Plant Physiology
Summary
Plant physiology integrates processes at molecular, cellular, organ and whole‐organism scales to explain how plants capture energy, acquire nutrients and water, and respond to environmental challenges. Photosynthesis in chloroplasts converts light into ATP, NADPH and carbohydrates, which mitochondria then oxidize to sustain cellular functions. Root water uptake and xylem transport support leaf gas exchange, while stomatal and mesophyll conductance regulate CO₂ assimilation and transpiration. Minerals from soil enter metabolic pathways for synthesis of amino acids, nucleotides, lipids and defence compounds. Hormones such as abscisic acid, auxin, cytokinins and strigolactones coordinate growth, development and stress responses, linking resource status with organ architecture. Antioxidant systems, osmotic adjustment and gene regulatory networks enable acclimation to drought, salinity and temperature extremes. Redox and one-carbon metabolisms intersect with transcriptional and epigenetic controls, providing flexibility across timescales and underpinning the distribution and productivity of plants in diverse ecosystems.
Research from Nature Portfolio
A field transcriptome analysis in rice revealed that low-fertilizer conditions can sustain tiller production and yield by downregulating a MAX1-like cytochrome P450 gene promoter, fine-tuning the biosynthesis of strigolactones that suppress shoot branching. Complementary structural and biochemical studies in Arabidopsis showed that the DWARF14 receptor binds intact strigolactone to initiate downstream signalling and then hydrolyses the hormone to terminate the signal, unifying perception and deactivation in a single molecular machine.
Plant Physiology publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in plant physiology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Strigolactone: Carotenoid-derived phytohormone that regulates shoot branching and root architecture by modulating auxin transport and receptor-mediated signalling.
Oxidative Pentose Phosphate Pathway (OPPP): Metabolic route producing NADPH and ribose-5-phosphate, critical for biosynthesis, antioxidant defence and redox homeostasis.
Phosphoglucose Isomerase (PGI1): Plastid enzyme converting glucose-6-phosphate to fructose-6-phosphate, linking central carbon metabolism to cytokinin synthesis.
Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PDH): Rate-limiting OPPP enzyme that oxidizes glucose-6-phosphate to generate NADPH, essential for stress tolerance.
Cytokinin: Phytohormone that modulates cell division, chloroplast development and source–sink allocation in response to nutrient and carbon signals.
References
- Fertilization controls tiller numbers via transcriptional regulation of a MAX1-like gene in rice cultivation. Nature Communications (2023).
- Strigolactone perception and deactivation by a hydrolase receptor DWARF14. Nature Communications (2019).
- PGI1-mediated vascular oxidative pentose phosphate pathway modulates photosynthesis via long-distance cytokinin signaling. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (2024).
- ZmG6PDH1 in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase family enhances cold stress tolerance in maize. Frontiers in Plant Science (2023).
- Evidence for dual targeting control of Arabidopsis 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase isoforms by N-terminal phosphorylation. Journal of Experimental Botany (2024).
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