Acta Physiologiae Plantarum

Liang, Qi; Ke, Zhen; Wu, Zhonghua

doi: 10.1007/s11738-026-03898-6pmid: N/A

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitous toxicant with endocrine-disrupting properties. Owing to its extensive industrial application, BPA is frequently detected in water environments, posing a phytotoxic threat to aquatic plants. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), a derivative of the natural phenolic compound salicylic acid (SA), has been shown to mimic SA’s role and significantly enhance plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, we administered ASA to investigate its role on the Vallisneria natans (Lour.) under 14 days of BPA treatment. The outcomes of BPA exposure manifested that it significantly impeded the growth of V. natans, as reflected by reduced fresh weight and root length. Chlorophyll content of V. natans was also greatly declined. Although the antioxidative enzyme system was modulated in response to BPA stress, the marked accumulation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) indicated the induction of severe oxidative damage. Conversely, the addition of ASA alleviated the adverse effects of BPA on V. natans by enhancing its antioxidant capacity, elevating soluble protein content, and reducing levels of TBARS and H₂O₂. This study indicated that the ASA could attenuate the oxidation stress induced by BPA in V. natans, despite the absence of anticipated alterations in chlorophyll contents and leaf numbers. The results will guide the ecological risk assessments of water exposed to BPA as well as the choice of exogenous phytoremediation techniques for aquatic plants.

Thabet, Samar G.; Safhi, Fatmah Ahmed; Elkelish, Amr; Alqudah, Ahmad M.

doi: 10.1007/s11738-026-03897-7pmid: N/A

Ankyrin-repeat (ANK) proteins are versatile scaffolds in plants, yet their evolutionary breadth and stress functions remain unclear. We surveyed six reference genomes (wheat, maize, rice, barley, sorghum, Arabidopsis) and catalogued 94 high-confidence ANK genes. Comparative phylogenomics resolved eight clades; maize and wheat show lineage-specific expansions consistent with genome duplication and tandem amplification. Subcellular prediction and GO/InterPro profiling converge on a membrane-centric role enriched for protein-phosphatase binding, supporting a model in which ANKs act as membrane-anchored phosphatase adaptors. Promoter analysis uncovered dense, combinatorial cis-codes dominated by light-responsive motifs and hormone elements (ABRE, JA, SA), with lineage-biased stress modules (e.g., wheat drought MYB, barley cold LTR, rice hypoxia ARE) indicating regulatory rewiring. Wheat transcriptomes partition ANKs into three tiers: a pathogen-inducible clade (≥ 30-fold under stripe rust/powdery mildew), an abiotic-stress cluster (drought/PEG/heat), and constitutive members, evidencing post-duplication subfunctionalisation. The qRT-PCR assay shows that wheat ankyrin genes respond to UV-B in three clear patterns. TaANK23, TaANK32, TaANK39 and TaANK49 are UV-B inducible, but with distinct timings: TaANK23 and TaANK32 rise quickly and peak by 12–24 h, TaANK39 accumulates steadily throughout the 36 h period, and TaANK49 is activated only after 24 h, suggesting early- versus late-phase functions. TaANK29 and TaANK42 are UV-B repressed, TaANK29 strongly and persistently, TaANK42 only transiently, implying that some ankyrins are switched off to accommodate the stress response. TaANK37 and TaANK48 remain unchanged, indicating roles unrelated to UV-B signalling. Overall, these contrasting profiles highlight functional diversification within the wheat ankyrin family, with some members acting as rapid UV-B responders, others as late or negative regulators, and a few remaining constitutively expressed.

Karthik, K. C.; Elizabeth, P. Manju; Santhoshkumar, A. V.; Kamalolbhavan, Binu N.; Rocha, Delphy; Yathin, P. Y.

doi: 10.1007/s11738-026-03901-0pmid: N/A

Salinity stress is a major abiotic constraint limiting the growth and establishment of tropical forestry species, yet hormone-mediated adaptation in Swietenia macrophylla (mahogany) remains poorly understood. This study evaluated morphometric, physiological, and proteomic responses of mahogany seedlings to salinity and assessed the roles of jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) in stress recovery. Seedlings were exposed to three phases: prestress (80% field capacity), salinity stress (100 mM NaCl, EC ~ 4 dS m⁻¹), and recovery (freshwater leaching with foliar application of 0.6 mM JA or 0.8 mM SA). Salinity stress reduced photosynthetic rate by 58.6%, relative water content by 23%, and chlorophyll a content by 49%, while proline nearly doubled and membrane stability declined by 22%. Hormone treatments alleviated these effects. JA restored ~ 80% of photosynthetic capacity, increased shoot biomass by 127%, and promoted epicormic shoot regeneration, whereas SA enhanced root biomass by 65% and carotenoid content by 31%. Proteomic analysis showed that salinity stress downregulated key photosynthetic proteins, including RuBisCO and DAHP synthase, while upregulating stress-related proteins such as the cation/H⁺ antiporter and calcium-dependent protein kinase. During recovery, JA strongly increased RuBisCO and induced signaling proteins such as calcium-dependent protein kinase and allene oxide synthase, whereas SA showed moderate restoration of photosynthetic proteins and enhanced proteins associated with metabolic and redox processes. These findings indicate that JA primarily promotes photosynthetic recovery and shoot growth, while SA supports root development and cellular stability, highlighting their complementary roles in enhancing salinity tolerance in tropical tree species.

Bijary, Narges; Kolahi, Maryam; Mohajel Kazemi, Elham; Hassanpour, Halimeh

doi: 10.1007/s11738-026-03902-zpmid: N/A

Matricaria chamomilla is a well-known medicinal plant rich in bioactive compounds. Cadmium (Cd) toxicity, a form of heavy-metal stress, can impede growth and secondary metabolite production. This work examined responses to Cadmium stress (0–10 µM) in chamomile cell-suspension cultures, focusing on total phenolic and flavonoid levels, DPPH radical scavenging capacity, PAL activity, gene expression, and Cadmium accumulation, and also explored the effect of pairing Cadmium with a static magnetic field (SMF, 4 mT for 1 h). Results showed that Cadmium stress increased phenolic and flavonoid contents, an effect amplified by SMF (219.6 and 67.14 µg mg⁻¹ DW at 7.5 µM Cd + SMF). SMF partially restored DPPH radical scavenging capacity of methanol-soluble compounds and limited Cadmium accumulation (181.2 vs. 251.5 µg mg⁻¹ DW at 10 µM). Additionally, SMF enhanced PAL gene expression and activity (0.48 U mg⁻¹ protein), indicating significant activation of the phenylpropanoid pathway. Electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that Cadmium induced damage to cell walls and organelles, whereas the combination of Cd + SMF partially alleviated these structural damages and reduced cellular Cadmium accumulation. These results suggest that a short SMF exposure can mitigate Cd uptake and stimulate the phenylpropanoid pathway in chamomile cells, offering a simple physical approach to enhance valuable secondary metabolites under metal stress.

Zia, Ahmad

doi: 10.1007/s11738-026-03900-1pmid: N/A

Desert winter ephemerals thrive in arid environments by exploiting brief seasonal windows of favorable conditions. Leaf nitrogen status, pigment composition, gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence quenching, and polyphasic OJIP fluorescence transients were compared in three co-occurring annual forbs, Medicago polymorpha, Malva parviflora, and Sisymbrium irio, growing under natural high light desert conditions. All three species exhibited comparable net CO₂ assimilation rates, water-use efficiency, and photosystem II (PSII) maximum quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm ≈ 0.82), indicating similar functional photochemical capacity under field irradiance. However, M. polymorpha accumulated substantially greater above-ground biomass, exceeding that of the other two species by approximately 141–177%, coinciding with 30–47% higher foliar nitrogen content. Species-specific differences in chlorophyll a/b and carotenoid content indicated differences in light harvesting and photoprotection. OJIP-derived parameters associated with PSII photochemical efficiency (e.g., Fv/Fo, φPo) and electron transport efficiency (ψo, φEo) were consistently highest in M. polymorpha. This species also exhibited the lowest steady-state non-photochemical quenching while showing the most responsive shift from photochemical energy utilization to thermal dissipation upon exposure to actinic light, without a concomitant rise in sustained photoinhibitory quenching. These responses were accompanied by enhanced energy conservation performance indices: efficiencies associated with excitation energy transfer to intersystem electron acceptors (PIABS) were 25–32% higher in M. polymorpha, while those linked to terminal electron acceptor reduction (PItotal) were ~ 50% higher in both M. polymorpha and M. parviflora relative to S. irio. Collectively, these findings demonstrate species-specific differences in PSII energy partitioning and photoprotective responsiveness under high light conditions.