review · New Phytologist
Heat stress transcription factors serve as essential molecular regulators that govern how plants react to elevated temperatures. Rather than operating as simple on and off switches, these factors function like dynamic rheostats, continuously adjusting the strength of the heat stress response through interactions with partner proteins. Rapid activation initiates survival mechanisms, such as the production of heat shock proteins, while prompt attenuation allows cells to recover and resume normal growth. Balancing stress protection against reproductive fitness and general development is critical for plant success in variable climates. Recent insights clarify how plants tune stress response intensity to matching environmental temperatures and integrate these signals into developmental pathways. This knowledge provides foundational insights necessary for designing interventions that boost crop resilience and sustain agricultural productivity under climate-induced temperature stress.
Rising global temperatures threaten agricultural productivity and food security. Understanding how plants fine-tune their internal defences against heat enables researchers to identify specific molecular pathways that balance immediate thermal survival with long-term growth and crop yield. This knowledge informs efforts to create crops that endure intense heat episodes without suffering severe losses in reproductive output.
This fundamental research outlines molecular mechanisms that could inform crop breeding and biotechnology programmes aimed at improving thermal resilience and yield stability. Potential users include agricultural biotechnology companies and seed breeders. As this work represents early-stage, synthesised theoretical biology rather than field trials or validated genetic modifications, translation into commercial crop varieties remains at a conceptual and exploratory distance from market application.
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Heat stress transcription factors (HSFs) are the core regulators of the heat stress (HS) response in plants. HSFs are considered as a molecular rheostat: their activities define the response intensity, incorporating information about the environmental temperature through a network of partner proteins. A prompted activation of HSFs is required for survival, for example the de novo synthesis of heat shock proteins. Furthermore, a timely attenuation of the stress response is necessary for the restoration of cellular functions and recovery from stress. In an ever-changing environment, the balance between thermotolerance and developmental processes such as reproductive fitness highlights the importance of a tightly tuned response. In many cases, the response is described as an ON/OFF mode, while in reality, it is very dynamic. This review compiles recent findings to update existing models about the HSF-regulated HS response and address two timely questions: How do plants adjust the intensity of cellular HS response corresponding to the temperature they experience? How does this adjustment contribute to the fine-tuning of the HS and developmental networks? Understanding these processes is crucial not only for enhancing our basic understanding of plant biology but also for developing strategies to improve crop resilience and productivity under stressful conditions.
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DOI: 10.1111/nph.20017
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