Aluminum resistance in plants: A critical review focusing on STOP1

Plant Commun. 2024 Dec 2:101200. doi: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101200. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a significant challenge for plant production on acid soils, which constitute approximately 30% of the world's ice-free land area. To combat Al toxicity, plants have evolved both external and internal detoxification mechanisms. The zinc finger transcription factor STOP1 play a critical and conserved role in Al resistance by inducing genes involved in these detoxification processes. Recent studies have uncovered multiple layers of post-transcriptional regulation of STOP1 and have identified mechanisms by which plants sense Al and activate cascades that regulate STOP1 function. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms through which STOP1 and its homologs mediate Al resistance in plants, with a particular focus on Arabidopsis thaliana and rice. Additionally, we discuss recent advances and future perspectives in understanding the post-transcriptional regulation of STOP1, as well as Al sensing and signaling pathways upstream of STOP1.

Keywords: STOP1; aluminum resistance; aluminum signaling; external exclusion; internal tolerance; post-transcriptional regulation.

Publication types

  • Review