Molecular Responses of Plants to Abiotic Stress Factors

Plants are continually challenged by non-living environmental factors such as extreme temperatures, drought, salinity and ionising radiation. At the molecular level, these stresses provoke intricate signalling cascades that initiate gene expression reprogramming, protein modifications and metabolic realignments. A common early event is the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which serve both as damaging agents and as signalling molecules. Stress perception at the cell surface and within organelles triggers second-messenger generation, notably calcium fluxes and redox changes, leading to activation of stress-responsive transcription factors. These factors regulate suites of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes, osmoprotectants and molecular chaperones, thereby restoring cellular homeostasis. DNA damage incurred under severe stress elicits recruitment of repair complexes and cell-cycle checkpoints. Simultaneously, hormonal networks involving abscisic acid, jasmonic acid and salicylic acid are modulated to coordinate growth inhibition with defence activation. Advances in high-throughput profiling have revealed stress-induced shifts in primary and secondary metabolism, including alterations in carbon partitioning, nitrogen reallocation and the synthesis of protective metabolites. Together, these molecular responses underpin plant acclimation and inform strategies for breeding or engineering stress-tolerant crops with global significance for food security and ecosystem resilience.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Molecular Responses of Plants to Abiotic Stress Factors publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in molecular responses of plants to abiotic stress factors across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Abiotic stress: Non-living environmental factor, such as drought, salinity or radiation, that challenges plant growth and survival.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Chemically reactive molecules derived from oxygen that act as both signalling agents and potential sources of cellular damage.

Transcriptomics: Large-scale study of RNA transcripts to profile gene expression changes under specific conditions.

Multi-omics: Integrated analysis of multiple molecular layers—such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics—to elucidate complex biological responses.

Hormesis: Biphasic response wherein low-level exposure to a stressor induces beneficial adaptive effects, while high-level exposure is detrimental.

References

1. Global Plant Stress Signaling: Reactive Oxygen Species at the Cross-Road. Frontiers in Plant Science (2016).
2. Stress Management in Plants: Examining Provisional and Unique Dose-Dependent Responses. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
3. Reactive oxygen species may be involved in the distinctive biological effects of different doses of 12C6+ ion beams on Arabidopsis. Frontiers in Plant Science (2024).
4. Multi-Omics Analysis of Vicia cracca Responses to Chronic Radiation Exposure in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Plants (2023).