Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Plants are sessile organisms, that are continuously exposed to biotic and abiotic stresses, which has driven the evolution of complex adaptation and resistance mechanisms. These mechanisms result from coordinated interactions among genes, proteins, metabolites, and hormonal signaling pathways. One-dimensional approaches focused on individual genes or proteins, are insufficient to capture this complexity. Network biology provides an integrative framework for studying plant responses to stress. This article highlights, from a comparative perspective, the role of biological networks in elucidating the regulatory interactions underlying processes involved in plant resistance to biotic stress (pathogens, pests) and abiotic stress (drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, nutrient deficiency), as well as the associated limitations and challenges, including the static nature of most networks, the heterogeneity and incompleteness of molecular data, the difficulty of establishing causal relationships, and the necessity of experimental validation of predictions.
Source: Akademos
Authors: Maria Duca, Angela Port, Steliana Clapco
Institution: Moldova State University
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7204645690