Cell cycle follows PAUSE and PLAY mechanism in environment stress recovery in diverse plant species

Authors: HAZELWOOD, OLIVIA - University Of British Columbia; DIEHL, KAMRYN - University Of British Columbia; Hollenbeck, Vicky; Herb, Dustin; Gallagher, Joseph; ASHRAF, ARIF - University Of British Columbia; DEMURA-DEVOR, JOH - University Of British Columbia

Submitted to: New Phytologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/29/2026
Publication Date: 3/11/2026
Citation: Hazelwood, O.S., Diehl, K., Hollenbeck, V.G., Herb, D.W., Gallagher, J.P., Ashraf, A.M., Demura-Devor, J. 2026. Cell cycle follows PAUSE and PLAY mechanism in environment stress recovery in diverse plant species. New Phytologist. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71041.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71041

Interpretive Summary: Plant stress tolerance is an important trait for improving crop productivity and performance. For plants that survive a period of environmental stress, the next step is to recover from that stress. We investigated how plants recover from stress at the whole root, cellular, and molecular level across two model plants, Arabidopsis thaliana and Brachypodium distachyon, and forage grass Lolium multiflorum (annual ryegrass). We found that these plants share a conserved “pause and play” cell cycle circuit, leading to reduced growth under salt and cold stress that recovers to normal growth under normal conditions. Because this is conserved across these diverse plants, this pathway likely provides a framework for understanding how stress recovery works in many crop species, helping to breed varieties with higher stress resilience.

Technical Abstract: Across the tree of life, organisms interact with the surrounding environment during growth and development. The alteration of organismal growth due to environmental stress is orchestrated at the cellular level and manifested at the organ level. Organismal growth relies on a combination of cell division, expansion, and differentiation. In a natural environment, periods of stress may be followed by recovery periods, when plants have the opportunity to return to normal growth conditions. We tested the cell cycle regulation during control, stress, and recovery period for salt, osmotic, cold, and heat stresses using eudicot Arabidopsis thaliana and monocots Brachypodium distachyon, and Lolium multiflorum (annual ryegrass). We identified a conserved “pause and play” mechanism of cell cycle during environmental stress and recovery.