Work

Learning from facultative CAM plant Mesembryanthemum Crystallinum: Molecular mechanisms for climate-smart agriculture

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Global population growth and frequent episodes of drought pose significant challenges to agricultural sustainability, necessitating the development of crops with enhanced stress adaptability and water-use efficiency (WUE). Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a specialized photosynthetic pathway that improves plant drought tolerance and WUE by diurnal stomatal closure and nocturnal CO 2 assimilation. The facultative CAM species Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (common ice plant) has become a key model for studying the reversible transition from C 3 photosynthesis to CAM under salt or drought stress. The C 3 -to-CAM transition is a highly plastic and coordinated process. It is governed by the integration of environmental cues, circadian regulation, hormonal signaling, and metabolic reprogramming, resulting in extensive remodeling of carbon metabolism, vacuolar transport, and cellular energetics. In this review, we synthesize current understanding of the C 3 -to-CAM transition in M. crystallinum , with an emphasis on regulatory mechanisms and recent omics-driven insights. We also highlight emerging research directions, including phosphoproteomics, single-cell approaches, and functional genomics, which are essential for advancing CAM biology and equipping C 3 crops with CAM plasticity to improve drought resilience and recovery.

Source: Plant Physiology and Biochemistry

DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2026.111642

Authors: Bowen Tan, Sixue Chen

Institution: University of Mississippi

Language: English

Topic: Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Zero hunger

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,990