidating the molecular inter- action mechanisms of the CBL-CIPK signaling pathway. Systematic investigations should be conducted to reveal the complex molecular interaction mechanisms within the CBL- CIPK signaling pathway and to clarify its functional associa- tions and regulatory relationships with other signaling path- ways, including those involving PP2C, CDPK, and MAPK. 3) Exploring the network connections between CBLs and  126 Page 16 of 19 Plant Molecular Biology Reporter (2026) 44:126 diverse signaling molecules. In-depth studies are required to investigate the interaction networks of CBLs with hormones and signaling molecules such as MYB, WRKY, PLATZ, and NADPH, and to uncover the mechanisms underlying their crosstalk with various signaling pathways. Future research should integrate multidisciplinary approaches, including molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, and biochemis- try, to comprehensively elucidate the functions and regula- tory mechanisms of plant CBLs under environmental stress, thereby providing theoretical support and genetic resources for the genetic improvement of crop stress tolerance and biological breeding. Acknowledgements This work was financially supported by the Cen- tral Public-interest Scientific InstitutionBasal Research Fund (NO. 1630152024005), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32460412) Authors Contributions Q.W. Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing- original draft preparation. X.P. and L.Z. Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing-original draft preparation. R.L. and X.Z. Writing-review & editing. Z.Z. Data curation, Conceptualization, Investigation, Supervi- sion. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Data Availability No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: cbls stress mechanisms signaling plant regulatory molecular future responses networks interaction cipk including biology curation
• Understanding cold stress response mechanisms in plants: an overview (2024) · Frontiers in Plant Science · cited 154× · doi

  The response of plants to cold stress is a typical quantitative genetic trait involving the regulation of multiple genes. Cold stress signals are detected by plants through cold sensors, and the transduction and amplification of these signals are mediated by Ca2+ signaling and protein kinase pathways. The ICE1-CBF-COR transcriptional cascade is a key pathway activated to combat low temperature stress. This process involves various factors such as TFs, PTMs, light signals, circadian clock factors, and interacting proteins. Additionally, ROS homeostasis and plant hormone signaling pathways play important roles in the response to cold stress in both CBF-dependent and CBF-independent manners, highlighting the interconnected nature of the ICE1-CBF-COR cascade, ROS homeostasis, and plant hormone signaling. It is evident from the existing studies that the plant response to cold stress involves a complex regulatory network with interconnected signaling pathways. To gain a better understanding of this network, it is crucial to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions involved in the cold tolerance pathways. Moreover, PTMs, such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination and myristoylation, play a role in regulating TFs and cold-tolerant proteins under cold stress. Further integration of multiomics data, including genome, transcriptome, proteome, and PTMs data, will be

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: cold stress signaling pathways response signals ptms plant plants cascade involves factors proteins homeostasis hormone
• Integrating ecophysiology and omics to unlock crop response to drought and herbivory stress (2024) · Frontiers in Plant Science · cited 16× · doi

  The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The integration of multi-omics approaches in plant research presents a transformative opportunity to deeply explore the intricate cellular responses that underpin stress tolerance mechanisms. By integrating data from diverse omics pipelines, such as transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics and metabolomics, researchers gain a comprehensive understanding of how plants respond to and manage drought and herbivory. This integration allows for the identification of key regulatory networks, biomarkers, and candidate genes that differentiate between stress-tolerant and sensitive plants, providing valuable insights for breeding resilient crop varieties. Moreover, incorporating physiological studies and phytohormone signaling pathways into this multi-omics framework will further enhance our understanding of the complex interactions between plants and their environment. These approaches will elucidate how changes in physiology and hormonal signaling contribute to plant resilience under combined stress conditions. Conflict of interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Publisher’s note All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: article omics stress plants publisher declare nancial integration multi approaches plant understanding signaling interest authors
• Plant microRNAs regulate the defense response against pathogens (2024) · Frontiers in Microbiology · cited 48× · doi

  Pathogens are a persistent threat to global crop production. MiRNAs are indispensable not only to plant growth, development, nutrition, stress response, and hormone signaling pathways but also in plant defense against pathogens (Yang et al., 2021). These small noncoding RNAs, typically 20 to 25 nucleotides in length, are abundant in numerous plant species and play significant roles in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. This regulation impacts plant growth, development, stress responses, and hormone signaling pathways (Song et al., 2019). Plants interact with microorganisms in ways that can be either beneficial or harmful. To combat pathogens, plants have developed a range of defense strategies, including structural and chemical defenses, hypersensitivity, and systemically acquired resistance. MiRNAs are integral to these responses, particularly in regulating plant hormone homeostasis during pathogen attacks. Hormones such as auxin, SA, JA, and ethylene are key players in plant defense mechanisms activated by pathogens (Asadi and Millar, 2024). MiRNAs modulate the plant’s defense responses by regulating critical elements within the hormone signaling pathways. Given further their complex and diverse roles in plant defenses, investigations in plant–pathogen interactions are vital. Understanding how miRNAs control plant defense mechanisms can lead to new strategies for breeding disease- resistant plants and enhancing crop yields. into the role of miRNAs

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: plant mirnas defense pathogens hormone signaling pathways responses plants crop growth development stress roles regulation
• Plant Aux/IAA Gene Family: Significance in Growth, Development and Stress Responses (2025) · Agronomy · cited 18× · doi

  Among the three major gene families involved in early auxin response, the Aux/IAA family was investigated in this study, and their biological functions, phylogenetics, protein structures, expression patterns, and physiological roles in various processes such as plant growth and development were elucidated. Aux/IAA proteins not only participate in the auxin signaling pathway but are also crucial for regulating plant growth and development, as well as responses to abiotic stress, through interactions between auxins and other plant hormones. The current research primarily focuses on the role of Aux/IAA in various aspects of plant growth and development via the auxin signaling pathway, while there is less atten- tion paid to Aux/IAA’s role in regulating plant stress resistance through interactions with other plant hormones. Previous studies have revealed that interaction modules between ARF-Aux/IAA and other proteins are widespread, yet the mechanisms underlying these Agronomy 2025, 15, 1228 11 of 16 regulatory modules remain largely unknown. Furthermore, functional studies on the Aux/IAA family in crops such as wheat, maize, and potato are relatively scarce. Elucidating the biological functions of Aux/IAA in these crops could provide valuable genetic re- sources for improving crop quality and yield. For instance, genes such as OsIAA3, OsIAA8, ZmIAA12, ZmIAA19, and TaIAA21 serve as regulators of grain size and weight, presenting opportunities for enhancing crop productivity. Therefore, research targeting crop stress tolerance, yield improvement, and the interaction modules of ARF-Aux/IAA is essential. Studies have demonstrated that Aux/IAA genes originated prior to the divergence of monocots and dicots. However, these proteins were either lost or evolved subsequently, playing a significant role in the development of either group. Furthermore, some non- homologous Aux/IAA proteins in monocots may be crucial in determining species-specific traits and functions, suggesting that monocot Aux/IAA proteins possess unique functions and regulatory mechanisms. Interestingly, even proteins with close homology may exhibit opposite regulatory effects in different plant species. Notably, no sister pairs were identified between dicots and monocots, whereas sister pairs were present within the same species type, exemplified by OsIAAs and ZmIAAs, as well as SlIAAs and AtIAAs [111]. Conse- quently, the roles of Aux/IAA genes in monocots and dicots warrant further investigation. In recent years, the application of CRISPR/Cas9 targeted gene knockout technology and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has significantly increased in plant research, providing new insights into the study of Aux/IAA. Jiang et al. utilized CRISPR/Cas9 to knock out the OsIAA23 gene in rice, generating several Osiaa23 mutants with distinct knockout genotypes, which resulted in varied phenotypes [112]. Jia et al. generated the osiaa19 mutant using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. Their findings

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: plant proteins osiaa gene functions development monocots auxin growth stress role modules regulatory crop genes
• Plant Coping with Cold Stress: Molecular and Physiological Adaptive Mechanisms with Future Perspectives (2025) · Cells · cited 113× · doi

  In conclusion, this review discusses recent research into the ways some plants cope  with cold stress, and regulatory mechanisms of cold tolerance in plants. Cold stress can  quickly induce the expression of many transcription factors, thus activating a large num- ber of downstream cold response gene expression transcription factors that play a key role  in regulating gene expression (Figure 3). Plant hormones as signaling molecules are in- volved  in  the  regulation  of  plant  cold  response,  and  the  coordination  of  hormone  and  cold-signaling pathways can better deal with cold stress (Figure 4). At present, these stud- ies focus on the function of a single gene, most of which are CBF-dependent pathways.  However, the cold response transcriptional group regulated by CBFs accounts for only  about 12% [204]. Therefore, further screening of various cold-related genes and the inter- action mechanism between them is the key to exploring the mechanism of signal trans- duction and regulation in the future.      Cells 2025, 14, 110  18  of  30  Figure 4. The mechanism of cold tolerance in some plants. The intercellular signal (e.g., phytohor- mone, osmoregulatory and inorganic ions) binds to the receptor under cold stress and is converted  into an intracellular signal through the signal transduction system on the cell membrane (e.g., ion  channels, RLK, and protein kinases). Cold can also be directly translated into intracellular signals.  Abbreviations as above.  At present, the mechanisms of cold response regulation and control networks are not  fully elaborated, and cannot be implemented in production practices. The phenotypes of  different growth stages may be different. It is necessary to explore the evaluation system  to use future genetic methods to mine excellent cold tolerance genes, especially cold re- sponse genes specific to a single species. Tissue-specific expression or induced expression  is mainly used to reduce the effect of the constitutive expression on the growth of the plant  sensors. How plants perceive cold is still unclear. Finding the upstream temperature sig- nal  sensor  of  the  plant  cold-signaling  pathway  is  a  fundamental  problem  in  future  re- search because these receptors are very likely to play a switching function for the whole  cold-signaling pathway. Interestingly, there is a close relationship between drought stress  and cold stress. MYB transcription factor gene ApMYB77 [205] and MbMYB4 [206] confer        Cells 2025, 14, 110  19  of  30  both freezing and drought tolerance. MdBES1 was a positive regulator for cold tolerance  and disease resistance in M. baccata Borkh, but a negative regulator for drought tolerance  [207]. Dong et al. (2019) discovered the regulation of leaf-derived jasmonic acid as a long- distance transport signal to regulate water uptake by cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) roots  and invented a liquid fertilizer that promotes jasmonic acid synthesis under partial root- zone irrigation to cope with drought [208]. But there are still few corresponding hormone  fertilizers for cold stress, so further research is necessary for the construction and mining  of the cold stress network. This will be helpful to develop cultivation and management  methods to enhance plant cold tolerance (such as the application of exogenous substances)  to improve production.  An increase in extreme weather will amplify the impact of cold stress on agricultural  production.  A  future  challenge  for  improving  crop  cold  tolerance  is  to  combine  knowledge gained from model systems with multi-omic and genetic data for new crop  varieties and crop performance test systems. In addition, efforts should be made to iden- tify natural cultivars of unknown stress-resistant resources and understand their under- lying mechanisms. As more powerful resources are discovered and identified, these ef- forts must be effectively integrated into plant breeding to achieve sustainable global food  security.  Author Contributions: Y.F. contributed to acquisition of information, and writing of the manuscript.  Z.L., X.K., A.K., N.U. and X.Z. contributed to guidance in the design, critical revision, and correction  of the manuscript. X.Z. contributed to the conception and design, and interpretation, draft and re- vision of the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manu- script.  Funding: This research was funded by the Programs for Science and Technology Development in  Henan  Province  of  China  (242102111145),  the  Postgraduate  Education  Reform  and  Quality  Im- provement  Project  of Henan  Province (YJS2024SZ20  and  YJS2023JC16),  and  the  Henan Center  of  Outstanding Overseas Scientists (GZS2024018).  Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare that this research was conducted in the absence of any  commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest.

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: cold stress tolerance expression plant signal plants response gene signaling regulation future drought mechanisms transcription
• Genome-wide identification and functional characterization of LBD transcription factors uncover their stress adaptation mechanisms in tobacco and eggplant (2026) · Frontiers in Plant Science · doi

  These findings indicate that selected LBD genes and their associated regulatory networks participate in ABA responses, low-temperature adaptation, and pathogen defense in tobacco and eggplant, and they further underscore the potential utility of these genes as targets for improving stress tolerance in Solanaceous species, although additional experimental confirmation is warranted.

  generalabstractevidence 5/5
  Keywords: genes indicate selected associated regulatory networks participate responses temperature adaptation pathogen defense tobacco eggplant further
• Chilling stress response in tobacco seedlings: insights from transcriptome, proteome, and phosphoproteome analyses (2024) · Frontiers in Plant Science · cited 15× · doi

  Further studies are needed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of the response of tobacco to chilling stress, - Future studies should analyze the response of tobacco seedlings to different temperatures and durations of chilling stress, - The role of kinases and transcription factors in the response of tobacco to chilling stress should be further investigated

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 4/5
  Keywords: further studies needed investigate molecular mechanisms response tobacco

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