PubMed HealthSearch

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Stress adaptation”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Time- and Dose-Resolved DIA-PASEF Proteomics Maps the Transition from Adaptive Stress to Apoptotic Collapse in Melittin-Treated MDA-MB-231 Cells.

Melittin, the cytolytic peptide of honeybee venom, exhibits potent anticancer activity in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), yet the molecular programs underlying its cytotoxic effects remain incompletely defined. To address this gap, MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells were exposed to melittin at half-maximal inhibitory concentration(half IC50) and IC50 across early(0.5, 1, and 2 h), mid(3, 4 h), and late (12, 24 h) time windows. Proteomic profiling was performed using label-free data-independent acquisition(DIA) parallel accumulation-serial fragmentation(PASEF). Approximately 5800 proteins were quantified, revealing distinct dose-dependent stress responses. An integrative exploratory framework combining time-resolved log2 fold-change trajectories, area-under-the-curve(AUC) based temporal prioritization, and independent heatmap visualization identified proteins associated with melittin-induced stress remodeling. Half IC50 exposure showed a transient stress-adaptive signature characterized by chromatin remodeling(HMGN2, H2AZ1), structural and RNA-associated buffering(LRRC7), and indirect mitochondrial quality-control signaling(CPAMD8, SPATA4), which progressively weakened over time. In contrast, IC50 treatment induced rapid chromatin remodeling dominated by histone H1 variants(H1.4, H1.2), early RNA instability(LRRC7), and late-stage cytoskeletal disassembly marked by MICAL3 induction, consistent with progression toward apoptosis. These trajectories paralleled dose-dependent apoptotic phenotypes. Overall, data suggest that melittin elicits dose- and time-dependent proteomic stress responses in TNBC cells and identify candidate trajectory-associated proteins and pathways linked to adaptive stress remodeling or progression toward cytotoxic collapse.

Melitten

A digital PCR-based platform for rapid assessment of chloroplast stress adaptation in microalgal metabolic engineering.

Microalgae rapidly adjust their chloroplast physiology in response to environmental stress, and these adaptive responses are closely associated with cellular fitness and metabolic performance. However, conventional assessments of stress adaptation primarily rely on growth characteristics, pigment accumulation, or physiological measurements, which often require extended cultivation periods and may not capture early molecular responses. In this study, we introduce a digital PCR (dPCR)-based platform for rapid assessment of chloroplast stress adaptation in microalgae. The platform quantifies the chloroplast-to-nuclear genome copy number ratio (C/N ratio) using multiplex dPCR and utilizes this metric as a molecular indicator of chloroplast acclimation. As a proof-of-concept, the assay was applied to the halotolerant microalga Dunaliella salina cultivated under different salinity stress conditions. Distinct temporal changes in the C/N ratio were observed across salinity treatments, indicating dynamic chloroplast genome remodeling during stress adaptation. The assay enabled sensitive detection of chloroplast responses at early cultivation stages, prior to the appearance of clear phenotypic differences. These findings demonstrate that chloroplast-to-nuclear genome quantification by dPCR provides a rapid and reproducible approach for monitoring chloroplast stress adaptation in microalgae. The proposed platform offers a practical molecular tool for strain evaluation, cultivation optimization, and stress-response studies, and may support future applications in microalgal biotechnology and industrial production systems.

Microalgae

Autophagy in the Regulation of Placental Development: From Trophoblast Differentiation to Metabolic Stress Adaptation.

Successful pregnancy depends on precise placental development, where trophoblast differentiation, syncytialization, invasion, and adaptation to metabolic stress are critical. Autophagy, a lysosome-mediated degradation pathway, has emerged as an important regulator of cellular homeostasis, yet its integrated role in trophoblast fate and functions has not been comprehensively summarised. This review synthesises current evidence on autophagy's functions throughout placentation, from trophoblast differentiation to syncytialization and extravillous trophoblast invasion. We examine how autophagy enables cellular remodelling during differentiation, supports metabolic adaptation under hypoxia and nutrient stress, and maintains mitochondrial quality control through selective mitophagy. Autophagy is essential for syncytiotrophoblast formation via endoplasmic reticulum stress-coordinated activation and p53 downregulation. However, its effects on trophoblast invasion are context-dependent, influenced by oxygen tension, autophagic flux completeness, and differentiation state, which can potentially be shaped by parent-offspring genetic conflicts through genomic imprinting. Both excessive and insufficient autophagy contribute to pregnancy complications, including pre-eclampsia, foetal growth restriction, gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm birth, recurrent spontaneous abortion and obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome through distinct molecular mechanisms. Autophagy functions as a dynamically tuned homeostatic mechanism in placental development. Understanding condition-specific autophagy dysregulation is thereby crucial for improving pregnancy outcomes.

Autophagy

Plant U-box E3 ligases: Versatile regulators of environmental stress adaptation and ABA signaling.

Ubiquitination is a reversible post-translational modification that orchestrates a wide spectrum of fundamental processes throughout the plant life cycle. Executed by a hierarchical E1-E2-E3 cascades, this modification tags targets with ubiquitin to modulate their turnover, activity, or subcellular compartmentalization. Among the diverse E3 ligase families, plant U-box (PUB) proteins stand out as a prominent class that determines substrate selection and has emerged as a focal point of stress biology. In this review, we first delineate the structural features of PUB proteins, highlighting their conserved domains and associated regulatory motifs. We then systematically dissect their multifaceted functions in abiotic stress adaptation, encompassing drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, oxidative stress, heavy metal toxicity, with particular emphasis on their integration with ABA signaling networks. We further outline critical knowledge gaps and propose future strategies to decode the regulatory architecture of PUBs. Collectively, this review provides a theoretical foundation and new insights for facilitating the genetic improvement of crop resilience in the face of continuously intensifying environmental stresses through the manipulation of PUB-mediated ubiquitination networks.

ABA signaling

Model-driven analysis reveals oxidative stress adaptation enabling efficient energy utilization in a Crabtree-negative Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Although abolishing the Crabtree effect in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through a pyruvate dehydrogenase bypass eliminates carbon loss through ethanol overflow metabolism, it compromises growth rates. While the Crabtree effect has been a valuable natural adaptation, it is energetically inferior to respiration and is generally undesirable in cell factories engineered to produce assimilatory compounds. Restoring growth efficiency in Crabtree-negative strains remains a central challenge. Through adaptive laboratory evolution of the engineered strain (sZJD23) and subsequent reverse engineering, a variant (sZJD28) with markedly improved growth was identified. This improvement is driven primarily by a mutation in MED2 (encoding a Mediator complex subunit) and, to a lesser extent, a mutation in GPD1 (encoding glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase). By integrating quantitative proteomics with enzyme-constrained genome-scale modelling, we demonstrate that these mutations jointly enable a more efficient mode of oxidative stress adaptation and energy utilization. The GPD1 mutation suppresses a protein-costly, suboptimal NAD⁺-recycling strategy reliant on glycerol synthesis, while the MED2 mutation reshapes the oxidative stress response towards peroxisomal detoxification. Collectively, these adjustments optimize metabolic flux distribution and reduce protein costs in energy metabolism, thereby increasing ATP availability. Our findings reveal how coordinated mutations in regulatory and metabolic genes restore growth fitness in engineered Crabtree-negative yeast.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Transcriptomic insights into thermal stress reveal physiological trade-off between thermal stress adaptation and reproductive investment in Spodoptera litura.

Spodoptera litura, a highly polyphagous lepidopteran pest, poses a major threat to agricultural productivity due to its remarkable adaptability to diverse environmental conditions. Although heat stress is known to trigger transcriptional reprogramming in insects, the molecular mechanisms underlying thermal stress responses in S. litura remain poorly understood. In the present study, fourth-instar larvae were exposed to acute heat stress (44 °C) and compared with control conditions (27 ± 1 °C) to investigate heat-induced transcriptional alterations affecting physiology and reproduction. High-quality RNA-Seq data achieved more than 80% mapping efficiency, with a total of 15,782 transcripts were identified. Transcriptome analysis of S. litura larvae showed 323 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 262 genes were significantly upregulated and 61 were downregulated in heat-stressed larvae compared to the control group. The DEGs were associated with stress response, reproduction, signalling, proteostasis, detoxification, oxidative stress, metabolism, development, and chromatin regulation. Heat shock proteins genes, including HSP70, HSP90, and HSP27, together with co-chaperones such as TRET-1, STIP1, and Starvin, were strongly upregulated, indicating enhanced cellular protection against protein damage and oxidative stress under heat stress. Conversely, key reproductive and cell cycle-related genes, including BARR, CAPD2, FEO, CDK2 and MORULA, were significantly downregulated, suggesting reproductive impairment and developmental arrest. RT-qPCR validation corroborated the RNA-Seq findings, demonstrating a heat-induced physiological trade-off that prioritizes survival over reproduction. Consistent with these molecular responses, heat-stressed insects exhibited marked reproductive impairment, including significant reductions in gonadosomatic index, eupyrene sperm bundle count, mating frequency, mating success, female calling behaviour, copulation duration, fecundity, and egg fertility. Collectively, these findings provide comprehensive insights into the molecular basis of thermal adaptation in S. litura and demonstrate that acute heat stress compromises reproductive fitness while activating conserved stress-response pathways that promote short-term survival.

Animals

Harnessing fern stress adaptations: From evolution and ecophysiology to molecular biology.

Ferns are the second most diverse vascular plant lineage after angiosperms and have been a key ecological component of Earth's biodiversity for more than 380 million years. Importantly, ferns are sister to seed plants, providing a critical outgroup for understanding the evolution of seed plant features. Ferns are remarkably resilient to abiotic and biotic stresses due to a long evolutionary history with adaptations to diverse habitats, stresses, and herbivores. As a result, ferns produce a multitude of secondary metabolites with unique bioactivities; these chemicals are potentially linked to the adaptation of ferns to herbivory, various abiotic and biotic stresses, and changing environments. Assembled reference genomes and the identification of key metabolic compounds of multiple ferns have already made significant contributions to human health and well-being. Here, we review the recent scientific advances in fern research, including evolution, stress resistance, metabolites and medicinal utilization, and comparative multi-omics applications. We propose that integrated investigations involving ecological, physiological, and molecular techniques will facilitate the future research translation of fern resources in diverse areas including soil remediation, biopesticides, and medicine. Advances in our understanding of fern molecular biology will provide new insights into the evolution of land plants and promote the utilization of ferns for heightened environmental restoration, crop protection and human health.

Ferns

Tandem duplication-driven expansion and UV-B stress adaptation of the LHC gene family in Artemisia annua L.

BACKGROUND: Artemisia annua L., is the primary natural source of the antimalarial drug artemisinin. In nature, fluctuating light is a major environmental stress that affects plant growth and artemisinin biosynthesis. Although the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding (LHC) superfamily plays a key role in mediating plant responses to fluctuating light, systematic research of this gene family in A. annua has not yet been conducted, limiting our understanding of light adaptation in this medicinally important species. RESULTS: This study investigated the evolutionary dynamics and functional adaptation of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding (LHC) superfamily in A. annua, with a focus on the early light‑induced protein (ELIP) subfamily. Comparative genomics of 24 plant species showed that the LHC superfamily recently expanded in the examined Asteraceae lineages through duplication events. In A. annua, 229 LHC genes identified from four haplotype genomes comprised 205 allelic and 24 haplotype-specific loci, with the ELIP subfamily expanding significantly via tandem duplication. Notably, compared to non-Asteraceae plants, ELIPs exhibited a uniform single-exon architecture, indicating it is a genomic feature unique to Asteraceae plants. Population genomics of 41 individuals showed dynamic copy number variations ranging from 1 to 4 copies per locus. Interestingly, a structurally disrupted ELIP allele remained transcriptionally active and produced long aberrant transcripts, showing that this subfamily is still actively evolving. Under UV-B stress, AaELIP loci showed synchronized induction trend but differed in expression levels, suggesting a division into major and auxiliary roles within the expanded tandem cluster. Overall, while the response of ELIPs to light stress is evolutionarily conserved, this dramatic expansion and structural streamlining of AaELIPs may represent a key evolutionary adaptation that enhances the plant's ability to cope with intense light and radiation stress. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, this study demonstrates a significant expansion of the LHC superfamily in A. annua, especially within the ELIP subfamily, as well as its robust response to UV-B treatment, underscoring the essential role of ELIPs in mediating light stress responses. These findings provide a valuable foundation for future research to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying A. annua's adaptation to complex light environments.

Artemisia annua

Acetylcholine signaling regulates osmotic stress adaptation in the phytopathogen Dickeya solani.

Plants impose strong selective pressures that shape both the composition and functional potential of plant microbiomes. The adaptation of plant-associated bacteria to their hosts relies on an extensive repertoire of signal transduction systems that sense plant-derived molecules and dynamically adjust bacterial physiology and metabolism within the holobiont. These signals include key plant signaling compounds that regulate processes essential for plant-microbe interactions. Among them, acetylcholine is emerging as an important signaling molecule in both plants and bacteria. Here, we demonstrate that acetylcholine regulates the expression of the osmotic stress response betIBA gene cluster in the important phytopathogen Dickeya solani, where it plays an important role in osmoprotection. We show that the TetR-family transcriptional regulator associated with this pathway, BetIDs, recognizes acetylcholine as well as choline and trimethylamine. These three ligands differentially induce betIBA transcription in a manner that correlates with their binding affinities. Ligand binding does not affect BetIDs binding to the bet promoter or its oligomeric state. Instead, it induces pronounced changes in the secondary structure of BetIDs, with the magnitude of these conformational changes being ligand-dependent. We further show that quorum sensing modulates osmotic stress tolerance in D. solani by regulating the expression of the Bet pathway. The Bet system is required for the full virulence of D. solani, particularly in chemically complex plant tissues. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that the BetIBA system is widely distributed among plant-associated Pseudomonadota, collectively supporting its importance for bacterial survival and adaptation in plant-related environments.

Osmotic Pressure

Whole-genome sequencing reveals divergent and shared selection signatures of heat stress adaptation in indigenous Ethiopian zebu cattle from dry-hot and humid-hot environments.

African zebu cattle (Bos indicus) exhibit remarkable adaptations to extreme thermal conditions, yet the genomic basis of this resilience remains incompletely characterized. Ethiopia provides a unique natural setting in which closely related zebu populations have adapted divergently to dry-hot (DHETZ) and humid-hot (HHETZ) climates. In this study, we reanalyzed publicly available whole-genome sequencing datasets from 46 Ethiopian zebu cattle from five populations and compared them with Asian zebu, Sudanese zebu, African taurine, and European taurine breeds. By integrating genome-wide SNP analysis, population genetic structure assessment, and multiple selection scans (iHS, Hp, XP-EHH, and XP-CLR), we identified distinct and shared selection signatures between DHETZ and HHETZ. We detected 33.7 million and 34.2 million biallelic autosomal SNPs in DHETZ and HHETZ, respectively. Ethiopian zebu clustered closely with Sudanese zebu but showed clear divergence from Asian zebu and taurine breeds. DHETZ and HHETZ exhibited very low genetic differentiation (FST = 0.0063), consistent with their shared ancestry; however, each group displayed unique selection signals. In DHETZ, iHS and Hp detected 298 and 113 candidate regions, respectively, whereas in HHETZ, they detected 244 and 138 regions, respectively. Cross-population XP-EHH and XP-CLR analyses identified 163 and 227 divergent regions between DHETZ and HHETZ, respectively. Integration of the four selection scans identified 19 high-confidence candidate regions in DHETZ and 13 in HHETZ. DHETZ showed strong selection in genes involved in oxidative stress regulation, protein folding, mitochondrial function, and vascular remodeling, including SESN2, DNAJC8, GRPEL2, ABLIM3, and AFAP1L1. In contrast, HHETZ displayed signatures in genes associated with immune responses, energy metabolism, and angiogenesis inhibition, including MYD88, PRKACA, PRKACB, and WIF1. Several genes, including VEGFC, TNIP3, and DMXL2, were under selection in both groups, suggesting conserved mechanisms of thermotolerance and reproductive adaptation. The shared VEGFC signal and the HHETZ-specific WIF1 signal may indicate a distinct vascular regulatory mechanism in the dry-hot and humid-hot environments. Our results reveal a dual pattern of genomic adaptation in Ethiopian zebu cattle and provide candidate loci for future validation and climate-resilient livestock breeding.

Animals

[Cardioprotective effects of adaptation to restraint stress and hypoxia].

Isolated rat heart experiments have revealed that restraint stress adaptation results in enhanced resistance of the isolated heart to reperfusion. There is also a higher resistance to the autolysis of the organelles isolated from the hearts of stress-adapted animals. This complex of changes is designated as a phenomenon of adaptive stabilization of structures (PhASS). The phenomenon developing in restraint stress adaptation substantially limits arrhythmias, contracture, contraction amplitude depression, and creatine kinase release into the perfusate in thermal damage to the isolated rat heart. Simultaneously, PhASS is accompanied by a multiple increase in five hsp70 isoforms with pI 5.8-6.3 in cytosol and two isoforms with pI about 6.3 in the nucleoplasm. Only two hsp70 isoforms with pI about 5.8 accumulate solely in cytosol during adaptation to intermittent hypoxia. Consistently, the resistance of Ca(2+)-pump and nuclear DNA remains unchanged and the protection against reperfusion and thermal damage are several times less pronounced.

Adaptation, Physiological

Genome-wide analysis of the plant-specific PLATZ gene family in Taraxacum kok-saghyz and its roles in response to drought and salt tolerance.

Abiotic stress severely limits plant growth and productivity. Taraxacum kok-saghyz Rodin (TKS), known for its environmental resilience, represents a valuable resource for identifying stress-tolerant genes to improve stress-adaptive crops. Plant AT-rich protein and zinc-binding protein (PLATZ) transcription factors serve as core regulators of plant growth, developmental processes, and adaptive responses to various stress conditions; however, they remain uncharacterized in TKS. Here, we identified 10 TksPLATZ genes through a whole-genome analysis. Phylogenetically, these genes were grouped into five distinct evolutionary branches. Promoter sequence analysis revealed multiple types of cis-acting regulatory elements that are connected with hormonal signal responses and environmental stress adaptation. Integrated analysis of transcriptome datasets and RT-qPCR validation demonstrated that TksPLATZ genes display tissue-specific expression profiles and show distinct responsive patterns to drought and salt stress treatments. Among them, TksPLATZ1, TksPLATZ2 and TksPLATZ7 were markedly induced under both stressors and were selected for further functional study. We demonstrated that TksPLATZ1, TksPLATZ2 and TksPLATZ7 localize to the cell nucleus and act as transcriptional activators and repressors, respectively. Phenotypic data from overexpression experiments in plants confirm that heterologous expression of TksPLATZ1, TksPLATZ2, and TksPLATZ7 enhances the tolerance of Arabidopsis to salt and osmotic stress. These findings provide valuable genetic resources for improving plant tolerance to environmental stresses.

Salt Tolerance

Stress-coping-adaptation: concepts for nursing.

Nursing has arrived at acceptance of several and diverse paradigms in conceptualization of its phenomena, research methodologies, and guidance of the discipline. Scholars and clinicians recognize the interaction of the person with the environment. Some implicitly focus on the experiences of stress, human responses, or efforts to cope with stress and movement toward adaptation or integrity of function. Stress-coping-adaptation is a complex conceptual framework with features powerful enough to explain nursing's phenomena of concern. Discourse dealing with stress-coping-adaptation as integral in nursing theory, research, practice, and education is warranted at this time.

Adaptation, Psychological

[Modulation of autonomic correlates of emotional stress and adaptive responses].

The character and dynamics of the cardio-vascular response to psychogenic stress (confrontation of cat and dog) depends on active or passive type of behavioral response. Tranquilizers inhibit long-lasting hypertension otherwise occurring after the stress stimulus. Adaptive cardio-vascular responses and baroreceptor reflexes did not alter after tranquilizers administration. Effects of psychotropic drugs correspond to the type of individual behavioral response.

Adaptation, Physiological

Molecular adaptation of caspase genes to salinity stress in the tropical sea cucumber Stichopus monotuberculatus: A comparative analysis across echinoderms.

Apoptosis is an essential physiological process that plays a critical role in development and tissue homeostasis. Caspases, as central regulators of apoptosis, are crucial in controlling inflammation and cell death. In this study, we investigated the caspase gene family in Stichopus monotuberculatus to explore their potential roles in salinity stress adaptation. Five caspase genes were identified from the genome of S. monotuberculatus, including Smcaspase3, Smcaspase6, Smcaspase8a, Smcaspase8b, and Smcaspase8c. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these Smcaspase genes clustered into distinct caspase subfamilies and showed high conservation with homologs from other echinoderms and representative vertebrates. Conserved motif and gene structure analyses showed relatively similar structural patterns within each clade, whereas divergence was observed among different subfamilies. Promoter analysis identified numerous cis-acting elements related to gene regulation, immune response, and growth and development. Expression profiling under salinity stress showed that Smcaspase8a was significantly upregulated, particularly under prolonged stress, whereas the other genes exhibited limited transcriptional responses. Our findings highlight caspase function in salinity stress and provide the foundation of molecular salinity adaptation mechanisms in S. monotuberculatus.

Animals

[The role of the prostaglandin system in the cardioprotective effect of adaptation to hypoxia in stress].

The adaptation to periodic altitude hypoxia is known to have cardioprotective and antiarrhythmic effects in stress-induced and ischemic lesions. The effects are assumed to be associated with the enhanced activity of the body's stress-limiting systems, including prostaglandins (PG). Wistar rats were adapted in a hypobaric chamber at an altitude of 4000 m for 6 hours during 40 days. The levels of myocardial and plasma PGE, PGE2 alpha, PGI2, thromboxane A2 were measured by radioimmunoassay and those of plasma catecholamines by enzyme radioassay. In the myocardium, the adaptation showed a 2-fold increase in PGE levels, the PGE/PGE2 alpha ratio and PGI2 levels rose by 70 and 73%, respectively, the PGI2/thromboxane A2 ratio remaining unchanged, while thromboxane A2 concentrations also rose. In adaptation, the levels of PGE and PGI2 was 78 and 60% higher, respectively. In restraint stress, myocardial and plasma PG levels proved to be substantially higher in adapted animals than in the controls, but stress-induced plasma catecholamine release, i.e. stress reaction, showed a 2-3-fold decrease that in the controls undergoing the same stress. The findings along with the data on the cytoprotective and vasodilating action of PGE and PGI2 suggest that enhanced activity of the myocardial and blood PG system is the important link in the mechanism responsible for the antistress impact of adaptation.

Adaptation, Physiological