Abstract

Plants are constantly exposed to a range of environmental stresses, including abiotic stress factors such as drought, heat, salinity, and cold, as well as biotic stresses like pathogens and herbivores. To cope with these challenges, plants have evolved complex molecular responses that involve the regulation of various stress-related proteins. Proteomics, the large-scale study of proteins and their functions, has emerged as a powerful tool for understanding these molecular mechanisms, providing insights into the key proteins involved in stress responses and their interactions within cellular networks. This manuscript reviews the applications of proteomics in the study of plant stress responses, highlighting the identification of stress-responsive proteins, the role of post-translational modifications in stress signaling, and the use of proteomic techniques such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), mass spectrometry (MS), and label-free quantification (LFQ) in characterizing plant responses to various stresses. Additionally, we discuss the challenges and limitations of proteomic approaches in plant stress research and provide perspectives on how these insights can be used for improving stress tolerance in crops through genetic engineering and breeding strategies.