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Lipocalins regulate development and various stress responses in Physcomitrium patens
Shuanghua Wang1, Jianchao Ma2, Qia Wang1
1Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China.
Cell Reports
|March 13, 2026
Summary
Lipocalins in moss regulate plant development and stress responses. This study identifies a new lipocalin group in seedless plants and highlights the conserved function of temperature-induced lipocalin (PpTIL) in land-plant evolution.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Molecular Genetics
Background:
- Understanding the genetic basis of plant adaptation is crucial for plant evolution.
- Lipocalins are a diverse protein family with known roles in various biological processes.
- Their specific functions in early land plants and evolution are not fully elucidated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of lipocalins in the moss Physcomitrium patens.
- To explore the evolutionary history and functional conservation of plant lipocalins.
- To understand the specific functions of the temperature-induced lipocalin (PpTIL) in moss development and stress response.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis of plant lipocalin genes.
- Functional characterization of the PpTIL gene in Physcomitrium patens.
- Assessing PpTIL's role in protonemal development, growth transitions, and stress tolerance.
Main Results:
- Identified three major groups of plant lipocalins, including a novel group in seedless plants.
- Demonstrated functional conservation of PpTIL with flowering plant homologs under abiotic stress.
- PpTIL regulates protonemal development, growth transitions, lipid metabolism, auxin pathways, chlorophyll breakdown, and singlet oxygen stress response.
Conclusions:
- Lipocalins play a significant role in regulating diverse physiological and developmental processes in land plants.
- PpTIL is a key regulator involved in growth, metabolism, and stress protection, with conserved functions across plant evolution.
- These findings offer critical insights into the evolutionary significance of lipocalins in plant adaptation.
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