Antioxidant redox-targeted genome and transgenic channeling for cellular homeostasis in climate-adapted crops

Abiotic stresses trigger excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in oxidative damage to the crops. Recent advances in genome editing and transgenic technologies have enabled targeted manipulation of genes and pathways controlling antioxidant metabolism and redox homeostasis. This review examined the genetic, molecular, and metabolic regulation of diverse antioxidant responses across crop species, organs, and developmental phases. It aimed on determining the functional consequences of differences among tissues and growth stages in redox homeostasis under climatic stress. We overviewed studies that focused on genome-scale profiling, biochemicals, and metabolite analysis of stress-related antioxidants across different crop species to identify regulatory elements suitable for genome editing. These studies consistently indicated that antioxidant activity is determined by tissue specificity, developmental stage, and metabolic demand, in addition to regulation by specific genes and enzymes. In this review, we further showed the developing role of algorithm-based analytics and automated model-training approaches in enabling the identification of antioxidant regulatory targets, integration of complex datasets, and improved prediction of plant stress tolerance. These technological processes allow for efficient genomic selection, CRISPR-mediated genome editing, and transgenic manipulation for enhancing breeding strategies that are aimed at improving antioxidant response efficiency. Our review indicates that molecular and genomic regulation of antioxidants is a major mechanism for developing stress-tolerant crops.