Integrative Multi-Omics of Arsenic and Metalloid Stress in Horticultural Crops: From Gene Family Discovery to Phytochemical Defense and Phytoremediation

Arsenic and other metalloids are among the most pervasive and toxicologically significant contaminants of agricultural soils and irrigation waters. Their uptake by crop plants threatens yield, fruit quality, and food safety, and ultimately moves toxic species into the human food chain. While the physiological consequences of metalloid exposure are now well documented, the molecular circuitry that governs uptake, sequestration, detoxification, and tolerance in horticulturally important crops - particularly Cucurbitaceae (e.g., Cucurbita, Citrullus) and Solanaceae (e.g., Capsicum, Solanum lycopersicum) - remains fragmentary. Most published work focuses on cadmium or on a single 'omic layer; far fewer studies integrate transcriptomic, metabolomic, proteomic, and genomic evidence in the same system, and even fewer translate that evidence into actionable pre-breeding or phytoremediation strategies.This Research Topic will assemble work that uses integrative multi-omics approaches to decode how horticultural crops perceive, transport, and detoxify arsenic and other metalloids, and how these responses interact with the plant's specialized metabolism (e.g., cucurbitacins, capsaicinoids, carotenoids, phenolics) and with associated microbial communities. We are particularly interested in contributions that link gene-family-scale discoveries - for example, Heavy-Metal-Associated (HMA) ATPases, ABC and PHT transporters, F-box regulators, metallothioneins, and phytochelatin synthases - to downstream metabolite reprogramming and to translational outputs such as marker-assisted selection, CRISPR-edited tolerant lines, or microbe-assisted phytoremediation.We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, and Methods articles addressing, but not limited to:• Genome-wide identification and functional dissection of metalloid-responsive gene families in cucurbits, peppers, tomato, and related horticultural crops.• Integrated transcriptomic, metabolomic, and proteomic profiling of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, or mercury exposure in edible plants.• GWAS, QTL-seq, TWAS, and spatial transcriptomics applied to natural variation in metalloid tolerance and accumulation.• Role of specialized metabolites (cucurbitacins, capsaicinoids, carotenoids, glucosinolates, phenolics) in mitigating metalloid-induced oxidative stress.• Phytoremediation and microbe-assisted (rhizosphere, endophyte) bioremediation of arsenic- and metalloid-contaminated agricultural soils, with mechanistic 'omics evidence.',• Cross-talk between metalloid stress and biotic stress responses (e.g., anthracnose, oomycete pathogens) in horticultural species.• Translational outputs: pre-breeding lines, gene-edited tolerant genotypes, low-accumulator cultivars, and decision tools for safer food production.• Methodological advances enabling multi-omics integration in non-model horticultural crops, including AI/ML-assisted data fusion.By unifying mechanistic plant molecular biology with translational phytoremediation, this Research Topic aims to provide a state-of-the-art reference for researchers, breeders, and policy-makers working to safeguard horticultural crop production in metalloid-impacted environments.Note: Descriptive 'omics surveys without functional or translational follow-up will not be considered. Topic editors: Carlos Lopez-Ortiz, Nagamani Balagurusamy Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82760/integrative-multi-omics-of-arsenic-and-metalloid-stress-in-horticultural-crops-from-gene-family-discovery-to-phytochemical-defense-and-phytoremediation