Plant Cell Suspension Cultures as Models for Abiotic Stress Research

Abstract

Plant cell suspension cultures have emerged as powerful experimental systems for investigating plant responses to abiotic stress conditions. These homogeneous, rapidly dividing cell populations offer significant advantages over whole-plant systems, including controlled growth conditions, reduced experimental complexity, and enhanced reproducibility. This review examines the application of plant cell suspension cultures in abiotic stress research, with particular emphasis on drought, salinity, and temperature stress. We discuss the molecular, proteomic, and metabolomic responses observed in various species, including Arabidopsis thaliana, rice (Oryza sativa), and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor). The integration of multi-omics approaches has revealed complex regulatory networks governing stress adaptation, including alterations in primary and secondary metabolism, protein secretion pathways, and epigenetic modifications. Plant cell suspension cultures provide unique opportunities to dissect stress signaling pathways, identify novel stress-responsive genes, and evaluate the efficacy of stress-protective compounds. Despite certain limitations, such as the dedifferentiated nature of cultured cells and potential loss of tissue-specific responses, suspension cultures remain invaluable tools for fundamental research and biotechnological applications. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the utility of plant cell suspension cultures in abiotic stress research and highlights future directions for advancing our understanding of plant stress biology.