Planting resilience: One-Carbon metabolism and stress responses

One-carbon (1C) metabolism is a central biochemical pathway that plays a crucial role in methylation reactions, amino acid synthesis, and nucleotide production, making it essential for plant growth. Recent advances in omics technologies, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, have provided comprehensive insights into the regulation of 1C metabolism in wheat, one of the world's main crops, and in the model plant Arabidopsis. Genetic manipulation through overexpression and loss-of-function studies has further revealed the roles of specific genes in modulating 1C fluxes and regulating key intermediates, such as methionine, S-adenosyl methionine, and folates. These studies have also demonstrated changes in methylation patterns as well as disruptions in growth and nutrient homeostasis. The integration of these analyses has highlighted complex feedback mechanisms within 1C metabolism that coordinate responses to environmental and developmental signals. Notably, enzymes such as serine hydroxymethyltransferase and S-adenosylmethionine synthetase have emerged as critical nodes, linking 1C metabolism with broader metabolic networks, including nitrogen and sulfur metabolism. This review synthesizes findings from recent omics and genetic studies to outline the dynamic regulation of 1C metabolism, offering a comprehensive framework for exploring its potential applications in crop improvement.