Renjuan Qian’s research while affiliated with Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences and other places

Background The Aux/IAA gene family encodes proteins that are central to auxin signaling and plant growth regulation. While Asparagus officinalis is a globally cultivated crop valued for its edible shoots, medicinal uses, and economic significance, the specific regulatory mechanisms and stress-responsive functions of Aux/IAA genes in this species remain largely uncharacterized. Previous studies have demonstrated Aux/IAA involvement in abiotic stress responses, but their roles in A. officinalis have not been systematically investigated. This study fills this gap by identifying candidate Aux/IAA genes in A. officinalis and characterizing their expression dynamics under salt stress, providing insights into their potential contributions to stress resilience. Results A comprehensive genome-wide analysis was conducted, revealing 17 Aux/IAA genes in A. officinalis. The results revealed that the AoIAA proteins featured a conserved Aux/IAA domain while demonstrating variability in their protein motif composition. Employing comparative genomics and evolutionary analyses, we classified the Aux/IAA genes into two major groups. Gene duplication analysis further identified two pairs of WGD/segmental duplication genes. The study of cis-regulatory elements in AoIAA gene promoters identified links to phytohormone signaling and abiotic stress responses. Additionally, the expression patterns of AoIAAs in A. officinalis differed among various tissues. The AoIAAs responded differently to salt treatment, notably with AoIAA1, AoIAA10, and AoIAA12 expression increasing alongside higher salt concentrations, highlighting their role in salt stress adaptation. Conclusion This study systematically characterized the Aux/IAA gene family in A. officinalis, highlighting their diversity and revealing structural and regulatory features. The findings provide a foundational resource for elucidating the biological functions and molecular mechanisms underlying Aux/IAA-mediated responses to salt stress and growth regulation in this species.

Light signals are prevalent and influence the survival strategies of both plants and the pathogenic fungi that infect them. In this study, we found that green light inhibits the infectivity of Botrytis cinerea on Solanum lycopersicum. Through transcriptome analysis and validation of S. lycopersicum leaves infected with B. cinerea, we discovered that green light enhances the synthesis of jasmonic acid and its related metabolites by upregulating the expression of OPR3 and JAR1 in S. lycopersicum. Additionally, green light boosts the activity of antioxidant enzymes like peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbic acid peroxidase in S. lycopersicum to combat tomato grey mould. Conversely, green light inhibits the expression of plant‐induced colonization onset genes, mitogen‐activated protein kinase genes, and the formation of infection cushions in B. cinerea. Our findings provide insights into the role of environmental green light signals in the interaction system between plants and phytopathogenic fungi.

Platycrater arguta is a rare and endangered deciduous shrub originating from the Tertiary Period. Understanding its drought tolerance is crucial for conservation efforts and enhancing its resilience to environmental stress. This study aimed to assess the effects of varying levels of drought stress on the phenotype and physiological–biochemical characteristics of P. arguta. The study subjected P. arguta to different levels of drought stress using 10%, 20%, and 30% polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG-6000) over a 10-day period. Additionally, the effects of exogenous melatonin application at various concentrations (including 100 µM) were examined to determine its potential in alleviating drought-induced damage. Key parameters measured included leaf relative water content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), antioxidant enzyme activity, and soluble sugar content. Drought stress significantly inhibited the growth of P. arguta. As PEG-6000 concentration increased, leaf relative water content and net photosynthetic rate decreased, while leaf wilting severity, membrane damage, antioxidant enzyme activity, and soluble sugar content increased. A 30% PEG-6000 concentration caused irreversible damage, leading to plant death. Exogenous application of 100 µM melatonin alleviated this damage by increasing leaf relative water content, enhancing photosynthetic efficiency, boosting antioxidant enzyme activity, accumulating osmotic regulators, and reducing leaf desiccation. The study demonstrated that P. arguta is sensitive to severe drought conditions, with 30% PEG-6000 causing irreversible damage. However, the application of 100 µM melatonin significantly improved the plant's drought tolerance by upregulating the expression of ABI1 and downregulating genes such as AUX1A-2, IAA2-2, and HP2-1. This finding highlights the potential of melatonin as a protective agent against drought stress, providing valuable insights for the conservation and enhancement of P. arguta's resilience to environmental challenges.

Clematis lanuginosa, a valuable ornamental plant in Zhejiang Province, China, produces flowers that are blue–purple, a rare flower colour. In this study, to explore the anthocyanin synthesis mechanism involved in flower colour formation in C. lanuginosa, metabolome, and transcriptome sequencing was performed at six flower development stages. Metabolome analysis revealed 25 anthocyanin compounds and 22 differentially expressed metabolites. Cyanidin-3,5-O-diglucoside, cyanidin-3,5,3'-O-triglucoside, cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside-5-O-glucoside, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside, and petunidin-3-O-glucoside may promote the formation of blue–purple colour in flowers. The combined analysis results revealed that the transcript41913_f2p0_1152 gene (MYB-like) may be a key gene in C. lanuginosa blue–purple flower colour development. These results provide the basis for further research on the blue–purple flower colour of C. lanuginosa.

Background Salt stress is a major abiotic factor that affects the distribution and growth of plants. Asparagus officinalis is primarily resistant to salt stress and is suitable for cultivation in saline-alkali soil. Results The study integrated the morphology, physiological indexes, and transcriptome of A. officinalis exposed to different levels of NaCl, with the aim of understanding its biological processes under salt stress. The findings indicated that exposure to salt stress led to decreases in the height and weight of A. officinalis plants. Additionally, the levels of POD and SOD, as well as the amounts of MDA, proline, and soluble sugars, showed an increase, whereas the chlorophyll content decreased. Analysis of the transcriptome revealed that 6,203 genes that showed differential expression at different salt-stress levels. Various TFs, including FAR1, MYB, NAC, and bHLH, exhibited differential expression under salt stress. KEGG analysis showed that the DEGs were primarily associated with the plant hormone signal transduction and lignin biosynthesis pathways. Conclusion These discoveries provide a solid foundation for an in-depth exploration of the pivotal genes, including Aux/IAA, TCH4, COMT, and POD, among others, as well as the pathways involved in asparagus’s salt stress responses. Consequently, they have significant implications for the future analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying asparagus’s response to salt stress.

Clematis is the queen of the vines, being an ornamental plant with high economic value. Waterlogging stress reduces the ornamental value of the plant and limits its application. Melatonin plays an important role in plant resistance to abiotic stresses. In this study, the physiological responses and gene expression levels of two wild species, namely, Clematis tientaiensis and Clematis lanuginosa, and two horticultural varieties, namely, ‘Sen-No-Kaze’ and ‘Viva Polonia,’ under waterlogging stress were analyzed to determine the effect of melatonin on waterlogging tolerance. The results showed that the waterlogging tolerances of C. lanuginosa and ‘Sen-No-Kaze’ were relatively poor, but were significantly improved by concentrations of 100 μmol·L⁻¹ and 50 μmol·L⁻¹ melatonin. C. tientaiensis and ‘Viva Polonia’ had relatively strong tolerance to waterlogging, and this was significantly improved by 200 μmol·L⁻¹ melatonin. Under waterlogging stress, the relative conductivity and H2O2 content of Clematis increased significantly; the photosynthetic parameters and chlorophyll contents were significantly decreased; photosynthesis was inhibited; the contents of soluble protein and soluble sugars were decreased. Effective improvement of waterlogging tolerance after exogenous melatonin spraying, the relative conductivity was decreased by 4.05%-27.44%; the H2O2 content was decreased by 3.84%-23.28%; the chlorophyll content was increased by 35.59%-103.36%; the photosynthetic efficiency was increased by 25.42%-45.86%; the antioxidant enzyme activities of APX, POD, SOD, and CAT were increased by 28.03%-158.61%; the contents of proline, soluble protein, and soluble sugars were enhanced, and cell homeostasis was improved. Transcription sequencing was performed on wild Clematis with differences in waterlogging tolerance, and nine transcription factors were selected that were highly correlated with melatonin and that had the potential to improve waterlogging tolerance, among which LBD4, and MYB4 were significantly positively correlated with the antioxidant enzyme system, and bHLH36, DOF36, and WRKY4 were significantly negatively correlated. Photosynthetic capacity was positively correlated with DOF36 and WRKY4 while being significantly negatively correlated with MYB4, MOF1, DOF47, REV1 and ABR1. Melatonin could enhance the flooding tolerance of Clematis by improving photosynthetic efficiency and antioxidant enzyme activity. This study provides an important basis and reference for the application of melatonin in waterlogging-resistant breeding of Clematis.