Cadmium toxicity severely restricts plant growth and development. Nuclear transcription factor-YA (NF-YA) plays a critical role in regulating abiotic stress tolerance, but its role in Cd stress remains unknown. We identified AtNF-YA3 transcription factor as a crucial player in Arabidopsis thaliana Cd stress tolerance. AtNF-YA3 overexpression significantly enhances tolerance to Cd stress, while AtNF-YA3 knockout causes heightened sensitivity. Overexpression significantly reduced Cd2+ flux in roots and whole-plant Cd accumulation, whereas AtNF-YA3 knockout enhanced Cd2+ flux, and Cd and ROS accumulation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that Cd stress disrupted immune responsive pathways in the knockout line relative to wild-type. Moreover, AtWRKY41 transcription factor expression levels decreased by approximately two-fold in the knockout line relative to wild-type. Yeast two-hybrid and luciferase assays demonstrated a direct interaction between AtNF-YA3 and AtWRKY41; yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assays confirmed that AtWRKY41 directly binds to the AtNF-YA3 promoter. Arabidopsis AtWRKY41 knockout lines exhibited significantly increased sensitivity to Cd stress, and increased Cd2+ flux rates and Cd and ROS accumulation. Genetic analysis indicated that AtWRKY41 acts upstream of AtNF-YA3 to increase Cd stress tolerance. Together, these findings suggest that AtNF-YA3 is a key regulator of Cd tolerance and a potential target for plant heavy metal phytoremediation research.

To investigate the effects of red–blue–green light ratios on the growth, photosynthesis, nutritional quality, and mineral nutrient accumulation of hydroponic lettuce, a controlled experiment was conducted using the deep flow technique (DFT) system. Four light treatments were applied under a constant photosynthetically active radiation of 350 μmol·m−2·s−1: the red–blue light control (CK, R:B = 60:40) and 10% (T1), 20% (T2), and 40% (T3) green light substitution treatments. Growth, photosynthetic characteristics, quality and nutrient indexes were assessed. The results showed that 40% green light (T3) significantly enhanced biomass production, increasing the fresh and dry weights by 33.16% and 21.40%, respectively, compared with the CK (control). In addition, the soluble sugar and vitamin C contents increased by 61.79% and 13.43%, respectively, while the nitrate content decreased by 16.31%. T1 (10% green light) was the most effective at promoting antioxidant compound accumulation, resulting in 148.61% and 81.24% increases in the flavonoid and polyphenol contents. All green light treatments increased the net photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate while decreasing the intercellular CO2 concentration and stomatal conductance. Green light supplements generally promoted phosphorus and magnesium uptake, and T3 remarkably enhanced the total accumulation of major mineral elements in shoots. In conclusion, 40% green light substitution optimizes both the biomass and nutritional quality of lettuce, whereas 10% substitution significantly promotes antioxidant accumulation. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing light spectra in controlled environments for hydroponic lettuce production.

Salinity stress is a major obstacle that limits plant growth and productivity. However, plants possess robust defense mechanisms to mitigate its adverse effects. In this study, we found that overexpression of SlPSAN (photosystem I reaction center subunit N) conferred salt stress resistance in both yeast and tomato seedlings. The results showed that the T-DNA mutants were susceptible to salt stress, resulting in a significant decline in seed germination rates and root length in Arabidopsis. Overexpression of SlPSAN enhanced root and shoot fresh weights, as well as root and shoot dry weights, in tomato seedlings under salt stress. In contrast, knockout (psan1 and psan2) lines exhibited increased sensitivity to salt stress and a significant reduction in tomato seedling growth. Moreover, SlPSAN overexpression enhanced nutrient accumulation, chlorophyll content (Chl A, Chl B, Chl A+B, and carotenoids) and enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes (APX, SOD, POD, and CAT), while simultaneously decreasing the accumulation of ROS and MDA when compared with WT and knockout lines. Transcriptome analysis revealed that knockout of SlPSAN altered the enrichment of biological processes, including response to stimulus, immune system processes, and detoxification pathways, under salt stress in tomato. These findings suggested that SlPSAN positively regulates salt stress in tomato seedlings. This study unlocks an innovative research direction for identifying candidate genes for improving salinity stress tolerance and protecting horticultural crop production.

Flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis var. utilis Tsen et Lee.), an cultivated variant of Brassica rapa var. chinensis in the Brassicaceae family, is distinguished from Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) by its basal leaves, which have non-stippled petioles and slender, grooved leaf stalks. Sugar transport proteins (STPs), a key subfamily within the plant monosaccharide transporter (MST) superfamily, serves as primary hexose transporters that facilitate the transmembrane movement of glucose, fructose, and other hexoses. These proteins play a crucial role in plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stress. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the BcSTP gene family through genome-wide identification, phylogenetic analysis, tissue expression profiling, yeast functional complementation, and heterologous overexpression assays. Twenty-seven BcSTP genes were identified, grouped into four major clades, and found to share conserved domains, motifs, and genomic structures. Tissue-specific expression profiling showed that most BcSTPs were highly expressed in flowers and flower buds during the flowering stage. Functional complementation in hexose transport-deficient yeast confirmed that BcSTP6 and its homologs (BcSTP6-like1, BcSTP6-like2) possess hexose transport activity, with BcSTP6 capable of transporting glucose, fructose, and galactose, and responding to exogenous glucose treatment. Heterologous overexpression assays demonstrated that BcSTP6 promotes flowering in flowering Chinese cabbage by upregulating flowering-related genes, including FT and LFY. Together, these findings clarify the composition and core features of the BcSTP gene family, reveal the regulatory role of BcSTP6 in bolting and flowering, and provide a foundation for understanding the STP-mediated sugar transport mechanisms underlying plant growth and development.

Propiconazole reveals a BraBZR1-BraGRP5 transcriptional module that promotes leaf growth via cell expansion in Flowering Chinese cabbage. Flowering Chinese cabbage, also known as Caixin (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis var. parachinensis), plays a significant and industrial role, particularly in South China. Propiconazole (PCZ), a triazole fungicide, is widely used in leafy vegetable production as a brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthesis inhibitor to improve plant architecture and marketability. However, the molecular mechanism by which PCZ regulates leaf growth in Flowering Chinese cabbage remains poorly understood. Through transcriptome analysis of PCZ-treated plants, we identified a glycine-rich protein 5 (BraGRP5). BraGRP5 expression was highest in cotyledons, leaves, flowers, and siliques, and was induced by BR application. Functional studies demonstrated that BraGRP5 acts as a positive regulator of leaf growth, as overexpression (OE) lines developed larger leaves, while RNA interference (RNAi) and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) lines had smaller leaves. RNA-seq analysis of BraGRP5-overexpressing lines identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) enriched in hormone signaling and cell wall remodeling pathways. Furthermore, we established that the transcription factor (TF) BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT 1 (BraBZR1) directly binds to the BraGRP5 promoter and activates its transcription, forming a BraBZR1-BraGRP5 transcriptional module. Our findings demonstrate that BraGRP5 promotes leaf growth by stimulating cell expansion and define a key BR-mediated regulatory pathway in B. rapa, with PCZ serving as the critical experimental catalyst that enabled the discovery of this novel molecular module.

Chinese cabbage is an important vegetable in southern China. Excessive nitrogen fertilizer application can lead to the accumulation of nitrate in edible organs, which affects food value. Hence, the cultivation of varieties with high nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) and low nitrate accumulation is essential for molecular breeding. In flowering Chinese cabbage, Ammonium transporter 1;2 (AMT1;2,XM_009113156.2) significantly promotes plant growth, while reducing the nitrate content and ultimately improving the nutritional value of the crop; however, the exact underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate the response pattern of BcAMT1;2 to nitrogen (N) deficiency and mixed ammonium-nitrate nutrition and the potential roles played by its interacting proteins, Lateral organ boundaries domain 41 (LBD41,XM_009120072.3) and Membrane-anchored MYB (MAMYB,XM_009103351.3), in N metabolism. We found that transient silencing and overexpression of BcAMT1;2 regulated the absorption and accumulation of ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-) in flowering Chinese cabbage. BcLBD41 may directly induce BcAMT1;2 expression, thereby regulating NH4+ accumulation in flowering Chinese cabbages. The expression of BcLBD41 and BcAMT1;2 were downregulated during N-deficiency and upregulated after NH4+ supply restoration. Overexpression of BcLBD41 in Arabidopsis improved root and shoot growth under both LA (low-ammonium; 0.25 mM NH4+) and A/Ni (ammonium [NH4+]: nitrate [NO3-]; 0.25 mM:0.75 mM) conditions by facilitating the expression of AtAMT1;2 in transgenic plants, leading to enhanced NH4+ uptake and accumulation. The BcMAMYB protein serves as a transmembrane protein and has a strong interaction with the BcAMT1;2 protein, as well as inducing the expression of the BcAMT1;2 promoter. In the OE-BcMAMYB strain, the expression of both BcMAMYB and BcAMT1;2 were repressed under N-deficiency conditions, whereas after silencing BcMAMYB, the expression of BcAMT1;2 was not induced by ammonium. Our findings contribute to a more profound understanding of the regulatory mechanisms responsible for nitrogen absorption and accumulation in relation to BcAMT1;2.

Soil cadmium pollution is becoming an increasingly acute environmental problem for both plants and humans. Although several nanoparticles seemingly play a significant role in tolerance to cadmium toxicity, the role of nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NP) in cadmium tolerance remains unclear. In this study, we showed that pretreatment with NiO-NPs enhanced tomato tolerance to cadmium stress and reduced its toxic effects. Our findings showed that NiO-NP treatment promoted tomato seedling growth by enhancing root and shoot nutrient accumulation and increasing chlorophyll content. Concomitantly, NiO-NP treatment significantly reduced root and shoot cadmium contents, leading to a significant reduction in cadmium phytotoxicity. Furthermore, NiO-NP treatment increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes and reduced malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species contents in roots and leaves of seedlings growing under cadmium stress. Mechanistic investigations revealed that NiO-NP treatment regulated the expression of stress-responsive genes, including transcription factors SlERF4 and SlWRI1. Consistently, overexpression of SlERF4 and SlWRI1 in yeast cells resulted in cadmium stress tolerance. Notably, cadmium content in overexpressing cells was reduced by 39.10 % and 81.21 % for SlERF4 and SlWRI1, respectively, compared to the wild-type. These results suggest that NiO-NPs enhanced cadmium stress tolerance by activating SlERF4 and SlWRI1, thereby promoting tomato seedling growth. Our study opens a new avenue for gene identification and genetic modification to develop cadmium-tolerant crops, thereby ensuring vegetable production and food security. Additionally, it has significant implications for the development of novel strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of cadmium pollution on agricultural productivity.

Climate change-driven abiotic stresses, mainly drought and extreme temperatures, significantly hinder global crop productivity. These stresses lead to excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which trigger oxidative damage and impair physiological and molecular mechanisms. Plants counter oxidative stress through ROS-metabolizing enzymatic, e.g., catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, among others and non-enzymatic (e.g., glutathione, ascorbic acid, etc.) antioxidant systems. Among these, peroxisomal CAT is one of the key enzymes for ROS detoxification; still, its vital and broader regulatory role and engineering potential remain poorly explored. This review advances the discussion by synthesizing evidence on the interplay between CAT and nitric oxide- and hydrogen sulfide-mediated post-translational modifications (PTMs), which highlights how these redox signals modify CAT activity under stress. We highlight how CAT regulation contributes to single and combined abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms. Moreover, we further discuss genome-wide investigations of CAT genes and highlight how comparative genomics and multi-omics can deliver novel stress-associated isoforms and inform targeted future breeding. Importantly, we also shed light on CAT genetic engineering (transgenic and gene editing), not only in terms of achievements but also about their translational restrictions in field conditions. In brief, these insights provide a platform for leveraging CAT as a genetic and biochemical target to enhance stress tolerance in crop plants.

As a primary macronutrient, nitrogen is integral to plant growth and regulates their development; ammonium transporters (AMTs) mediate nitrogen absorption and its involvement in metabolism. In this study, nine BcAMT genes were identified in flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris) and were systematically categorized into two subfamilies. Their evolutionary relationships, conserved motifs, chromosomal distribution, cis-regulatory elements, and expression profiling were systematically characterized. RNA sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses demonstrated that BcAMT1.1 was abundantly expressed in roots, leaves, and stems of flowering Chinese cabbage and was markedly upregulated under nitrogen deficiency. Assessing subcellular location using GFP fusion demonstrated that BcAMT1.1 localized to the plasma membrane. Functional assays identified heterologous expression in the yeast mutant strain 31019b, and transgenic Arabidopsis validated that BcAMT1.1 acted as a functional ammonium transporter. Compared with the wildtype, overexpressing BcAMT1.1 promoted seedling growth, enhanced NH4+ influxes and NO3− effluxes under low-nitrogen conditions, and significantly increased the transcription levels of key nitrogen assimilation genes (i.e., AtGLN1.1, AtGLN2, AtGDH2). Collectively, our findings enhance the fundamental understanding of BcAMT gene functions and highlight BcAMT1.1 as a crucial component in nitrogen uptake and assimilation under low-nitrogen conditions, providing valuable genetic resources for improving nitrogen efficiency in vegetable crops.

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) is a small pulp shrub, which prefers to grow on a soilless culture. For soilless culture, nutritional management remains typically vital for blueberry production. However, the effect of different nutritional treatments on blueberry growth and production is largely unknown. This study was designed to investigate to formulate a specific nutritional treatment for blueberry. The results showed that NH4 +-N: NO3 --N ratios significantly affected the growth, nutrient uptake, physiological characteristics, and flowering, as well as the fruiting characteristics of blueberry plants. The number of shoots and top projection area was increased considerably by 25:75 treatment. In contrast, 50:50 treatment promotes plant height, shoot length, and stem thickness, increasing chlorophyll contents, photosynthetic capacity, and P, Ca, and Mg in leaves. In contrast, 50:50 treatment promotes the flowering fruiting rate and prolongs the blueberry flowering period. The maximum soluble sugar contents were noted in 25:75, while maximum starch contents were reported in the 50:50 treatment. The treatments 100:0 and 75:25 promote early flowering and accelerate fruit set. Notably, NH4 +-N: NO3 --N ratios; 50:50 treatment significantly encourages plant growth, nutrient uptake, chlorophyll contents, photosynthetic capacity, and fruit setting rate in blueberry plants. These findings suggested that NH4 +-N: NO3 --N ratios 50:50 is the most appropriate treatment that significantly promotes vegetative growth and enhances production in blueberry plants. This study provides valuable information for improved blueberry production under a controlled environment.

Choy Sum, a stalk vegetable highly valued in East and Southeast Asia, is characterized by its rich flavor and nutritional profile. Metabolite accumulation is a key factor in Choy Sum stalk development; however, no research has focused on metabolic changes during the development of Choy Sum, especially in shoot tip metabolites, and their effects on growth and flowering. Therefore, in the present study, we used a widely targeted metabolomic approach to analyze metabolites in Choy Sum stalks at the seedling (S1), bolting (S3), and flowering (S5) stages. In total, we identified 493 metabolites in 31 chemical categories across all three developmental stages. We found that the levels of most carbohydrates and amino acids increased during stalk development and peaked at S5. Moreover, the accumulation of amino acids and their metabolites was closely related to G6P, whereas the expression of flowering genes was closely related to the content of T6P, which may promote flowering by upregulating the expressions of BcSOC1, BcAP1, and BcSPL5. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the relationship between the accumulation of stem tip substances during development and flowering and of the regulatory mechanisms of stalk development in Choy Sum and other related species.

Far-red light exerts an important regulatory influence on plant growth and development. However, the mechanisms underlying far-red light regulation of morphogenesis and photosynthetic characteristics in blueberry plantlets in vitro have remained elusive. Here, physiological and transcriptomic analyses were conducted on blueberry plantlets in vitro supplemented with far-red light. The results indicated that supplementation with low far-red light, such as 6 μmol m−2 s−1 and 14 μmol m−2 s−1 far-red (6FR and 14FR) light treatments, significantly increased proliferation-related indicators, including shoot length, shoot number, gibberellin A3, and trans-zeatin riboside content. It was found that 6FR and 14 FR significantly reduced chlorophyll content in blueberry plantlets but enhanced electron transport rates. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) showed the enrichment of iron ion-related genes in modules associated with photosynthesis. Genes such as NAC, ABCG11, GASA1, and Erf74 were significantly enriched within the proliferation-related module. Taken together, we conclude that low far-red light can promote the proliferative capacity of blueberry plantlets in vitro by affecting hormone pathways and the formation of secondary cell walls, concurrently regulating chlorophyll content and iron ion homeostasis to affect photosynthetic capacity.

Low utilization rate of chemical fertilizers is a main limitation for improving crop yields. Peanut bran carbon dots (CDs) have been shown to boost Italian lettuce growth, while hydrophilic CDs can easily flow away with water during application, which leads to CDs wastage and water losing. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a material with slow-release capacity of nutrient elements and CDs along with water-retaining function. In this study, acrylic acid and acrylamide were reacted with urea, potassium phosphate and other materials, thus a hydrogel slow-release fertilizer was firstly designed. Then, peanut bran CDs were added into the hydrogels to prepare a novel CDs based hydrogel slow-release fertilizer (CDs-hydrogels). Experimental results show that the prepared CDs-hydrogels have high water retention capacity and element release capacity of N, P, K. Most importantly, the CDs within these hydrogels, via its changes in luminescence, the releasing rate of nutrient elements can be monitored.

In flowering Chinese cabbage, early booting is one of the most important characteristics that is linked with quality and production. Through fixed light intensity (280 μmol·m−2·s−1) and fixed intermittent lighting in flowering Chinese cabbage, there was early bolting, bud emergence, and flowering. Moreover, the aboveground fresh weight, blade area, dry weight of blade, and quantification of the leaves in flowering Chinese cabbage were significantly reduced, while the thickness of tillers, tillers height, dry weight of tillers, and tillers weight were significantly increased. The chlorophyll contents and soil–plant analysis and development (SPAD) value decreased in the early stage and increased in the later stage. The nitrate content decreased, while the photosynthetic rate, vitamin C content, soluble sugar content, soluble protein content, phenolic content, and flavonoid content increased, and mineral elements also accumulated. In order to explore the mechanism of intermittent light promoting the early bolting and flowering of ‘49d’ flowering Chinese cabbage, this study analyzed the transcriptional regulation from a global perspective using RNA sequencing. A total of 17,086 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained and 396 DEGs were selected that were closely related to early bolting. These DEGs were mainly involved in pollen wall assembly and plant circadian rhythm pathways, light action (34 DEGs), hormone biosynthesis and regulation (26 DEGs), development (21 DEGs), and carbohydrate synthesis and transport (6 DEGs). Three hub genes with the highest connectivity were identified through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA): BrRVE, BrLHY, and BrRVE1. It is speculated that they may be involved in the intermittent light regulation of early bolting in flowering Chinese cabbage. In conclusion, intermittent light can be used as a useful tool to regulate plant growth structure, increase planting density, enhance photosynthesis, increase mineral accumulation, accelerate growth, and shorten the breeding cycle.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution threatens plant physiological and biochemical activities and crop production. Significant progress has been made in characterizing how nanoparticles affect Cd stress tolerance; however, the molecular mechanism of nZVI nanoparticles in Cd stress remains largely uncharacterized. Plants treated with nZVI and exposed to Cd had increased antioxidant capacity and reduced Cd accumulation in plant tissues. The nZVI treatment differentially affected the expression of genes involved in plant environmental responses, including those associated with the ERF transcription factor. SlEFR1 was upregulated by Cd stress in nZVI-treated plants when compared with the control and the predicted protein-protein interactions suggested SlERF1 interacts with proteins associated with plant hormone signaling pathway and related to stress. Yeast overexpressing SlEFR1 grew faster after Cd exposure and significantly had higher Cd stress tolerance when compared with empty vector controls. These results suggest that nZVI induces Cd stress tolerance by activating SlERF1 expression to improve plant growth and nutrient accumulation. Our study reveals the molecular mechanism of Cd stress tolerance for improved plant growth and will support new research on overcoming Cd stress and improving vegetable crop production.

Far red photon flux accelerates photosynthetic electron transfer rates through photosynthetic pigments, influencing various biological processes. In this study, we investigated the impact of differing red and far-red light ratios on plant growth using LED lamps with different wavelengths and Ca1.8Mg1.2Al2Ge3O12:0.03Cr3+ phosphor materials. The control group (CK) consisted of a plant growth special lamp with 450 nm blue light + 650 nm red light. Four treatments were established: F1 (650 nm red light), F2 (CK + 730 nm far-red light in a 3:2 ratio), F3 (650 nm red light + 730 nm far-red light in a 3:2 ratio), and F4 (CK + phosphor-converted far-red LED in a 3:2 ratio). The study assessed changes in red and far-red light ratios and their impact on the growth morphology, photosynthetic characteristics, fluorescence characteristics, stomatal status, and nutritional quality of cream lettuce. The results revealed that the F3 light treatment exhibited superior growth characteristics and quality compared to the CK treatment. Notably, leaf area, aboveground fresh weight, vitamin C content, and total soluble sugar significantly increased. Additionally, the addition of far-red light resulted in an increase in stomatal density and size, and the F3 treatments were accompanied by increases in net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), and stomatal conductance (Gs). The results demonstrated that the F3 treatment, with its optimal red-to-far-red light ratio, promoted plant growth and photosynthetic characteristics. This indicates its suitability for supplementing artificial light sources in plant factories and greenhouses.

The escalating impact of global warming on crop yield and quality poses a significant threat to future food supplies. Breeding heat-resistant crop varieties holds promise, but necessitates a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying plant heat tolerance. Recent studies have shed light on the initial events of heat perception in plants. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the recent progress made in unraveling the mechanisms of heat perception and response in plants. Calcium ion (Ca2+), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and nitric oxide (NO) have emerged as key participants in heat perception. Furthermore, we discuss the potential roles of the NAC transcription factor NTL3, thermo-tolerance 3.1 (TT3.1), and Target of temperature 3 (TOT3) as thermosensors associated with the plasma membrane. Additionally, we explore the involvement of cytoplasmic HISTONE DEACETYLASE 9 (HDA9), mRNA encoding the phytochrome-interacting factor 7 (PIF7), and chloroplasts in mediating heat perception. This review also highlights the role of intranuclear transcriptional condensates formed by phytochrome B (phyB), EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3), and guanylate-binding protein (GBP)-like GTPase 3 (GBPL3) in heat perception. Finally, we raise the unresolved questions in the field of heat perception that require further investigation in the future.

Flowering Chinese cabbage is an important vegetable crop widely cultivated in southern China. However, flowering Chinese cabbage plants are susceptible to diverse environmental influences that mainly affect crop quality and production. The BASIC PENTACYSTEINE (BPC) transcription factor is an essential regulator of plant development and abiotic stress responses. However, the function and molecular mechanism of the BPC family genes in flowering Chinese cabbage remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of the BcBPC gene in abiotic stress tolerance. In flowering Chinese cabbage, 12 BcBPC family genes have been identified and found to be unequally distributed on eight chromosomes. Comprehensive analyses of BcBPC gene structure, motif analysis, cis-regulatory elements, and subcellular localization were performed. BcBPC genes were classified into three groups based on their sequence composition, phylogenetic relationships, and conserved domains, which were highly linked to those of other species. BcBPC family gene promoter consists 69.92% stressresponsive, 32.38% hormone-responsive, and 5.30%, related to growth- and biological process-responsive cisregulatory elements. Subsequent qRT-PCR results showed that BcBPC genes were highly upregulated under abiotic stress, especially under NaCl and Cd stress. The overexpression of BcBPC9 increases Cd stress tolerance in yeast. BcBPC9 is located in the nucleus, but moves to the cell wall when exposed to Cd stress. BcBPC9 transient overexpression tobacco were improved growth and upregulated the antioxidant enzymes genes expression when exposed to Cd stress. These findings facilitate further investigation of the functional and molecular characteristics of BcBPC9 in response to abiotic stress. The outcomes of this study provide a crucial foundation for future research on improving plant growth and protecting vegetable production.

Lipids are widely distributed in various tissues of an organism, mainly in plant storage organs (e.g., fruits, seeds, etc.). Lipids are vital biological substances that are involved in: signal transduction, membrane biogenesis, energy storage, and the formation of transmembrane fat-soluble substances. Some lipids and related lipid derivatives could be changed in their: content, location, or physiological activity by the external environment, such as biotic or abiotic stresses. Lipid phosphate phosphatases (LPPs) play important roles in regulating intermediary lipid metabolism and cellular signal response. LPPs can dephosphorylate lipid phosphates containing phosphate monolipid bonds such as: phosphatidic acid, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), and diacylglycerol pyrophosphate, etc. These processes can change the contents of some important lipid signal mediation such as diacylglycerol and LPA, affecting lipid signal transmission. Here, we summarize the research progress of LPPs in plants, emphasizing the structural and biochemical characteristics of LPPs and their role in spatio-temporal regulation. In the future, more in-depth studies are required to boost our understanding of the key role of plant LPPs and lipid metabolism in: signal regulation, stress tolerance pathway, and plant growth and development.

Nitrogen (N) is a major limiting factor for plant growth and vegetable production. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of N uptake, transport, and assimilation is key to improving N use efficiency in plants. Ammonium transporters (AMTs) play an important role in plant N metabolism. In this study, we isolated an important AMT1 subfamily member (BcAMT1;5) with a highly conserved signatural AMT1 subfamily motif from flowering Chinese cabbage. Based on functional complementation in yeast mutant 31019b and overexpression of BcAMT1;5 in Arabidopsis, BcAMT1;5 is a functional AMT. Tissue expression analysis showed that BcAMT1;5 was mainly expressed in roots and showed multiple N regime transcript patterns to respond to varying nutritional conditions. This was up-regulated by N-deficiency and down-regulated by supplying NH4+. The glucuronidase (GUS) activities of BcAMT1;5pro::GUS showed a similar change in response to different N conditions. Overexpression of BcAMT1;5 accelerated the growth of transgenic seedlings, increased NH4+ net influxes, and enhanced the content and accumulation of NH4+ and NO3− at low N concentrations. Additionally, it increased the transcript levels of N assimilation-related genes in shoots. These results indicate that BcAMT1;5 may participate in N uptake and assimilation under various N conditions in flowering Chinese cabbage, but it was differed obviously from other AMT1s.