ReviewPlanta2026
WRKY transcription factors in horticultural crops: regulating quality traits and fruit stress responses.
Review in Planta, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
MAIN
conclusionWRKY transcription factors regulate pigments, sugars, organic acids, aroma compounds, ripening, texture, and stress tolerance, offering promising targets for improving horticultural crop quality and postharvest performance. WRKY transcription factors (TFs) belong to one of the largest families of regulatory proteins in plants, with multifaceted roles in growth, development, and stress responses. This review summarizes the diverse functions of WRKY TFs that regulate key quality traits of horticultural crops, including fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals. We discuss the structural characteristics and classification of WRKY TFs, emphasizing their conserved WRKY domain and W-box binding mechanism. We comprehensively examine how WRKY TFs control critical quality attributes, such as pigment accumulation (anthocyanins, carotenoids, and betalains), organ size, sugar and organic acid contents, aroma-related volatile production, texture, and fruit ripening, by directly modulating structural genes and interacting with other TFs. Additionally, we explore the involvement of WRKY TFs in fruit responses to biotic stresses (e.g., pathogen infections) and abiotic stresses (e.g., chilling) as well as fruit browning. We also highlight their effects on hormone signaling and defense pathways. Despite significant progress in identifying WRKY TFs associated with quality traits through high-throughput approaches, the functional characterization of many of these TFs remains incomplete. Future research directions include using advanced genetic engineering tools, such as CRISPR/Cas9, to validate functions, elucidate complex regulatory networks involving WRKY TFs and their target genes, and explore upstream regulatory mechanisms. The results of this research will facilitate the development of improved horticultural cultivars with enhanced quality, stress tolerance, and extended shelf life, ultimately contributing to food security and market competitiveness.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42749958What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.