Jiamin Wang , Xian Zhang , Guifen Wang

Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Maize Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 4   
Received: 05 Jun., 2025    Accepted: 20 Jul., 2025    Published: 10 Aug., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

High temperature stress is an important limiting factor affecting the yield and quality of maize (Zea mays). In recent years, with global warming, the problem of reduced corn production caused by high temperatures has become increasingly prominent. Therefore, it is of great significance to analyze the molecular mechanism by which corn seedlings respond to high-temperature stress. This study reviews the physiological effects of high temperature on the growth and development of corn seedlings, as well as the latest progress in exploring high-temperature response genes in corn using transcriptomics technology. It elaborates on the interference of high-temperature stress on physiological processes such as photosynthesis and respiration in corn, as well as the response characteristics such as reactive oxygen species accumulation, antioxidant defense, and hormone level changes. Analyze the expression patterns and protective effects of the corn heat shock protein family genes, the regulatory functions of heat response transcription factors (such as HSF, bZIP, NAC, etc.), and the potential regulatory roles of non-coding Rnas such as miRNA, and summarize the main pathways of high-temperature signal perception and conduction. Especially the role of signaling pathways such as Ca²⁺, ABA, and MAPK in the heat stress response of maize, and the key regulatory modules and candidate genes are revealed through the gene co-expression network. The preliminary molecular map of the high-temperature response of corn has been constructed, but there are still weak links in the research. This study looks forward to the future and requires the integration of multi-omics techniques to deeply reveal the mechanism of corn heat tolerance, in order to promote the breeding of new corn varieties with stable yields under high-temperature conditions.

Corn; High-temperature stress; Transcriptome; Thermal response gene; Heat resistance