Molecular Switches in Plant Stress Adaptation: The Function and Engineering of Inducible Promoters

Promoters, containing multiple cis-regulatory elements, are crucial for plant gene expression. While constitutive promoters are widely used in stress-resistance engineering, their sustained strong expression can lead to metabolic waste and hinder growth. In contrast, inducible promoters enable precise, stage-specific gene activation, offering flexible regulation. Consequently, the development and application of inducible promoters have become a major focus in plant genetic engineering research. This paper reviews recent advances in plant stress-inducible promoters, including their structure, function, classification, associated functional elements, and interacting transcription factors. Furthermore, we discuss future research directions and application prospects, aiming to deepen the understanding of plant gene expression regulation and provide valuable promoter resources for genetic engineering and stress-tolerant crop improvement.