Deciphering the role of glycine betaine in enhancing plant performance and defense mechanisms against environmental stresses

In the context of climate change, abiotic stresses are recognized as significant environmental challenges that limit agricultural productivity globally. These conditions disrupt normal plant growth and development processes. The ability of plants to tolerate these stressors is linked to their resili...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Farwa Basit, Mohammed Alyafei, Faisal Hayat, Wasef Al-Zayadneh, Ali El-Keblawy, Saad Sulieman, Mohamed S. Sheteiwy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Plant Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1582332/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849316310437068800
author Farwa Basit
Mohammed Alyafei
Faisal Hayat
Wasef Al-Zayadneh
Ali El-Keblawy
Saad Sulieman
Saad Sulieman
Mohamed S. Sheteiwy
author_facet Farwa Basit
Mohammed Alyafei
Faisal Hayat
Wasef Al-Zayadneh
Ali El-Keblawy
Saad Sulieman
Saad Sulieman
Mohamed S. Sheteiwy
author_sort Farwa Basit
collection DOAJ
description In the context of climate change, abiotic stresses are recognized as significant environmental challenges that limit agricultural productivity globally. These conditions disrupt normal plant growth and development processes. The ability of plants to tolerate these stressors is linked to their resilience mechanisms. Glycine betaine (GB), also known as betaine, is a derivative of methylated glycine identified in numerous plant species as a substance that mitigates the detrimental effects of stressful environments. GB is synthesized in the cytosol as an initial response to abiotic stress, and signaling molecules, such as jasmonic acid and methyl jasmonate, primarily initiate its production. Recent studies have highlighted their role in stimulating GB synthesis and its subsequent accumulation. The concentration of GB within a plant system can effectively indicate tolerance levels, ultimately contributing to the understanding of resilience mechanisms. GB plays a crucial role in reducing the accumulation and detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which aids in restoring photosynthesis and alleviating oxidative stress. It contributes to the stabilization of membranes and macromolecules and is essential for the protection and stabilization of photosynthetic components, such as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, photosystem II, and quaternary enzyme and protein complex structures, under environmental stress conditions. Furthermore, GB can enhance stress tolerance even at minimal concentrations by activating the genes associated with stress defense mechanisms. Recent studies have demonstrated that the application of GB can protect against environmental challenges, thereby improving both crop yield and quality. This review concentrates on the role of GB in promoting abiotic stress tolerance and explores potential strategies for engineering GB biosynthesis in plants.
format Article
id doaj-art-bcff3831f7734306847274cea5caebc9
institution Kabale University
issn 1664-462X
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Plant Science
spelling doaj-art-bcff3831f7734306847274cea5caebc92025-08-20T03:51:49ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2025-07-011610.3389/fpls.2025.15823321582332Deciphering the role of glycine betaine in enhancing plant performance and defense mechanisms against environmental stressesFarwa Basit0Mohammed Alyafei1Faisal Hayat2Wasef Al-Zayadneh3Ali El-Keblawy4Saad Sulieman5Saad Sulieman6Mohamed S. Sheteiwy7Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou, ChinaDepartment of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Applied Biology, College of Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Khartoum North, SudanDepartment of Integrative Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab EmiratesIn the context of climate change, abiotic stresses are recognized as significant environmental challenges that limit agricultural productivity globally. These conditions disrupt normal plant growth and development processes. The ability of plants to tolerate these stressors is linked to their resilience mechanisms. Glycine betaine (GB), also known as betaine, is a derivative of methylated glycine identified in numerous plant species as a substance that mitigates the detrimental effects of stressful environments. GB is synthesized in the cytosol as an initial response to abiotic stress, and signaling molecules, such as jasmonic acid and methyl jasmonate, primarily initiate its production. Recent studies have highlighted their role in stimulating GB synthesis and its subsequent accumulation. The concentration of GB within a plant system can effectively indicate tolerance levels, ultimately contributing to the understanding of resilience mechanisms. GB plays a crucial role in reducing the accumulation and detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which aids in restoring photosynthesis and alleviating oxidative stress. It contributes to the stabilization of membranes and macromolecules and is essential for the protection and stabilization of photosynthetic components, such as ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, photosystem II, and quaternary enzyme and protein complex structures, under environmental stress conditions. Furthermore, GB can enhance stress tolerance even at minimal concentrations by activating the genes associated with stress defense mechanisms. Recent studies have demonstrated that the application of GB can protect against environmental challenges, thereby improving both crop yield and quality. This review concentrates on the role of GB in promoting abiotic stress tolerance and explores potential strategies for engineering GB biosynthesis in plants.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1582332/fullosmolytesstress tolerancebiosynthesisreactive oxygen species (ROS)stress signaling network
spellingShingle Farwa Basit
Mohammed Alyafei
Faisal Hayat
Wasef Al-Zayadneh
Ali El-Keblawy
Saad Sulieman
Saad Sulieman
Mohamed S. Sheteiwy
Deciphering the role of glycine betaine in enhancing plant performance and defense mechanisms against environmental stresses
Frontiers in Plant Science
osmolytes
stress tolerance
biosynthesis
reactive oxygen species (ROS)
stress signaling network
title Deciphering the role of glycine betaine in enhancing plant performance and defense mechanisms against environmental stresses
title_full Deciphering the role of glycine betaine in enhancing plant performance and defense mechanisms against environmental stresses
title_fullStr Deciphering the role of glycine betaine in enhancing plant performance and defense mechanisms against environmental stresses
title_full_unstemmed Deciphering the role of glycine betaine in enhancing plant performance and defense mechanisms against environmental stresses
title_short Deciphering the role of glycine betaine in enhancing plant performance and defense mechanisms against environmental stresses
title_sort deciphering the role of glycine betaine in enhancing plant performance and defense mechanisms against environmental stresses
topic osmolytes
stress tolerance
biosynthesis
reactive oxygen species (ROS)
stress signaling network
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1582332/full
work_keys_str_mv AT farwabasit decipheringtheroleofglycinebetaineinenhancingplantperformanceanddefensemechanismsagainstenvironmentalstresses
AT mohammedalyafei decipheringtheroleofglycinebetaineinenhancingplantperformanceanddefensemechanismsagainstenvironmentalstresses
AT faisalhayat decipheringtheroleofglycinebetaineinenhancingplantperformanceanddefensemechanismsagainstenvironmentalstresses
AT wasefalzayadneh decipheringtheroleofglycinebetaineinenhancingplantperformanceanddefensemechanismsagainstenvironmentalstresses
AT alielkeblawy decipheringtheroleofglycinebetaineinenhancingplantperformanceanddefensemechanismsagainstenvironmentalstresses
AT saadsulieman decipheringtheroleofglycinebetaineinenhancingplantperformanceanddefensemechanismsagainstenvironmentalstresses
AT saadsulieman decipheringtheroleofglycinebetaineinenhancingplantperformanceanddefensemechanismsagainstenvironmentalstresses
AT mohamedssheteiwy decipheringtheroleofglycinebetaineinenhancingplantperformanceanddefensemechanismsagainstenvironmentalstresses