In response to the challenges posed by global climate change, agricultural production is facing unprecedented extreme temperature impacts. The continuous warming of the environment in which crops are grown not only exceeds their optimal temperature range, but also leads to heat stress (HS), which seriously threatens the sustainability of global agricultural production. To address this challenge, scientists have been working to explore the mechanisms by which plants respond to heat stress and to find new regulators. Recently, Bohn et al. discovered a new temperature sensor, THERMO-WITH ABA-RESPONSE 1 (TWA1), in Arabidopsis, which provides scientists with a new molecular tool to adjust the thermal adaptability of crops through breeding and biotechnology, helping to breed a new generation of heat-tolerant crops.
近日，深圳大学胡章立教授科研团队在Plant Communications上发表了一篇《Leveraging a new thermosensor for heat-smart future agriculture》评论文章，Ali Raza等研究人员详细阐述了植物中温度传感器TWA1在响应高温中的功能及其调节机制，并为进一步利用深入开展理论研究和应用提供新的见解。
[TWA1: Temperature Sensor in the Plant Kingdom]
TWA1, the temperature sensor, is a key molecule identified in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which plays a central role in the plant's perception and response to high temperatures. TWA1 is a temperature-sensing transcriptional coregulator that activates heat stress response by regulating the expression of stress-sensitive genes. Its unique function lies in its ability to interact with jasmonic acid-related MYC-like transcription factor (JAM) and TOPLESS (TPL) co-repressors to jointly construct a repressor complex to regulate the expression of ABA-responsive genes in a temperature-dependent manner. At normal temperatures, TWA1 maintains basal levels of gene expression; When exposed to high temperatures, it is more active, enhancing the resistance of plants to stress, and ensuring the survival of crops in extreme climates.
Fig.1 The dynamic control mechanism of the TWA1 temperature sensor with temperature changes
【Demystifying the Mechanism of Action of TWA1】
The study revealed that the activity and stability of TWA1 were finely regulated by post-translational modifications under heat stress, which is a new strategy to improve HS tolerance in plants. Although the key role of TWA1 in maintaining basal gene expression and enhancing HS tolerance has been confirmed, the details of its molecular mechanism with JAM and TPL, and how high temperature regulates these interactions, still need to be further explored. In addition, how TWA1 integrates signals from other stress pathways such as drought and salinity, and whether it works in synergy with other transcription factors or co-repressors to cope with different environmental pressures is also the focus of future research.
[Multi-dimensional improvement of crop stress resistance]
The discovery of TWA1 is not only the birth of a molecular tool, but also opens up a deep mechanism of research on the heat stress response of plants. By unraveling the TWA1-mediated signaling network and its downstream targets, we can better understand the broad impact of temperature-sensitive sensors in plant stress biology. Studying the interaction between TWA1 and other plant hormone signaling pathways is expected to lead to the discovery of new ways to design climate-smart crops to enhance crops' resilience to multiple environmental stresses.
【Ecological and Environmental Considerations】
Of course, any application of technology requires careful assessment of its ecological and environmental impacts. In the future, scientists will pay close attention to the long-term effects of TWA1 expression on crop growth and development and ecosystem interaction. The development and application of TWA1 sensors provides the possibility for the design of "smart" crops adapted to high temperature climate areas, and is an effective molecular tool to achieve sustainable agricultural development.
About the Author
Dr. Shenzhen University Ali Raza is the first author of the paper, and Professor Hu Zhangli is the corresponding author.
Raza, A., Zaman, Q.U., Hu, Z., et al. (2024). Leveraging a new thermosensor for heat-smart future agriculture. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101007
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