Nature Communications (Apr 2025)
Life on the dry side: a roadmap to understanding desiccation tolerance and accelerating translational applications
- R. A. Marks,
- J. T. B. Ekwealor,
- M. A. S. Artur,
- L. Bondi,
- T. C. Boothby,
- O. M. S. Carmo,
- D. C. Centeno,
- K. K. Coe,
- H. J. W. Dace,
- S. Field,
- A. Hutt,
- S. Porembski,
- A. Thalhammer,
- L. van der Pas,
- A. J. Wood,
- P. Alpert,
- D. Bartels,
- S. Boeynaems,
- M. N. Datar,
- T. Giese,
- W. I. Seidou,
- S. M. Kirchner,
- J. Köhler,
- U. G. V. S. S. Kumara,
- J. Kyung,
- R. Lyall,
- B. D. Mishler,
- J. B. V. T. Ndongmo,
- M. S. Otegui,
- V. Reddy,
- J. Rexroth,
- S. M. Tebele,
- R. VanBuren,
- J. Verdier,
- U. C. Vothknecht,
- M. F. Wittenberg,
- E. Zokov,
- M. J. Oliver,
- S. Y. Rhee
Affiliations
- R. A. Marks
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University
- J. T. B. Ekwealor
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University
- M. A. S. Artur
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen Seed Science Centre, Wageningen University
- L. Bondi
- Department of Botany, University of Rostock, Institute of Biosciences
- T. C. Boothby
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming
- O. M. S. Carmo
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
- D. C. Centeno
- Universidade Federal do ABC
- K. K. Coe
- Department of Biology, Middlebury College
- H. J. W. Dace
- Delft University of Technology
- S. Field
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University
- A. Hutt
- University of Texas at Austin
- S. Porembski
- Department of Botany, University of Rostock, Institute of Biosciences
- A. Thalhammer
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, University of Potsdam
- L. van der Pas
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town
- A. J. Wood
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University
- P. Alpert
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- D. Bartels
- IMBIO, University of Bonn
- S. Boeynaems
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
- M. N. Datar
- Agharkar Research Institute
- T. Giese
- Department of Botany, University of Rostock, Institute of Biosciences
- W. I. Seidou
- WASCAL, Universite Felix Houphouet-Boigny
- S. M. Kirchner
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town
- J. Köhler
- Department of Botany, University of Rostock, Institute of Biosciences
- U. G. V. S. S. Kumara
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming
- J. Kyung
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California at Berkeley
- R. Lyall
- Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology
- B. D. Mishler
- Department of Integrative Biology, University and Jepson Herbaria, University of California
- J. B. V. T. Ndongmo
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town
- M. S. Otegui
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- V. Reddy
- Botanic Gardens, Tissue Culture Laboratory, Parks Recreation and Culture Unit, eThekwini Municipality
- J. Rexroth
- Department of Botany, University of Rostock, Institute of Biosciences
- S. M. Tebele
- Forest Ecology and Management Department, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- R. VanBuren
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University
- J. Verdier
- Univ Angers, Institut Agro, INRAE, IRHS, SFR QUASAV
- U. C. Vothknecht
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, University of Bonn
- M. F. Wittenberg
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town
- E. Zokov
- Department of Botany, University of Rostock, Institute of Biosciences
- M. J. Oliver
- Division of Plant Sciences and Technology, University of Missouri, Interdisciplinary Plant Group
- S. Y. Rhee
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58656-y
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 16,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 16
Abstract
Abstract To thrive in extreme conditions, organisms have evolved a diverse arsenal of adaptations that confer resilience. These species, their traits, and the mechanisms underlying them comprise a valuable resource that can be mined for numerous conceptual insights and applied objectives. One of the most dramatic adaptations to water limitation is desiccation tolerance. Understanding the mechanisms underlying desiccation tolerance has important potential implications for medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, and conservation. However, progress has been hindered by a lack of standardization across sub-disciplines, complicating the integration of data and slowing the translation of basic discoveries into practical applications. Here, we synthesize current knowledge on desiccation tolerance across evolutionary, ecological, physiological, and cellular scales to provide a roadmap for advancing desiccation tolerance research. We also address critical gaps and technical roadblocks, highlighting the need for standardized experimental practices, improved taxonomic sampling, and the development of new tools for studying biology in a dry state. We hope that this perspective can serve as a roadmap to accelerating research breakthroughs and unlocking the potential of desiccation tolerance to address global challenges related to climate change, food security, and health.
