# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Plant Molecular Biology Research Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/plant-molecular-biology-research/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Plant Molecular Biology Research research in the Class of 2026?

Plant molecular biology research in the Class of 2026 is driven by transcriptomic profiling of abiotic stress tolerance, with major surges in cold and drought responses. Abscisic acid (ABA) signaling and WRKY/ERF transcription factors lead regulatory insights in Arabidopsis, rice, and tomato, while CRISPR editing and long-read genomics emerge as key functional drivers.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Plant Molecular Biology Research |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 7,169 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Arabidopsis thaliana, transcriptomics, ABA signaling, WRKY transcription factors, abiotic stress tolerance |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 43–93 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Peptide REF1 is a local wound signal promoting plant regeneration | Wentao Yang, Huawei Zhai, Fangming Wu, Lei Deng, Yu Chao, Xianwen Meng, Qian Chen, Chenhuan Liu, Xiaomin Bie, Chuanlong Sun, Yang Yu, Xiaofei Zhang, Xiaoyue Zhang, Zeqian Chang, Min Xue, Yajie Zhao, Xiangbing Meng, Boshu Li, Xiansheng Zhang, Dajian Zhang, Xiangyu Zhao, Caixia Gao, Jiayang Li, Chuanyou Li | Lei Deng, Chuanyou Li | Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | Cell | 93 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.040 |
| 2 | MYB-related transcription factors control chloroplast biogenesis | Eftychios Frangedakis, Nataliya E Yelina, Kumari Billakurthi, Lei Hua, Tina Schreier, Patrick J Dickinson, Marta Tomaselli, Jim Haseloff, Julian M Hibberd | Eftychios Frangedakis, Julian M. Hibberd | University of Cambridge, United Kingdom | Cell | 66 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.039 |
| 3 | Exaptation of ancestral cell-identity networks enables C4 photosynthesis | Joseph Swift, Leonie H Luginbuehl, Lei Hua, Tina B Schreier, Ruth M Donald, Susan Stanley, Na Wang, Travis A Lee, Joseph R Nery, Joseph R Ecker, Julian M Hibberd | Leonie H. Luginbuehl, Joseph R. Ecker, Julian M. Hibberd | Salk Institute for Biological Studies, United States | Nature | 64 | 10.1038/s41586-024-08204-3 |
| 4 | Stress-induced nuclear translocation of ONAC023 improves drought and heat tolerance through multiple processes in rice | Yu Chang, Yujie Fang, Jiahan Liu, Tiantian Ye, Xiaokai Li, Haifu Tu, Ying Ye, Yao Wang, Lizhong Xiong | Yujie Fang, Lizhong Xiong | Huazhong Agricultural University, China | Nature Communications | 63 | 10.1038/s41467-024-50229-9 |
| 5 | The temperature sensor TWA1 is required for thermotolerance in Arabidopsis | Lisa Bohn, Jin Huang, Susan Weidig, Zhenyu Yang, Christoph Heidersberger, Bernard Genty, Pascal Falter-Braun, Alexander Christmann, Erwin Grill | Alexander Christmann, Erwin Grill | Technische Universität München, Germany | Nature | 62 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07424-x |
| 6 | An AP2/ERF transcription factor confers chilling tolerance in rice | Liang Xu, Lijia Yang, Aipeng Li, Jiazhuo Guo, Huanyu Wang, Haoyue Qi, Ming Li, Pingfang Yang, Shiyong Song | Liang Xu, Lijia Yang, Aipeng Li, Jiazhuo Guo, Shiyong Song | Zhejiang University, China | Science Advances | 62 | 10.1126/sciadv.ado4788 |
| 7 | Transcriptome analysis of axillary buds in low phosphorus stress and functional analysis of TaWRKY74s in wheat | Xue-Zheng Li, Xiao-Tong Zhang, Xiao-Min Bie, Jing Zhang, Deng-Ji Jiang, Heng Tang, Fang Wang | Heng Tang, Fang Wang | Shandong Agricultural University, China | BMC Plant Biology | 58 | 10.1186/s12870-023-04695-w |
| 8 | Structure and function of the <i>Arabidopsis</i> ABC transporter ABCB19 in brassinosteroid export | Wei Ying, Yaowei Wang, Hong Wei, Yongming Luo, Qian Ma, Heyuan Zhu, Hilde Janssens, Nemanja Vukašinović, Miroslav Kvasnica, Johan M Winne, Yongxiang Gao, Shutang Tan, Jiří Friml, Xin Liu, Eugenia Russinova, Linfeng Sun | Wei Ying, Yaowei Wang, Hong Wei, Yongming Luo, Xin Liu, Eugenia Russinova, Linfeng Sun | University of Science and Technology of China, China | Science | 56 | 10.1126/science.adj4591 |
| 9 | Regulatory mechanisms of strigolactone perception in rice | Qingliang Hu, Huihui Liu, Yajun He, Yanrong Hao, Jijun Yan, Simao Liu, Xiahe Huang, Zongyun Yan, Dahan Zhang, Xinwei Ban, Hao Zhang, Qianqian Li, Jingkun Zhang, Peiyong Xin, Yanhui Jing, Liquan Kou, Dajun Sang, Yonghong Wang, Yingchun Wang, Xiangbing Meng, Xiangdong Fu, Jinfang Chu, Bing Wang, Jiayang Li | Qingliang Hu | Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | Cell | 56 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.009 |
| 10 | Microbial colonisation rewires the composition and content of poplar root exudates, root and shoot metabolomes | F Fracchia, F Guinet, N L Engle, T J Tschaplinski, C Veneault-Fourrey, A Deveau | Claire Veneault‐Fourrey, Aurélie Deveau | Université de Lorraine, France | Microbiome | 53 | 10.1186/s40168-024-01888-9 |
| 11 | A cytoplasmic osmosensing mechanism mediated by molecular crowding–sensitive DCP5 | Zhenyu Wang, Qiuhua Yang, Dan Zhang, Yuanyi Lu, Yichuan Wang, Yajie Pan, Yuping Qiu, Yongfan Men, Wei Yan, Zhina Xiao, Ruixue Sun, Wenyang Li, Hongda Huang, Hongwei Guo | Hongwei Guo | Southern University of Science and Technology, China | Science | 53 | 10.1126/science.adk9067 |
| 12 | Light-induced remodeling of phytochrome B enables signal transduction by phytochrome-interacting factor | Zhengdong Wang, Wenfeng Wang, Didi Zhao, Yanping Song, Xiaoli Lin, Meng Shen, Cheng Chi, Bin Xu, Jun Zhao, Xing Wang Deng, Jizong Wang | Xing Wang Deng, Jizong Wang | Peking University, China | Cell | 53 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.09.005 |
| 13 | The super-pangenome of Populus unveils genomic facets for its adaptation and diversification in widespread forest trees | Tingting Shi, Xinxin Zhang, Yukang Hou, Changfu Jia, Xuming Dan, Yulin Zhang, Yuanzhong Jiang, Qiang Lai, Jiajun Feng, Jianju Feng, Tao Ma, Jiali Wu, Shuyu Liu, Lei Zhang, Zhiqin Long, Liyang Chen, Nathaniel R Street, Pär K Ingvarsson, Jianquan Liu, Tongming Yin, Jing Wang | Jianquan Liu, Tongming Yin, Jing Wang | Sichuan University, China | Molecular Plant | 49 | 10.1016/j.molp.2024.03.009 |
| 14 | Differential phosphorylation of Ca2+-permeable channel CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDE–GATED CHANNEL20 modulates calcium-mediated freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis | Yue Peng, Yuhang Ming, Bochen Jiang, Xiuyue Zhang, Diyi Fu, Qihong Lin, Xiaoyan Zhang, Yi Wang, Yiting Shi, Zhizhong Gong, Yanglin Ding, Shuhua Yang | Shuhua Yang | China Agricultural University, China | The Plant Cell | 49 | 10.1093/plcell/koae177 |
| 15 | Two telomere-to-telomere gapless genomes reveal insights into Capsicum evolution and capsaicinoid biosynthesis | Weikai Chen, Xiangfeng Wang, Jie Sun, Xinrui Wang, Zhangsheng Zhu, Dilay Hazal Ayhan, Shu Yi, Ming Yan, Lili Zhang, Tan Meng, Yu Mu, Jun Li, Dian Meng, Jianxin Bian, Ke Wang, Lu Wang, Shaoying Chen, Ruidong Chen, Jingyun Jin, Bosheng Li, Xingping Zhang, Xing Wang Deng, Hang He, Li Guo | Hang He, Li Guo | Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, China | Nature Communications | 49 | 10.1038/s41467-024-48643-0 |
| 16 | A Zea genus-specific micropeptide controls kernel dehydration in maize | Yanhui Yu, Wenqiang Li, Yuanfang Liu, Yanjun Liu, Qinzhi Zhang, Yidan Ouyang, Wenya Ding, Yu Xue, Yilin Zou, Junjun Yan, Anqiang Jia, Jiali Yan, Xinfei Hao, Yujie Gou, Zhaowei Zhai, Longyu Liu, Yang Zheng, Bao Zhang, Jieting Xu, Ning Yang, Yingjie Xiao, Lin Zhuo, Zhibing Lai, Ping Yin, Hai-Jun Liu, Alisdair R Fernie, David Jackson, Jianbing Yan | Junjun Yan, Jiali Yan, Jianbing Yan | Huazhong Agricultural University, China | Cell | 49 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.030 |
| 17 | Prediction of plant complex traits via integration of multi-omics data | Peipei Wang, Melissa D Lehti-Shiu, Serena Lotreck, Kenia Segura Abá, Patrick J Krysan, Shin-Han Shiu | Peipei Wang | Michigan State University, United States | Nature Communications | 45 | 10.1038/s41467-024-50701-6 |
| 18 | Identification of plant transcriptional activation domains | Nicholas Morffy, Lisa Van den Broeck, Caelan Miller, Ryan J Emenecker, John A Bryant, Tyler M Lee, Katelyn Sageman-Furnas, Edward G Wilkinson, Sunita Pathak, Sanjana R Kotha, Angelica Lam, Saloni Mahatma, Vikram Pande, Aman Waoo, R Clay Wright, Alex S Holehouse, Max V Staller, Rosangela Sozzani, Lucia C Strader | Lucia C. Strader | Duke University, United States | Nature | 44 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07707-3 |
| 19 | Adaptive roles of cytokinins in enhancing plant resilience and yield against environmental stressors | Nishbah Mughal, Noman Shoaib, Jianhua Chen, Yang Li, Yuhong He, Man Fu, Xingyun Li, Yuanyuan He, Jinya Guo, Juncai Deng, Wenyu Yang, Jiang Liu | Jiang Liu | Sichuan Agricultural University, China | Chemosphere | 44 | 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143189 |
| 20 | The OsNAC41-RoLe1-OsAGAP module promotes root development and drought resistance in upland rice | Shichen Han, Yulong Wang, Yingxiu Li, Rui Zhu, Yunsong Gu, Jin Li, Haifeng Guo, Wei Ye, Hafiz Ghualm Nabi, Tao Yang, Yanming Wang, Pengli Liu, Junzhi Duan, Xingming Sun, Zhanying Zhang, Hongliang Zhang, Zichao Li, Jinjie Li | Shichen Han | China Agricultural University, China | Molecular Plant | 43 | 10.1016/j.molp.2024.09.002 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026 in Plant Molecular Biology?

The Class of 2026 in plant molecular biology research is overwhelmingly centered on understanding environmental stress resilience and hormone-mediated regulatory networks in model and crop species. Arabidopsis thaliana remains the premier model system, appearing in 24% of top-ranked publications (12 papers), serving as the foundational platform for dissecting fundamental cellular mechanisms. Simultaneously, translation to key agronomic crops is evident through heavy representation of rice (Oryza sativa, 10% of papers) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, 8% of papers).

Methodologically, transcriptomics has established itself as the primary engine for high-throughput discovery, representing 10% of high-impact works. At the mechanistic level, phytohormone signaling networks—most notably abscisic acid (ABA) signaling (8%) and auxin signaling (6%)—dominate current inquiries, underpinning plant responses to fluctuating environments. Downstream of hormone perception, specific transcriptional regulatory machinery commands significant attention, led by WRKY transcription factors (8%), ERF family regulators (6%), and cis-regulatory element architecture (6%). Environmental adaptation research is tightly clustered around abiotic stress resilience, particularly cold tolerance and drought stress responses. Together, these topics define a field focused on deciphering gene regulatory networks that orchestrate stress survival, developmental plasticity, and crop productivity.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

A comparison between the Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 highlights a decisive shift toward multi-stress climate adaptation mechanisms and functional genomics technologies. The most prominent surge occurred in cold tolerance and drought stress research, both expanding from zero top-ranked papers in the previous cohort to four papers each (0.08 normalized frequency) in the Class of 2026. This focus on environmental extremes was mirrored by a 4-fold increase in abscisic acid (ABA) signaling (growing from 2% to 8% frequency) and a 5-fold expansion in transcriptomic studies (from 2% to 10%), reflecting an emphasis on systems-level hormone dynamics under stress.

Emerging transcription factor families also saw rapid adoption; ERF (ethylene response factor) transcription factors surged from zero to 6% frequency, working alongside WRKY regulators to coordinate stress defense. Additionally, next-generation functional tools—including CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, complete long-read genome assemblies, and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS)—entered the top-cited tier for the first time, alongside enzymatic ROS-scavenging markers like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Conversely, general salt tolerance studies experienced a 50% relative decline (dropping from 12% to 6% frequency), indicating that research attention has broadened from isolated salinity responses toward integrative osmotic and temperature stress signaling.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Plant Molecular Biology Research Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/plant-molecular-biology-research/2026. Accessed 2026-07-23.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```