Plant caspase-like proteins: from function identification to application in winter rapeseed genetic breeding

Area of Science:

• Plant molecular biology
• Cellular biology

Background:

• Plant programmed cell death (PCD) shares similarities with animal apoptosis.
• Plant genomes lack direct caspase orthologs but possess analogous caspase-like proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

• Systematically review plant caspase-like proteins involved in PCD.
• Discuss their application potential in crop genetic breeding, particularly in winter rapeseed.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of research on plant caspase-like proteins.
• Analysis of their roles in development, senescence, and stress responses.
• Exploration of their potential in genetic improvement strategies.

Main Results:

• Identified key plant caspase-like proteins: metacaspases, VPEs, saspases, phytaspases, PBA1, and cathepsin B.
• These proteins regulate diverse PCD pathways with distinct mechanisms.
• Demonstrated potential for modulating these proteins to enhance stress resistance and yield traits.

Conclusions:

• Caspase-like proteins are central to plant PCD regulation.
• They offer valuable targets for crop improvement and breeding.
• Further research is needed to overcome challenges like functional redundancy and species-specific divergence.