The Role of Transcription Factors and Target Genes in Cadmium Tolerance in Plants

Plants are exposed to environmental stresses as abiotic and biotic impacting their growth and productivity. Abiotic stressors like salinity, drought, and heavy metals like Cadmium (Cd), pose risks to plant health by disturbing the physiological processes. Despite these challenges, plants developed adaptive mechanisms including regulation of gene expression by transcription factors (TFs) which is crucial in Cd tolerance mechanisms in plants. TFs regulate Cd accumulation, cellular homeostasis, and transcriptional reprogramming under stress conditions. Moreover, microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are essential components of Cd tolerance. While miRNAs target mRNA for degradation or translation inhibition, lncRNAs modify gene expression at the transcriptional and epigenetic levels. These regulatory networks not only highlight plant tolerance to Cd toxicity but also present potential phytoremediation strategies for Cd-contaminated soil. This underlies the importance of understanding molecular mechanisms behind plant tolerance against Cd for sustainable agriculture and maintaining ecosystem integrity.