{
  "abstract": "Soil salinization and alkalinization threaten plant growth worldwide. In response, plants deploy various physiological and molecular defense mechanisms. Nanobiotechnology offers a potential strategy to enhance crop stress tolerance. Here, we found that nano-Fe₃O₄ increased salt-alkali tolerance in melon seedlings by suppressing the expression of the transcription factor CmBHLH93. Transcriptomic analysis revealed strong downregulation of CmBHLH93 upon nano-Fe₃O₄ application under salt-alkali stress. Functional assays showed that CmBHLH93 acted as a negative regulator of salt tolerance. It directly bound the promoters of key defense-related genes involved in abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis (CmNCED3), jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis (CmAOS), antioxidant activity (CmPOD-1), and Na⁺ transport (CmSOS1), thereby repressing their transcription. Taken together, nano-Fe₃O₄ enhanced melon salt tolerance by downregulating CmBHLH93 transcription and activating downstream responses associated with ABA/JA signaling, antioxidant capacity, and Na⁺/K⁺ homeostasis. These results define a regulatory mechanism through which nanomaterials modulate plant tolerance to salt-alkali stress and provide a conceptual basis for improving crop stress tolerance using nanotechnology.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops/College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.",
    "Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps Key Laboratory of Facility Agriculture/College of Horticulture and Forestry, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China.",
    "Hubei Key Laboratory of Spices & Horticultural Plant Germplasm Innovation & Utilization/College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434022, China.",
    "Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Zhanming Tan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lvjun Cui"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yuquan Peng"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Qi Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Zhilong Bie",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3106-3859"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6d3ytgf9mr914.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1093/hr/uhag229",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13713119",
  "id": "6d3ytgf9mr914",
  "issns": [
    "2662-6810",
    "2052-7276"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948850",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SCI01140"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SCI01210"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7163735372",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13713119?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13713119",
  "pmid": "42948850",
  "published": "2026-06-05",
  "publisher": "Oxford University Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6d3ytgf9mr914.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:36Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42948850",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948850"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:23:32Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13713119",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag229"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1110|Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Nano-Fe₃O₄ enhances salt-alkali tolerance of melon seedlings via inhibition of CmBHLH93 and activation of ABA/JA signaling, antioxidant defense, and maintenance of Na⁺/K⁺ homeostasis.",
  "title_text": "Nano-Fe₃O₄ enhances salt-alkali tolerance of melon seedlings via inhibition of CmBHLH93 and activation of ABA/JA signaling, antioxidant defense, and maintenance of Na⁺/K⁺ homeostasis.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:23:32Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6d3ytgf9mr914",
  "venue": "Horticulture research",
  "versions": []
}