Transcriptional gene network involved in drought stress response: application for crop breeding in the context of climate change
Kazuo Nakashima, Kazuko Yamaguchi‐Shinozaki, Kazuo Shinozaki
Abstract
Abstract The rapid increase in greenhouse gases has accelerated global warming, causing significant issues related to climate change, biodiversity and agriculture and adversely affecting crop production and food supply. The molecular and physiological mechanisms by which plants respond to abiotic stresses such as drought, cold and heat are well understood, according to advances in transcriptome analyses. These studies underscore the critical role of transcriptional regulation in managing drought stress and developing tolerance in Arabidopsis and other plants. Key genes, including those encoding transcription factors, protein kinases and other regulatory proteins, play essential roles in the cellular and molecular responses to drought. At the onset of drought stress, dehydration-induced signals relay to the nucleus, triggering the transcription of stress-related genes to cope with water deficit. Both abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent and ABA-independent regulatory mechanisms have been explored in these responses. Furthermore, many drought-inducible genes have been shown to increase stress tolerance via transgenic methods. The use of insights from Arabidopsis is vital for advancing crop breeding through the use of genetic modification technologies and genome editing. Recent advances in genomic technologies have provided critical data for crop genotyping, serving as essential platforms. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Crops under stress: can we mitigate the impacts of climate change on agriculture and launch the ‘Resilience Revolution’?’.