International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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17 pages, 3408 KiB

Open AccessArticle

RCD1 Promotes Salt Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis by Repressing ANAC017 Activity

by Jinyuan Tao, Feiyan Wu, Haoming Wen, Xiaoqin Liu, Weigui Luo, Lei Gao, Zhonghao Jiang, Beixin Mo, Xuemei Chen, Wenwen Kong and Yu Yu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(12), 9793; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24129793 - 06 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1727

Abstract

Plants have evolved diverse strategies to accommodate saline environments. More insights into the knowledge of salt stress regulatory pathways will benefit crop breeding. RADICAL-INDUCED CELL DEATH 1 (RCD1) was previously identified as an essential player in salt stress response. However, the underlying mechanism [...] Read more.

Plants have evolved diverse strategies to accommodate saline environments. More insights into the knowledge of salt stress regulatory pathways will benefit crop breeding. RADICAL-INDUCED CELL DEATH 1 (RCD1) was previously identified as an essential player in salt stress response. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we unraveled that Arabidopsis NAC domain-containing protein 17 (ANAC017) acts downstream of RCD1 in salt stress response, and its ER-to-nucleus transport is triggered by high salinity. Genetic and biochemical evidence showed that RCD1 interacts with transmembrane motif-truncated ANAC017 in the nucleus and represses its transcriptional activity. Transcriptome analysis revealed that genes associated with oxidation reduction process and response to salt stress are similarly dysregulated in loss-of-function rcd1 and gain-of-function anac017-2 mutants. In addition, we found that ANAC017 plays a negative role in salt stress response by impairing the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity. Taken together, our study uncovered that RCD1 promotes salt stress response and maintains ROS homeostasis by inhibiting ANAC017 activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in Plants)

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17 pages, 8755 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of R2R3-MYB Genes Response to Saline–Alkali Stress in Quinoa

by Yuqi Liu, Mingyu Wang, Yongshun Huang, Peng Zhu, Guangtao Qian, Yiming Zhang and Lixin Li

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(11), 9132; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24119132 - 23 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1288

Abstract

Soil saline–alkalization inhibits plant growth and development and seriously affects crop yields. Over their long-term evolution, plants have formed complex stress response systems to maintain species continuity. R2R3-MYB transcription factors are one of the largest transcription factor families in plants, widely involved in [...] Read more.

Soil saline–alkalization inhibits plant growth and development and seriously affects crop yields. Over their long-term evolution, plants have formed complex stress response systems to maintain species continuity. R2R3-MYB transcription factors are one of the largest transcription factor families in plants, widely involved in plant growth and development, metabolism, and stress response. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), as a crop with high nutritional value, is tolerant to various biotic and abiotic stress. In this study, we identified 65 R2R3-MYB genes in quinoa, which are divided into 26 subfamilies. In addition, we analyzed the evolutionary relationships, protein physicochemical properties, conserved domains and motifs, gene structure, and cis-regulatory elements of CqR2R3-MYB family members. To investigate the roles of CqR2R3-MYB transcription factors in abiotic stress response, we performed transcriptome analysis to figure out the expression file of CqR2R3-MYB genes under saline–alkali stress. The results indicate that the expression of the six CqMYB2R genes was altered significantly in quinoa leaves that had undergone saline–alkali stress. Subcellular localization and transcriptional activation activity analysis revealed that CqMYB2R09, CqMYB2R16, CqMYB2R25, and CqMYB2R62, whose Arabidopsis homologues are involved in salt stress response, are localized in the nucleus and exhibit transcriptional activation activity. Our study provides basic information and effective clues for further functional investigation of CqR2R3-MYB transcription factors in quinoa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in Plants)

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16 pages, 4329 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of Stress Response of Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase and Trehalose-6-Phosphate Phosphatase Genes in Quinoa

by Xiaoting Wang, Mingyu Wang, Yongshun Huang, Peng Zhu, Guangtao Qian, Yiming Zhang, Yuqi Liu, Jingwen Zhou and Lixin Li

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(8), 6950; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24086950 - 09 Apr 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1870

Abstract

Saline-alkali stress seriously affects the yield and quality of crops, threatening food security and ecological security. Improving saline-alkali land and increasing effective cultivated land are conducive to sustainable agricultural development. Trehalose, a nonreducing disaccharide, is closely related to plant growth and development and [...] Read more.

Saline-alkali stress seriously affects the yield and quality of crops, threatening food security and ecological security. Improving saline-alkali land and increasing effective cultivated land are conducive to sustainable agricultural development. Trehalose, a nonreducing disaccharide, is closely related to plant growth and development and stress response. Trehalose 6-phosphate synthase (TPS) and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (TPP) are key enzymes catalyzing trehalose biosynthesis. To elucidate the effects of long-term saline-alkali stress on trehalose synthesis and metabolism, we conducted an integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis. As a result, 13 TPS and 11 TPP genes were identified in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) and were named CqTPS1-13 and CqTPP1-11 according to the order of their Gene IDs. Through phylogenetic analysis, the CqTPS family is divided into two classes, and the CqTPP family is divided into three classes. Analyses of physicochemical properties, gene structures, conservative domains and motifs in the proteins, and cis-regulatory elements, as well as evolutionary relationships, indicate that the TPS and TPP family characteristics are highly conserved in quinoa. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses of the sucrose and starch metabolism pathway in leaves undergoing saline-alkali stress indicate that CqTPP and Class II CqTPS genes are involved in the stress response. Moreover, the accumulation of some metabolites and the expression of many regulatory genes in the trehalose biosynthesis pathway changed significantly, suggesting the metabolic process is important for the saline-alkali stress response in quinoa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in Plants)

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21 pages, 5733 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis of Rice Leaves Response to High Saline–Alkali Stress

by Guangtao Qian, Mingyu Wang, Xiaoting Wang, Kai Liu, Ying Li, Yuanyuan Bu and Lixin Li

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 4062; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24044062 - 17 Feb 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2469

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important crops grown worldwide, and saline–alkali stress seriously affects the yield and quality of rice. It is imperative to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying rice response to saline–alkali stress. In this study, we [...] Read more.

Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important crops grown worldwide, and saline–alkali stress seriously affects the yield and quality of rice. It is imperative to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying rice response to saline–alkali stress. In this study, we conducted an integrated analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome to elucidate the effects of long-term saline–alkali stress on rice. High saline–alkali stress (pH > 9.5) induced significant changes in gene expression and metabolites, including 9347 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 693 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs). Among the DAMs, lipids and amino acids accumulation were greatly enhanced. The pathways of the ABC transporter, amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, glutathione metabolism, TCA cycle, and linoleic acid metabolism, etc., were significantly enriched with DEGs and DAMs. These results suggest that the metabolites and pathways play important roles in rice’s response to high saline–alkali stress. Our study deepens the understanding of mechanisms response to saline–alkali stress and provides references for molecular design breeding of saline–alkali resistant rice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in Plants)

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20 pages, 6007 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Starch and Sucrose Metabolism and Plant Hormone Signaling Pathways Play Crucial Roles in Aquilegia Salt Stress Adaption

by Lifei Chen, Yuan Meng, Yun Bai, Haihang Yu, Ying Qian, Dongyang Zhang and Yunwei Zhou

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 3948; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043948 - 16 Feb 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2591

Abstract

Salt stress is one of the main abiotic stresses that strongly affects plant growth. Clarifying the molecular regulatory mechanism in ornamental plants under salt stress is of great significance for the ecological development of saline soil areas. Aquilegia vulgaris is a perennial with [...] Read more.

Salt stress is one of the main abiotic stresses that strongly affects plant growth. Clarifying the molecular regulatory mechanism in ornamental plants under salt stress is of great significance for the ecological development of saline soil areas. Aquilegia vulgaris is a perennial with a high ornamental and commercial value. To narrow down the key responsive pathways and regulatory genes, we analyzed the transcriptome of A. vulgaris under a 200 mM NaCl treatment. A total of 5600 differentially expressed genes were identified. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis pointed out that starch and sucrose metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction were significantly improved. The above pathways played crucial roles when A. vulgaris was coping with salt stress, and their protein–protein interactions (PPIs) were predicted. This research provides new insights into the molecular regulatory mechanism, which could be the theoretical basis for screening candidate genes in Aquilegia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in Plants)

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17 pages, 3377 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Overexpression of β-Ketoacyl CoA Synthase 2B.1 from Chenopodium quinoa Promotes Suberin Monomers’ Production and Salt Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

by Faheem Tariq, Shuangshuang Zhao, Naveed Ahmad, Pingping Wang, Qun Shao, Changle Ma and Xianpeng Yang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(21), 13204; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113204 - 30 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1708

Abstract

Very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) are precursors for the synthesis of various lipids, such as triacylglycerols, sphingolipids, cuticular waxes, and suberin monomers, which play important roles in plant growth and stress responses. However, the underlying molecular mechanism regulating VLCFAs’ biosynthesis in quinoa (Chenopodium [...] Read more.

Very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) are precursors for the synthesis of various lipids, such as triacylglycerols, sphingolipids, cuticular waxes, and suberin monomers, which play important roles in plant growth and stress responses. However, the underlying molecular mechanism regulating VLCFAs’ biosynthesis in quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) remains unclear. In this study, we identified and functionally characterized putative 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthases (KCSs) from quinoa. Among these KCS genes, CqKCS2B.1 showed high transcript levels in the root tissues and these were rapidly induced by salt stress. CqKCS2B.1 was localized to the endoplasmic reticulum. Overexpression of CqKCS2B.1 in Arabidopsis resulted in significantly longer primary roots and more lateral roots. Ectopic expression of CqKCS2B.1 in Arabidopsis promoted the accumulation of suberin monomers. The occurrence of VLCFAs with C22–C24 chain lengths in the overexpression lines suggested that CqKCS2B.1 plays an important role in the elongation of VLCFAs from C20 to C24. The transgenic lines of overexpressed CqKCS2B.1 showed increased salt tolerance, as indicated by an increased germination rate and improved plant growth and survival under salt stress. These findings highlight the significant role of CqKCS2B.1 in VLCFAs’ production, thereby regulating suberin biosynthesis and responses to salt stress. CqKCS2B.1 could be utilized as a candidate gene locus to breed superior, stress-tolerant quinoa cultivars. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in Plants)

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21 pages, 5657 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Identification of the A20/AN1 Zinc Finger Protein Family Genes in Ipomoea batatas and Its Two Relatives and Function Analysis of IbSAP16 in Salinity Tolerance

by Hao Xie, Qiangqiang Yang, Xiaoxiao Wang, Michael R. Schläppi, Hui Yan, Meng Kou, Wei Tang, Xin Wang, Yungang Zhang, Qiang Li, Shaojun Dai and Yaju Liu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(19), 11551; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911551 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1846

Abstract

Stress-associated protein (SAP) genes—encoding A20/AN1 zinc-finger domain-containing proteins—play pivotal roles in regulating stress responses, growth, and development in plants. They are considered suitable candidates to improve abiotic stress tolerance in plants. However, the SAP gene family in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) and [...] Read more.

Stress-associated protein (SAP) genes—encoding A20/AN1 zinc-finger domain-containing proteins—play pivotal roles in regulating stress responses, growth, and development in plants. They are considered suitable candidates to improve abiotic stress tolerance in plants. However, the SAP gene family in sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) and its relatives is yet to be investigated. In this study, 20 SAPs in sweetpotato, and 23 and 26 SAPs in its wild diploid relatives Ipomoea triloba and Ipomoea trifida were identified. The chromosome locations, gene structures, protein physiological properties, conserved domains, and phylogenetic relationships of these SAPs were analyzed systematically. Binding motif analysis of IbSAPs indicated that hormone and stress responsive cis-acting elements were distributed in their promoters. RT-qPCR or RNA-seq data revealed that the expression patterns of IbSAP, ItbSAP, and ItfSAP genes varied in different organs and responded to salinity, drought, or ABA (abscisic acid) treatments differently. Moreover, we found that IbSAP16 driven by the 35 S promoter conferred salinity tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. These results provided a genome-wide characterization of SAP genes in sweetpotato and its two relatives and suggested that IbSAP16 is involved in salinity stress responses. Our research laid the groundwork for studying SAP-mediated stress response mechanisms in sweetpotato. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in Plants)

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Review

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27 pages, 12484 KiB

Open AccessReview

Structure, Function, and Applications of Soybean Calcium Transporters

by Bowei Jia, Yuan Li, Xiaoli Sun and Mingzhe Sun

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(22), 14220; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232214220 - 17 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1702

Abstract

Glycine max is a calcium-loving crop. The external application of calcium fertilizer is beneficial to the increase of soybean yield. Indeed, calcium is a vital nutrient in plant growth and development. As a core metal ion in signaling transduction, calcium content is maintained [...] Read more.

Glycine max is a calcium-loving crop. The external application of calcium fertilizer is beneficial to the increase of soybean yield. Indeed, calcium is a vital nutrient in plant growth and development. As a core metal ion in signaling transduction, calcium content is maintained in dynamic balance under normal circumstances. Now, eight transporters were found to control the uptake and efflux of calcium. Though these calcium transporters have been identified through genome-wide analysis, only a few of them were functionally verified. Therefore, in this study, we summarized the current knowledge of soybean calcium transporters in structural features, expression characteristics, roles in stress response, and prospects. The above results will be helpful in understanding the function of cellular calcium transport and provide a theoretical basis for elevating soybean yield. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance in Plants)

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