Time-series transcriptomics sheds light on the rapid and dynamic response of the moss Physcomitrium patens to salt stress
Abstract
The moss Physcomitrium patens is a well-established model organism for studying plant responses to abiotic stress. As a non-vascular plant, it provides a valuable system for elucidating both conserved and lineage-specific adaptive mechanisms underlying abiotic stress. Previous transcriptomic studies have focused on severe salt stress (350 mM), while the response to moderate salt stress remained largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the transcriptional responses of P. patens to a moderate 150 mM NaCl treatment, using a high-resolution time-series RNA-sequencing approach. Our analysis revealed 2235 previously uncharacterized salt-responsive genes as part of a rapid, dynamic, and multi-layered response. Time-series clustering unveiled salt-specific gene expression patterns overlapping with salt-responsive pathways from angiosperms. We identified novel transcription factors involved in salt-induced transcriptional reprogramming, including PpMYB123, which we experimentally confirmed as a salt-responsive transcription factor. Overexpression of PpMYB123 altered the expression of enzymes involved in salt stress responses, such as those in phenylpropanoid and starch biosynthesis, suggesting a direct or indirect regulatory role. In summary, our findings highlight evolutionarily conserved patterns in stress-specific signaling pathways and in the underlying transcriptional regulation between bryophytes and angiosperms.
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BibTeX
@article{horn2026timeseries,
title = {{Time-series transcriptomics sheds light on the rapid and dynamic response of the moss Physcomitrium patens to salt stress}},
author = {Armin Horn and Chandra Shekhar Misra and José Miguel Sordo and Jennifer Catherine Nascimento Schulze and Omar Vergara-Díaz and Rubén Vicente and Henrik Toft Simonsen and Jörg Becker},
journal = {Journal of Plant Physiology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1016/j.jplph.2026.154864},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05732112v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Time-series transcriptomics sheds light on the rapid and dynamic response of the moss Physcomitrium patens to salt stress
AU - Armin Horn
AU - Chandra Shekhar Misra
AU - José Miguel Sordo
AU - Jennifer Catherine Nascimento Schulze
AU - Omar Vergara-Díaz
AU - Rubén Vicente
AU - Henrik Toft Simonsen
AU - Jörg Becker
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/31
JO - Journal of Plant Physiology
DO - 10.1016/j.jplph.2026.154864
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05732112v1
AB - The moss Physcomitrium patens is a well-established model organism for studying plant responses to abiotic stress. As a non-vascular plant, it provides a valuable system for elucidating both conserved and lineage-specific adaptive mechanisms underlying abiotic stress. Previous transcriptomic studies have focused on severe salt stress (350 mM), while the response to moderate salt stress remained largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the transcriptional responses of P. patens to a moderate 150 mM NaCl treatment, using a high-resolution time-series RNA-sequencing approach. Our analysis revealed 2235 previously uncharacterized salt-responsive genes as part of a rapid, dynamic, and multi-layered response. Time-series clustering unveiled salt-specific gene expression patterns overlapping with salt-responsive pathways from angiosperms. We identified novel transcription factors involved in salt-induced transcriptional reprogramming, including PpMYB123, which we experimentally confirmed as a salt-responsive transcription factor. Overexpression of PpMYB123 altered the expression of enzymes involved in salt stress responses, such as those in phenylpropanoid and starch biosynthesis, suggesting a direct or indirect regulatory role. In summary, our findings highlight evolutionarily conserved patterns in stress-specific signaling pathways and in the underlying transcriptional regulation between bryophytes and angiosperms.
SN - 0176-1617
SN - 1618-1328
ER -