Transcriptomic Responses to Abiotic Stress in Plants

Plants exposed to drought, salinity, cold or heat undergo extensive reprogramming of gene expression to maintain homeostasis, protect cellular structures and ensure survival. Global profiling of the transcriptome reveals coordinated induction of protective proteins, osmolyte biosynthesis pathways, antioxidant systems and stress-associated signalling cascades. Central to these responses are dynamic changes in levels of phytohormones such as abscisic acid, ethylene and jasmonates, which modulate downstream transcription factors and effector genes. High-resolution RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) has uncovered stress-specific and shared gene networks, including transcription factors from DREB, NAC, WRKY and MYB families, which act as master regulators driving acclimation. Comparative analyses across species and stress combinations have highlighted cross-talk between signalling pathways, the role of secondary metabolites in oxidative scavenging and the plasticity of membrane-associated responses. Insights from transcriptomic studies underpin breeding and biotechnological strategies to enhance crop resilience, reduce yield loss under adverse conditions and secure global food production in the face of climate change.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have employed transcriptome profiling to dissect response networks to drought, cold and salinity in apple. High-throughput RNA-Seq of in vitro-grown plants subjected to these stresses identified hundreds of genes commonly regulated by all three treatments. Functional categorisation revealed enrichments in metabolic processes, binding and catalytic activities, and highlighted signal transduction components within environmental information-processing pathways. Overexpression of select upregulated genes in calli promoted consistent induction of key stress-responsive transcription factors and enhanced antioxidase activity, osmoprotectant accumulation and biomass retention under stress. This work underscores the convergence of signalling pathways in shaping broad-spectrum resilience and provides candidate regulators for engineering multi-stress tolerance.

Transcriptomic Responses to Abiotic Stress in Plants publication trend

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

Technical terms

Abiotic stress: Non-living environmental factors such as drought, salinity, temperature extremes or nutrient deficiency that impair plant growth and development.

Transcriptome: The complete set of RNA transcripts produced by the genome under specific conditions, reflecting gene activity at a given time.

RNA-Seq: A high-throughput sequencing technique that quantifies RNA transcript levels genome-wide, enabling detection of novel transcripts and differential expression.

Differentially expressed genes (DEGs): Genes showing statistically significant changes in expression level between control and stress conditions.

Transcription factor: A protein that binds specific DNA sequences to regulate transcription of target genes, often orchestrating complex response networks.

References

1. Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes Related to Dehydration Resistance in a Highly Drought-Tolerant Pear, Pyrus betulaefolia, as through RNA-Seq. PLOS ONE (2016).
2. Comparative transcriptome profiling of a desert evergreen shrub, Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, in response to drought and cold stresses. BMC Genomics (2014).
3. Transcriptome analysis provides insights into the stress response crosstalk in apple (Malus × domestica) subjected to drought, cold and high salinity. Scientific Reports (2019).