Aug 2026· Journal of plant physiology· Vol 325, pp.
154863
· 0 citations· 55 references
Medicine
TL;DR
Multi-layered molecular networks enabling drought tolerance in pea are revealed, providing a valuable resource for improving legume resilience.
Abstract
Drought stress is a major limitation to global crop productivity, yet the molecular basis of drought responses in Pisum sativum (pea) a nutritionally important legume remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that drought induces coordinated transcriptional and proteomic reprogramming in pea chloroplasts and leaves, thereby activating photoprotective, antioxidant, and stress-responsive pathways. To investigate this, we applied integrated transcriptomic (Solexa-Illumina sequencing) and proteomic (iTRAQ) analyses, focusing on chloroplast-targeted transcripts and proteins. Our findings revealed significant upregulation of chloroplast- and stress-related genes and proteins, including dehydrins, PSBS, heat shock proteins, LEA proteins, ROS scavengers, and aquaporins. Induction of ABA-responsive and heat shock transcription factors suggested the activation of photoprotective and photo acclimation mechanisms. Integration of transcriptomic and proteomic datasets demonstrated concordant regulation of key pathways: upregulation of PSBS, DHN, and PIP transcripts corresponded with increased protein abundance, supporting their dual roles in photoprotection and osmotic adjustment. Similarly, ROS and calcium-associated transcripts were accompanied by elevated levels of antioxidant enzymes and signaling proteins, highlighting coordinated chloroplast-nucleus communication. Proteomic enrichment of photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes, molecular chaperones, and vacuole proton pumps further underscored chloroplasts as central hubs of drought response. Together, these results reveal multi-layered molecular networks enabling drought tolerance in pea, providing a valuable resource for improving legume resilience.
Combined stress more strongly inhibited plant height, stem diameter, fresh weight, net photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate than single stresses, and insights into alfalfa adaptation to multiple abiotic stresses are provided.
Lihe Su, Yong-Cheng Chen, Xudong Zhang et al.· Journal of Agricultural and...· 0 citations
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