The hidden role of amino acids and secondary metabolites in plant drought tolerance.

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Autores principales: Raza, Ali, Salehi, Hajar, Haghjou, Maryam Madadkar, Rahman, Md Atikur, Peng, Yuqi, Li, Yiran, Charagh, Sidra, Khan, M Iqbal R, Chen, Yinglong, Siddique, Kadambot H M, Hu, Zhangli
Formato: Artículo científico
Lenguaje:en
Publicado: Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology 2026
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author Raza, Ali
Salehi, Hajar
Haghjou, Maryam Madadkar
Rahman, Md Atikur
Peng, Yuqi
Li, Yiran
Charagh, Sidra
Khan, M Iqbal R
Chen, Yinglong
Siddique, Kadambot H M
Hu, Zhangli
author_facet Raza, Ali
Salehi, Hajar
Haghjou, Maryam Madadkar
Rahman, Md Atikur
Peng, Yuqi
Li, Yiran
Charagh, Sidra
Khan, M Iqbal R
Chen, Yinglong
Siddique, Kadambot H M
Hu, Zhangli
Raza, Ali
Salehi, Hajar
Haghjou, Maryam Madadkar
Rahman, Md Atikur
Peng, Yuqi
Li, Yiran
Charagh, Sidra
Khan, M Iqbal R
Chen, Yinglong
Siddique, Kadambot H M
Hu, Zhangli
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents The hidden role of amino acids and secondary metabolites in plant drought tolerance. Raza, Ali Salehi, Hajar Haghjou, Maryam Madadkar Rahman, Md Atikur Peng, Yuqi Li, Yiran Charagh, Sidra Khan, M Iqbal R Chen, Yinglong Siddique, Kadambot H M Hu, Zhangli Droughts Amino Acids Secondary Metabolism Stress, Physiological Plants Plant Physiological Phenomena Crops, Agricultural Drought Resistance Drought stress (DS) severely threatens global crop productivity by disrupting key physiological, biochemical, and metabolic processes during plant development, ultimately leading to substantial yield losses. Though plants have evolved various adaptive mechanisms, their effectiveness remains species- and environment-dependent. Recent research increasingly explores green chemical interventions, particularly the roles of amino acids (AAs) and secondary metabolites (SMs) in enhancing DS tolerance. These bioactive compounds, including proline, glycine betaine, alanine, γ-aminobutyric acid, phenylalanine, phenolics, terpenes, and nitrogen-containing compounds, play critical roles in osmoprotection, antioxidative defense, cellular homeostasis, transcriptional regulation, and stress-responsive gene expression. Nevertheless, undetermined paradoxes persist (e.g., proline/lignin accumulation can be shielding or growth-limiting depending on species and stress context), along with species-specific AA/SM responses, and the lack of integrated AA-SM flux examinations. This also features that AAs and SMs act as context-specific rather than universally beneficial compounds. To address these gaps, we propose specific, verifiable postulates (e.g., isotope tracking of AA-derived carbon into SM pathways and conditional genetic perturbations of biosynthetic nodes under field DS). We also highlight advances in genetic engineering tools to optimize AA and SM biosynthesis and regulation. Overall, this review synthesizes conceptual innovations and proposes future directions for developing drought-smart crop plants that can drive targeted metabolic interventions for future food security. We anticipate that integrating metabolic flux testing, omics-driven gene-metabolite mapping, and field validation will help bridge the gap between mechanistic insights and field applications.
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_41325851
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2026
publisher Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle The hidden role of amino acids and secondary metabolites in plant drought tolerance.
Raza, Ali
Salehi, Hajar
Haghjou, Maryam Madadkar
Rahman, Md Atikur
Peng, Yuqi
Li, Yiran
Charagh, Sidra
Khan, M Iqbal R
Chen, Yinglong
Siddique, Kadambot H M
Hu, Zhangli
Droughts
Amino Acids
Secondary Metabolism
Stress, Physiological
Plants
Plant Physiological Phenomena
Crops, Agricultural
Drought Resistance
The hidden role of amino acids and secondary metabolites in plant drought tolerance. Raza, Ali Salehi, Hajar Haghjou, Maryam Madadkar Rahman, Md Atikur Peng, Yuqi Li, Yiran Charagh, Sidra Khan, M Iqbal R Chen, Yinglong Siddique, Kadambot H M Hu, Zhangli Droughts Amino Acids Secondary Metabolism Stress, Physiological Plants Plant Physiological Phenomena Crops, Agricultural Drought Resistance Drought stress (DS) severely threatens global crop productivity by disrupting key physiological, biochemical, and metabolic processes during plant development, ultimately leading to substantial yield losses. Though plants have evolved various adaptive mechanisms, their effectiveness remains species- and environment-dependent. Recent research increasingly explores green chemical interventions, particularly the roles of amino acids (AAs) and secondary metabolites (SMs) in enhancing DS tolerance. These bioactive compounds, including proline, glycine betaine, alanine, γ-aminobutyric acid, phenylalanine, phenolics, terpenes, and nitrogen-containing compounds, play critical roles in osmoprotection, antioxidative defense, cellular homeostasis, transcriptional regulation, and stress-responsive gene expression. Nevertheless, undetermined paradoxes persist (e.g., proline/lignin accumulation can be shielding or growth-limiting depending on species and stress context), along with species-specific AA/SM responses, and the lack of integrated AA-SM flux examinations. This also features that AAs and SMs act as context-specific rather than universally beneficial compounds. To address these gaps, we propose specific, verifiable postulates (e.g., isotope tracking of AA-derived carbon into SM pathways and conditional genetic perturbations of biosynthetic nodes under field DS). We also highlight advances in genetic engineering tools to optimize AA and SM biosynthesis and regulation. Overall, this review synthesizes conceptual innovations and proposes future directions for developing drought-smart crop plants that can drive targeted metabolic interventions for future food security. We anticipate that integrating metabolic flux testing, omics-driven gene-metabolite mapping, and field validation will help bridge the gap between mechanistic insights and field applications.
title The hidden role of amino acids and secondary metabolites in plant drought tolerance.
topic Droughts
Amino Acids
Secondary Metabolism
Stress, Physiological
Plants
Plant Physiological Phenomena
Crops, Agricultural
Drought Resistance
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41325851/