Plants encounter various stresses in their natural environments and can effectively respond to only one stress at a time. Through a complex gene network, transcription factors (TFs) such as WRKY TFs regulate a diverse array of stress responses. The clarification of the structural characteristics of WRKY proteins, along with recent advancements in molecular dynamics simulations, has shed light on the formation, stability, and interactions of DNA–protein complexes. This has provided a novel viewpoint regarding the control of WRKY TFs. The investigation of superfamilies, encompassing their historical development, diversity, and evolutionary patterns, has become feasible due to the transcriptome approach’s capacity to provide extensive and comprehensive transcripts. The significance of WRKY TFs lies in their pivotal role within several signaling cascades and regulatory networks that influence plant defense responses. The present review summarizes the functional aspects of the high-volume sequence data of WRKY TFs from different species studied to date. Moreover, a comparative analysis approach was utilized to determine the functions of the identified WRKY TFs in response to both abiotic and biotic stresses, as revealed through numerous studies on different plant species. The results of this review will be pivotal in understanding evolutionary events and the significance of WRKY TFs in the context of climate change, incorporating new scientific evidence to propose an innovative viewpoint.

Temperature is a major environmental factor affecting the growth, development, and productivity of Sargassum fusiforme. We aimed to assess the metabolic processes and regulatory mechanisms in S. fusiforme during a 7-day high-temperature (27 °C and 32 °C) experiment. Changes in chlorophyll content and electrolyte leakage after high-temperature treatment were investigated. Metabolic changes in the leaves of S. fusiforme were analysed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. High temperatures suppressed chlorophyll content and increased electrolyte leakage. Further, a strong modulation of various metabolisms was observed: organic acids, amino acids, sugars or sugar alcohols, esters, and amines. These metabolisms were significantly enriched in ten pathways under the 27 °C treatment: aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism; alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism; valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis; cyanoamino acid metabolism; cysteine and methionine metabolism; arginine and proline metabolism; tyrosine metabolism; citrate cycle (TCA cycle); and glucosinolate biosynthesis. The various metabolisms significantly enriched seven pathways under the 32 °C treatment, namely, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism; aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis; phenylalanine metabolism; tyrosine metabolism; arginine and proline metabolism; nitrogen metabolism; and isoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis. These changes in metabolic pathways may contribute to the tolerance and adaptability of S. fusiforme to high-temperature stress.

Low temperatures are the main abiotic factor affecting wheat growth. Brassinolide is a novel plant hormone that can improve the cold resistance of plants; however, the molecular mechanism of brassinolide in winter wheat at low temperatures remains unclear. In this study, winter wheat Dongnong dongmai 1 was sprayed with 0.01 mg·L ^-1, 0.1 mg·L ^-1 or 1.0 mg·L ^-1 brassinolide (BR) at the three-leaf stage, and tillering nodes were sampled at different temperatures (5°C, –10°C, and –25°C), and then physiological indexes were determined and the transcriptome was sequenced. The results showed that the optimum concentration of brassinolide for cold resistance is 0.1 mg·L ^-1. A total of 15,302 (8,198 upregulated and 7,104 downregulated) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the B1 vs D1 comparison (B1 represents 5°C 0.1 mg·L ^-1 BR treatment, D1 represents 5°C control); 3,386 (1,930 upregulated and 1,456 downregulated) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the B2 vs D2 comparison (B2 represents –10°C 0.1 mg·L ^-1 BR treatment, D2 represents –10°C control); and 2,684 (2,102 upregulated and 582 downregulated) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the B3 vs D3 comparison (B3 represents –25°C 0.1 mg·L ^-1 BR treatment, D3 represents –25°C control). Further studies showed that these DEGs were mainly involved in carbon fixation in photosynthetic organs, photosynthesis, and plant–pathogen interactions, all of which were related to stress and energy metabolism. This indicates that brassinolide can produce substances that improve cold resistance in wheat seedlings. This study provides a theoretical basis for further research on the improvement of cold resistance in winter wheat by brassinolide.

S: To increase the CBD content of industrial hemp, male hemp was screened out by spraying cytokinin at the three-leaf stage of seedlings, and more female hemp was cultivated. 6-BA 60 mg·L-1 treated female flowers of industrial hemp were subjected to transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses to investigate the changes and molecular mechanisms of gene expression and metabolites and related pathways of 6-BA in the development of female flowers of industrial hemp. The results showed that 1189 DEGs, 168 DEPs, and 138 DAMs were screened compared with the control. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that phytohormone signaling, starch and sucrose metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, phenylpropane metabolism, and glutathione metabolism were the major pathways enriched, and differential genes, proteins, and metabolites enriched in the above pathways were further followed up and analyzed. It was found that, among them, CCL1, PAL1, and C4H were the key genes and proteins involved in the phenylpropane metabolic pathway, CYP450 and FLS were not only the upstream genes in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway, but CYP450 were also involved in the synthesis of phytohormones and catabolism. FLS was related to the synthesis of saccharides. It was hypothesized that the carbohydrates might synergistically act with cytokinins to induce female flower differentiation in industrial hemp. The flavonoid biosynthesis pathway and glutathione metabolism pathway are also closely related to feminization. This paper provides a reference for subsequent studies on sex differentiation in hemp or other plants.