Engineering Drought-Responsive ABA Signaling: Linking Physiological Stress Cues to Metal-Organic Framework-Mediated ABA Delivery and SnRK2 Activation.
5 affiliations
- 1Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment and Agro-Products Safety, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
- 2School of Breeding and Multiplication (Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication), Hainan University, Sanya 572025, China.
- 3Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Breeding and Germplasm Innovation, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment and Agri-Products Safety, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
- 4Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Pazar, Rize 53300, Türkiye.
- 5Department of Precision Agriculture and Agricultural Robots, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Sivas University of Science and Technology, Sivas 58000, Türkiye.
Abstract
Drought induces coordinated physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses that extend beyond changes in phytohormone concentrations. Rapid alterations in reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoplastic pH, Ca²⁺ and ionic dynamics, tissue hydration, and cellular redox status provide spatial and temporal information on developing water deficit and regulate stomatal behavior, photosynthesis, water relations, and stress-responsive gene expression. This review explores whether endogenous drought-associated signals can serve as biological triggers for stimulus-responsive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) designed to regulate abscisic acid (ABA) delivery. We integrate drought-induced changes in redox state, apoplastic pH, ionic composition, and hydration with MOF transformation, host-guest interactions, ABA release, uptake, transport, metabolism, and engagement of the PYR/PYL/RCAR-PP2C-SnRK2 signaling pathway. We propose a framework in which responsive MOFs generate a temporally controlled ABA pulse that follows drought progression, activates protective signaling during water limitation, and attenuates after rewatering to facilitate recovery. Particular emphasis is placed on ROS-Ca²⁺ crosstalk, SnRK2/OST1-dependent guard-cell regulation, hydraulic adjustment, photosynthetic protection, and recovery dynamics. Current studies demonstrate MOF-mediated phytohormone protection, controlled release, and drought-related physiological improvement. Current advances have established the feasibility of MOF-based ABA protection and controlled delivery; however, the integration of drought-responsive carrier activation with receptor-accessible ABA delivery and PYR/PYL/RCAR-PP2C-SnRK2 pathway validation remains an emerging research frontier. We therefore outline a claim-matched validation framework integrating spatial drought-signal analysis, isotope-resolved ABA tracing, carrier localization, phosphorylation-based pathway assays, drought-rewatering experiments, and physiological assessment. This integration of plant stress physiology with responsive nanomaterials provides a conceptual basis for developing more precise ABA delivery strategies for crop resilience under increasingly variable water availability.
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BibTeX
@article{jan2026engineering,
title = {{Engineering Drought-Responsive ABA Signaling: Linking Physiological Stress Cues to Metal-Organic Framework-Mediated ABA Delivery and SnRK2 Activation.}},
author = {Muhammad Faheem Jan and Muhammad Ali Shah and Imran Azeem and Haseeb Ahmad and Rehmat Ullah and Waqas Liaqat and Muhammad Aasim and Muhammad Tanveer Altaf},
journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/plants15203142},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42943095},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Engineering Drought-Responsive ABA Signaling: Linking Physiological Stress Cues to Metal-Organic Framework-Mediated ABA Delivery and SnRK2 Activation.
AU - Muhammad Faheem Jan
AU - Muhammad Ali Shah
AU - Imran Azeem
AU - Haseeb Ahmad
AU - Rehmat Ullah
AU - Waqas Liaqat
AU - Muhammad Aasim
AU - Muhammad Tanveer Altaf
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/plants15203142
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42943095
AB - Drought induces coordinated physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses that extend beyond changes in phytohormone concentrations. Rapid alterations in reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoplastic pH, Ca²⁺ and ionic dynamics, tissue hydration, and cellular redox status provide spatial and temporal information on developing water deficit and regulate stomatal behavior, photosynthesis, water relations, and stress-responsive gene expression. This review explores whether endogenous drought-associated signals can serve as biological triggers for stimulus-responsive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) designed to regulate abscisic acid (ABA) delivery. We integrate drought-induced changes in redox state, apoplastic pH, ionic composition, and hydration with MOF transformation, host-guest interactions, ABA release, uptake, transport, metabolism, and engagement of the PYR/PYL/RCAR-PP2C-SnRK2 signaling pathway. We propose a framework in which responsive MOFs generate a temporally controlled ABA pulse that follows drought progression, activates protective signaling during water limitation, and attenuates after rewatering to facilitate recovery. Particular emphasis is placed on ROS-Ca²⁺ crosstalk, SnRK2/OST1-dependent guard-cell regulation, hydraulic adjustment, photosynthetic protection, and recovery dynamics. Current studies demonstrate MOF-mediated phytohormone protection, controlled release, and drought-related physiological improvement. Current advances have established the feasibility of MOF-based ABA protection and controlled delivery; however, the integration of drought-responsive carrier activation with receptor-accessible ABA delivery and PYR/PYL/RCAR-PP2C-SnRK2 pathway validation remains an emerging research frontier. We therefore outline a claim-matched validation framework integrating spatial drought-signal analysis, isotope-resolved ABA tracing, carrier localization, phosphorylation-based pathway assays, drought-rewatering experiments, and physiological assessment. This integration of plant stress physiology with responsive nanomaterials provides a conceptual basis for developing more precise ABA delivery strategies for crop resilience under increasingly variable water availability.
SN - 2223-7747
ER -