The NAP transcription factor: An integrative node for environmental and developmental signals in plant senescence.

NAP, a NAC transcription factor, integrates developmental age and environmental cues to coordinate leaf senescence by activating effector genes and hormone-linked feedback loops.

• Why it matters: Organ senescence must balance developmental timing with environmental conditions, yet the mechanisms that connect these inputs to a unified transcriptional output remain unclear.
• What they did: This review synthesizes evidence on how developmental, hormonal, and environmental signals converge on NAP via transcriptional, epigenetic, post-transcriptional, and post-translational regulation, and how NAP drives leaf senescence.
• The result: NAP directly activates senescence effector genes, reinforces abscisic acid, ethylene, and salicylic acid biosynthesis, promotes cytokinin degradation, and accelerates water loss via stomatal regulation, with conserved roles across monocots and eudicots.

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