Computational Molecular Biology 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 26-37 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/cmb 35 few star players in a team but not understanding the tactical coordination of the entire team (Yang et al., 2019). What is particularly headache-inducing are those "off-site guidance" such as lncRNA and miRNA. Despite their frequent fluctuations in adverse conditions like drought and diseases, it remains unclear exactly how they operate. New technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing might be of help, just like installing a surveillance camera on each cell to capture real-time images of how genes respond to stress. However, to be fair, the biggest problem now is that these regulatory networks are too troublesome-the same gene can do completely opposite things under different circumstances. No wonder researchers always complain that it's like untangle a tangled mess. If one truly wants to understand the ins and outs, it would probably be necessary to record all the performances of these "acting genius genes" in different adversities. Climate change has made potato cultivation increasingly difficult to manage, but gene editing, this "molecular scissors", has brought new hope. Take CRISPR for example. Now scientists have been able to precisely prune genes such as WRKY and NAC, enabling potatoes to be both disease-resistant and drought-resistant (Yang et al., 2019). Interestingly, it has recently been discovered that "small" molecules such as miRNA and lncRNA are particularly adept at handling situations-although they do not encode proteins, they interfere in plants' responses to harsh environments. However, in actual operation, it is still troublesome. For instance, the same WRKY gene is responsible for both drought resistance and disease resistance. If it is adjusted too vigorously, it may affect the yield; if it is adjusted insufficiently, it will have no effect. But in any case, these findings at least point to a direction: future breeding should not only focus on protein-coding genes, but also take these regulatory molecules into account. Perhaps one day we will be able to cultivate "super potatoes" that are both water-saving and disease-resistant, and still have high yields even in high temperatures. That would solve a big problem. Breeding has now come up with a new approach-combining the breeding methods passed down from our ancestors with high-tech technologies such as gene editing, we can actually create "hard core" potatoes that are both drought resistant and salt resistant. However, to be honest, the biggest problem now is that many of the relationships between regulatory genes have not been clarified, just like a puzzle is missing a few key pieces (Yang et al., 2019). It is interesting to note that some inconspicuous small RNAs have recently been found to be particularly problematic during stress resistance, which has reminded breeding experts that focusing solely on large genes is not enough, and these "behind the scenes" must also be taken into account. Although there is still a long way to go before cultivating super varieties that can perfectly adapt to climate change, at least the direction is clear now-as long as the loopholes in these regulatory networks are filled in, allowing crops to achieve high and stable yields even in harsh environments, global food security will be more guaranteed. Ultimately, it requires both technological breakthroughs and respect for the survival wisdom of plants. Only by working hard on both ends can we see the truth. Acknowledgments I extend my sincere thanks to two anonymous peer reviewers for their invaluable feedback on the initial draft of this paper, whose critical evaluations and constructive suggestions have greatly contributed to the improvement of our manuscript. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The author affirms that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Di X., Deng M., Zou X., Li Y., Ni S., and Wang X., 2019, The response analysis of br related genes at low temperature in potato sprout regulation, Molecular Plant Breeding, 10(16): 121-127. https://doi.org/10.5376/mpb.2019.10.0016 Deng K., Yin H., Xiong F., Feng L., Dong P., and Ren M., 2021, Genome-wide miRNA expression profiling in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) reveals TOR-dependent post-transcriptional gene regulatory networks in diverse metabolic pathway, PeerJ, 9: e10704. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10704 Darvishi B., Pustini K., Ahmadi A., Afshari R., Shaterian J., and Jahanbakhshpour M., 2015, Effect of nutritional treatments on physiological characteristics and tuberization of potato plants under hydroponic sand culture, Journal of Plant Nutrition, 38(13): 2096-2111. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2015.1009101
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==