APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factor (AP2/ERF) transcription factors are key regula-tors of plant responses to abiotic stress, integrating environmental and hormonal signals into coordinated transcriptional programs. RNA-seq analysis of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) leaves and roots subjected to drought and salinity identified 58 differentially expressed FaAP2/ERF genes. Promoter analysis revealed cis-regulatory elements associated with abscisic acid, jasmonate, ethylene, salicylic acid, and drought-responsive signaling. Among these genes, FaAP2-11 was selected for functional characterization because of its strong response to both stresses. Expression profiling revealed preferential transcript accumulation in immature achenes and sepals, while FaAP2-11 expression was induced by oxidative and nitrosative signals and stress-related phytohormones. Heterologous overexpression of FaAP2-11 in Nicotiana benthamiana enhanced photosynthetic performance and intrinsic water-use efficiency under osmotic and salinity stress. Transcriptomic analysis revealed extensive reprogramming affecting hormone signaling, cell wall remodeling, primary metabolism, and redox-related processes. This response was characterized by repression of genes involved in cell wall modification and cuticular wax biosynthesis, together with selective upregulation of lignification-associated genes. Collectively, these findings suggest that FaAP2-11 contributes to coordinating transcriptional and physiological responses associated with abiotic-stress acclimation and supports its potential as a candidate gene for improving drought and salinity resilience in strawberry.
M. D. Moreno-Recio, Facundo Spadoni-Revol, Sara Aguado-Delgado et al.· International Journal of Mol...· 0 citations
FaNAC6 was selected for its strong induction in leaves and roots in response to drought and salinity, as well as under oxidative stress and ABA, and was associated with the upregulation of genes involved in photosystems, electron transport and carbon fixation.
Facundo Spadoni-Revol, M. D. Moreno-Recio, Sara Aguado-Delgado et al.· International Journal of Mol...· 0 citations
Invasive plant pathogens, such as
Xylella fastidiosa
(
Xf
), pose a major threat to global agricultural and natural ecosystems, yet their impacts are rarely assessed across agro–natural interfaces where plant diversity, landscape structure and environmental stress interact. Here, we examine how
Xf
infection, environmental drivers and adjacent vegetation jointly shape
Xf
impacts in almond orchards embedded within a forest–agriculture mosaic. We conducted field surveys in 19 almond orchards within the
Xf
-demarcated area of Alicante (Spain), assessing crop and wild plant health, plant composition, pathogen occurrence and climatic, topographic and landscape variables. Using generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs) within a multi-model inference framework, we show that defoliation and branch dieback in almond trees were strongly associated with
Xf
infection, shrub cover, landscape configuration and drought-related climatic stress. Contrary to expectations, plant diversity at the forest–agriculture interface did not buffer
Xf
-related damage. Instead, higher abundance of potential
Xf
host species in adjacent vegetation was linked to increased defoliation in infected orchards, suggesting an indirect facilitation of disease dynamics, potentially via vector persistence rather than direct pathogen spillover. In adjacent natural vegetation, plant health was more strongly influenced by abiotic stress, particularly temperature and water availability, than by
Xf
infection itself. Overall, our results identify key environmental and biotic correlates of invasion impact and highlight the need for landscape-scale approaches integrating climate stress, host composition and vector ecology in the forest-agriculture interface to improve risk assessment and management of invasive polyphagous pathogens.
R. Hernández‐Lambraño, F. Ruiz-Gómez, Montserrat Vilà et al.· NeoBiota· 0 citations
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