Plant cell walls provide structural integrity and protective functions to plants, while largely contributing the bulk of their biomass. They are composed of bio-macromolecular assemblies made up of different classes of polysaccharides, proteoglycans, and aromatic polymers that play crucial roles in plant growth, development, morphogenesis, and responses to environmental cues.

Recent advances in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and analytical and imaging techniques have significantly enhanced research on plant cell walls both at the molecular and cellular levels. Moreover, a wide range of products with increasing importance, e.g. biobased fuels, biomaterials, chemicals and paper, can be obtained from plant cell wall-derived biomass. Greater understanding of cell wall architecture, molecular composition and organization, and functions could therefore help enhancing crop resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as crop photosynthetic capacity by alleviating CO2 diffusion limitations imposed by the cell wall. Moreover, research on plant cell wall could also reveal novel applications to use plant cell wall-derived biomass as a renewable source of energy and biomaterials.

In support of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), BMC Plant Biology is launching the collection ‘Advances and applications in plant cell wall research’. This collection aims to explore fundamental research on plant cell wall as well as potential applications in biotechnology and sustainable agriculture. We invite researchers and experts in the field to submit research articles that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:

Architecture, structure, composition, organization, and functions of the plant cell wall

The life and development of the plant cell wall

Regulation of cell wall formation

Plant cell wall polymer and polysaccharide biosynthesis

Plant cell wall remodeling mechanisms under biotic and abiotic stress

Enhancement of plant/crop stress resilience and photosynthesis by cell wall remodeling

Genomic and bioinformatic approaches in plant cell wall research

Synthetic biology approaches in plant cell wall research

Plant cell wall signaling

Advances in imaging plant cell wall, as well as chemical and analytical methods to study plant cell wall

Biotechnological and agricultural applications of plant cell wall-derived biomass for the production of renewable source of energy and biomaterials

Bioengineering of plant cell wall polymers and polysaccharides

CRISPR-Cas9 technology applied to plant cell wall modifications and bioengineering

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

Plant genome editing has rapidly evolved into a transformative technology in plant biology, offering novel and effective approaches for functional genomics and molecular breeding research. The increasing use and development of CRISPR-Cas genome-editing technologies have indeed enhanced our understanding of gene functions and regulation, and facilitated the development of crops with improved yields, nutritional characteristics or resilience to environmental stress. As the global populations is rising and climate change poses new challenges, the ability to bioengineer and enhance specific plant traits has become essential to achieve sustainable agricultural practices, and food security and nutrition.

In support of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2: Zero Hunger), BMC Plant Biology is launching the Collection ‘Plant Genome Editing: Advances and Applications in Plant Biology’. This collection invites submissions that highlight current research and future perspectives in plant genome editing, covering e.g. advances in gene-editing techniques (e.g. CRISPR/Cas systems) and their applications in plant functional genomics and molecular breeding, as well as biotechnological applications aimed at enhancing crop productivity. We invite researchers and experts in the field to submit research articles that explore, but are not limited to, the following topics:

Advances in CRISPR/Cas9-based genome engineering in plant biology

Advanced CRISPR/Cas variants: CRISPR-Cas9 and CRISPR-Cas12a systems in plant genome editing

Applications of engineered Cas9 and newly discovered RNA guided DNA endonucleases in plants

Novel approaches for tissue culture-free genome editing in plants

Targeted epigenetic modifications using CRISPR/Cas

RNP-mediated genome editing

Applications of prime editing in plant molecular breeding and crop trait improvement

CRISPR/Cas applications in plant biotechnology: improving crop yield, quality and stress-resistance

Advances in genome editing technologies for next-generation plant breeding

Emerging technologies for delivering the CRISPR/Cas system in crop species

CRISPR/Cas applications in plant synthetic biology

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.