Rice Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 50-60 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/rgg 51 has also encountered many difficulties. We have sorted out all of this and hope to provide some reference for scientific researchers, farmers, and policy makers. After all, under the current climate conditions, if we want to grow good rice stably, we really need everyone to work together to find a solution. 2 Mechanisms of Temperature Sensing in Rice 2.1 Molecular pathways involved in temperature perception Rice is an interesting crop. When it encounters high temperatures, it actually has its own way of dealing with it. For example, studies have found that the transcription factor OsHSFA2d changes its form under high temperatures and becomes an active form, OsHSFA2dI (Cheng et al., 2015). This thing is very important. It can help regulate the expression of some important genes and keep the proteins in the cell stable. Of course, this is not all. Genes such as OsIAA13 and OsIAA20 will also join in the fun and be particularly active at high temperatures (Sharma et al., 2021). Recently, there is also a new discovery that the G-quadruplex structure in the promoter of some genes can sense temperature changes (Chang et al., 2022). But then again, although rice has these defense mechanisms, if it really encounters sustained high temperatures, these protective measures may not be enough. When rice encounters low temperatures, it is actually more "smart" than we thought. It activates a whole set of defense systems from the cell membrane to the cell nucleus, just like transmitting alarms layer by layer. The first to move is the calcium ion signal, followed by various protein kinases. Interestingly, the CBF/DREB pathway is particularly critical (Guo et al., 2018), which can command many cold-resistant genes to start working. However, the most surprising thing is that a large amount of hydrogen peroxide will suddenly be produced in the cells at low temperatures, which instead becomes a distress signal and activates transcription factors such as bZIP and ERF. Just like our adrenaline surges when we encounter danger, rice will also initiate this emergency response. Another interesting phenomenon is that rice's cold resistance is actually related to its biological clock (Lu et al., 2020), although scientists are still studying how it works. To be honest, if I hadn't seen these research data with my own eyes, it would be hard to imagine that a rice plant can have so many tricks to deal with the cold. 2.2 Physiological responses to temperature extremes Rice is an interesting crop. It can always come up with various ways to deal with extreme temperatures. Let’s talk about high temperatures first. At this time, the cell membrane will become particularly "flexible", just like applying a layer of sunscreen to itself (Kan and Lin, 2021). A cleaning system will also be activated in the cell to deal with harmful free radicals. The most amazing thing is those heat shock proteins, which are like "first aid" for proteins, helping other proteins to maintain their normal form (Qiu et al., 2023). The situation is different at low temperatures. Rice will make some "antifreeze" by itself and readjust gene expression. However, there is a contradiction here: it is necessary to ensure normal growth while enhancing cold resistance (Guo et al., 2018). Just like people need to stay active and keep warm in winter, this balance is quite difficult to grasp. Interestingly, the same temperature change may cause rice to react completely differently at different growth stages. 2.3 Key genes and transcription factors associated with temperature sensing Rice is an interesting crop. When faced with temperature changes, it is like there is a "command center" in its body that dispatches troops. Let's talk about high temperature first. Genes like OsHSFA2d are particularly busy. They have to deal with proteins that are damaged by heat (Cheng et al., 2015). There is also a guy called OsbZIP14 that is even more interesting. It works with OsbZIP58 to specifically manage protein storage in seeds at high temperatures (Qiu et al., 2023). The situation is different at low temperatures. The CBF/DREB system is like a master switch (Guo et al., 2018), which activates various defense programs when encountering low temperatures. The most amazing are transcription factors such as bZIP and ERF, which are particularly sensitive to oxidative signals and take action immediately at the slightest sign of trouble. But to be honest, how these systems work together is still a mystery. 3 Mechanisms of Light Sensing in Rice 3.1 Photoreceptors in rice: structure and function Sometimes, you will see the "light game" between rice plants in the field - in fact, all this is inseparable from the receptor of phytochrome. First of all, let me give you a background: plants rely on it to "listen" to the "sounds" of
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