Contribution to Special Issue

Direct Protein and Protein Nanoparticles Uptake by Plants

Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 31 December 2024

Manuscript Submission Deadline 31 May 2025

In the dynamic plethora of plant biology, a profound paradigm shift is underway, catalyzed by the convergence of nanotechnology and our understanding of nutrient uptake mechanisms. Plants, traditionally viewed as passive recipients, are now emerging as active participants, capable of directly assimilating proteins with or without external aid, reshaping our perceptions and propelling us into an era of unprecedented innovations. Further, the integration of proteins or protein-based nanoparticles into the realm of plant biology has fundamentally altered our understanding of nutrient acquisition. No longer constrained by conventional root uptake mechanisms, plants now exhibit the remarkable ability to harness the potential of nano-sized proteins for enhanced protein uptake. This paradigm shift challenges long-standing dogmas and underscores the transformative power of nanotechnology in agriculture.

Understanding the mechanisms underlying this uptake process is crucial for harnessing its potential benefits, such as enhancing plant growth and resilience, delivering therapeutic compounds, or facilitating the uptake of other essential nutrients. Moreover, exploring the implications of protein and nanoparticles’ absorption by plants sheds light on the interplay between organisms and their environment, offering opportunities to engineer more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices while minimizing environmental impacts. As research in this field advances, the intricate relationship between plants and exogenous materials continues to unveil, promising exciting developments with far-reaching implications in agriculture, biotechnology, and environmental science.

Our special issue aims to explore the phenomenon of direct protein and related nanoparticles uptake by plants through various mechanisms, which is an intriguing aspect of modern agricultural and biotechnological research.
Potential areas of interest may include, but are not limited to:

• Direct protein and derived nanoparticles uptake by plants and its mechanisms.
• Biopolymer nanoparticles design for direct uptake
• Novel approaches in plant nutrition.
• Environmental remediation and safety.
• Enhanced stress-pathogenesis resistance.
• Novel biotechnological application

Multi-Omics of Extremophilic Organisms

Dear Colleagues,

Extremophiles are fascinating organisms that inhabit environments which are intolerably hostile or even lethal for other life forms. They grow in habitats that do not appear to be suitable for life: very low to extremely high pH (0 to 12), pressures of up to 110 MPa, salt lakes, frozen water and hot volcanic niches at 122 °C, etc. Some of these organisms have shown that they are not only able to tolerate these conditions, but even require them for their survival, growth, and metabolism.

In the face of climate change and rising temperatures, increasing dryness and soil salinity, altered bioremediation and waste and pollution management, research on extremophiles exploring the biology and adaptation of these organisms to extreme conditions is of crucial importance to cope with environmental changes. The molecular uniqueness and the biotechnological potential of species from the extremes of life have also driven intense activity in genomics and multi-omics research aimed at screening for novel proteins and enzymes offering advantages over those from less-tolerant counterparts. Along with unravelling adaptive mechanisms, multi-omics (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, phenomics, etc.) of extremophiles hold the potential to contribute to the development of strategies at the gene, protein, metabolic, phenotypic etc. level, ultimately leading to biotechnological innovations.

This Special Issue welcomes submissions of original research and review manuscripts focusing on the application of multi-omics to answer questions concerning the adaptation biology of extremophiles, and to explore the molecular basis of gene and protein stability and the activity and post-translational modifications of physicochemical parameters at extreme values. The ultimate goal is to achieve a precise overview of this novel and interdisciplinary field of microbiology, providing information about the status of this emerging and promising field of research.

Dr. Gorji Marzban
Dr. Donatella Tesei
Guest Editors

 

 

Proteomics of Extremophilic Fungi

Find all information here.

 

Omics Technologies Toward Systems Biology.

Find all information here.