Legume Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.5, 234-244 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/lgg 240 7 Conclusion and Future Perspectives How do adzuki beans "identify" coldness? In fact, this matter is quite complicated. At first, the fluidity of the membrane changes, followed by an increase in calcium ion concentration and a rapid accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). All these are like alarms, immediately sending out the low-temperature signal. Then, a batch of key transcription factors will be activated, such as CBF/DREB, MYB, bZIP and NAC, which act like switches to control a long string of genes related to cold resistance. Further down, epigenetic regulation and non-coding Rnas also step in to participate in fine-tuning. The existing QTL mapping and transcriptome data have also enabled us to identify several genes and regulatory networks that may be closely related to cold tolerance adaptation. However, to be fair, although the research has made considerable progress, there are still many blind spots. A very realistic problem is that the omics data of Xiaodou itself is currently not systematic and complete enough, especially the information on some specific genes and regulatory factors is relatively scarce. Moreover, the genetic differences among various varieties, coupled with environmental interference, make it somewhat difficult for us to simply apply the research results of model species to adzuki beans without any modification. Furthermore, many of the proposed candidate genes have not yet undergone functional verification, especially those involving secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, whose exact roles in cold resistance remain unclear to this day. For future research, several directions need to be advanced simultaneously: First, it is necessary to continue to expand genetic resources, screen more red bean germplasms, and not neglect wild relatives either. Maybe new genes can be discovered. Second, omics analysis should be conducted more deeply, combining genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic and more detailed phenotypic data, which can accelerate the identification of key pathways. Thirdly, it's time for gene editing tools to come in handy. Technologies like CRISPR/Cas can precisely identify certain target genes or regulatory sites. Fourth, it is necessary to enable marker-assisted selection and genomic selection to truly play a role in breeding and enhance efficiency. Finally, multi-omics integration should not merely be about making diagrams; it is necessary to truly construct networks using systems biology methods. Only in this way can the molecular mechanisms explored in the laboratory be truly transformed into practical achievements in breeding. For adzuki beans, adapting to climate change and enhancing cold resistance ultimately still depends on the coordinated efforts of these several aspects. Acknowledgments We are grateful to Dr. W. Zhang for his assistance with the serious reading and helpful discussions during the course of this work. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Abdullah S., Azzeme A., and Yousefi K., 2022, Fine-tuning cold stress response through regulated cellular abundance and mechanistic actions of transcription factors, Frontiers in Plant Science, 13: 850216. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.850216 Diao P., Chen C., Zhang Y., Meng Q., LüW., and Ma N., 2020, The role of NAC transcription factor in plant cold response, Plant Signaling & Behavior, 15(9): e1785668. https://doi.org/10.1080/15592324.2020.1785668 Ding Y., Yang H., Wu S., Fu D., Li M., Gong Z., and Yang S., 2022, CPK28-NLP7 module integrates cold-induced Ca2+ signal and transcriptional reprogramming in Arabidopsis, Science Advances, 8(26): eabn7901. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abn7901 Dwivedi S., Chapman M., Abberton M., Akpojotor U., and Ortiz R., 2023, Exploiting genetic and genomic resources to enhance productivity and abiotic stress adaptation of underutilized pulses, Frontiers in Genetics, 14: 1193780. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2023.1193780
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