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Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: From Physiology to Molecular Genetic Improvement

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 8622

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Bingjun Yu

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
Interests: functional genomics of abiotic stress tolerance in G. max and G. soja, mechanisms of soybean-rhizobia symbiosis and stress adaptation, salt tolerance mechanisms in halophytes, etc.

Dr. Zhiyong Ni

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Guest Editor

College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Interests: drought and salt stress; molecular mechanism of abiotic stress; plant non-coding RNA
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil salinization has become one of the main abiotic stress factors that reduces available cropland and affects crop growth, yield and quality. Understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying salt stress tolerance is essential for developing methods and strategies to improve crop resilience.

This Special Issue of Plants will highlight the recent advances in the field of functional and molecular mechanisms of tolerance to salt stress in various crops. Therefore, this Special Issue invites scientists to submit original research and review manuscripts focused on various topics related to plant salt tolerance: the identification of key components (genes, small molecules, proteins, secondary metabolites, etc.) from plants to response salt stress and their functional analysis, specific methods developed, and environmental factors acting on these interactions.

Prof. Dr. Bingjun Yu
Dr. Zhiyong Ni
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

soybean
salt stress
tolerance
functional analysis
interactions
molecular mechanism

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4629 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transcriptome-Based Identification of the SaR2R3-MYB Gene Family in Sophora alopecuroides and Function Analysis of SaR2R3-MYB15 in Salt Stress Tolerance

by Yuan Wang, Xiaoming Yang, Yongning Hu, Xinqian Liu, Tuya Shareng, Gongxiang Cao, Yukun Xing, Yuewen Yang, Yinxiang Li, Weili Huang, Zhibo Wang, Gaowa Bai, Yuanyuan Ji and Yuzhi Wang

Plants 2024, 13(5), 586; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13050586 - 21 Feb 2024

Viewed by 815

Abstract

As one of the most prominent gene families, R2R3-MYB transcription factors significantly regulate biochemical and physiological processes under salt stress. However, in Sophora alopecuroides, a perennial herb known for its exceptional saline alkali resistance, the comprehensive identification and characterization of SaR2R3-MYB genes and their potential functions in response to salt stress have yet to be determined. We investigated the expression profiles and biological functions of SaR2R3-MYB transcription factors in response to salt stress, utilizing a transcriptome-wide mining method. Our analysis identified 28 SaR2R3-MYB transcription factors, all sharing a highly conserved R2R3 domain, which were further divided into 28 subgroups through phylogenetic analysis. Some SaR2R3-MYB transcription factors showed induction under salt stress, with SaR2R3-MYB15 emerging as a potential regulator based on analysis of the protein–protein interaction network. Validation revealed the transcriptional activity and nuclear localization of SaR2R3-MYB15. Remarkably, overexpression of SaR2R3-MYB15 in transgenic plants could increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the accumulation of proline but decrease the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), compared with wild-type plants. Moreover, several salt stress-related genes showed higher expression levels in transgenic plants, implying their potential to enhance salt tolerance. Our findings shed light on the role of SaR2R3-MYB genes in salt tolerance in S. alopecuroides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: From Physiology to Molecular Genetic Improvement)

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21 pages, 10458 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The 14-3-3 Protein BdGF14a Increases the Transcriptional Regulation Activity of BdbZIP62 to Confer Drought and Salt Resistance in Tobacco

by Yang Zhang, Yuan He, Hongyan Zhao, Yan Wang, Chunlai Wu, Yuanzeng Zhao, Hongna Xue, Qidi Zhu, Jinlong Zhang and Xingqi Ou

Plants 2024, 13(2), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13020245 - 15 Jan 2024

Viewed by 829

Abstract

BdGF14a, a 14-3-3 gene from Brachypodium distachyon, induced by salt, H₂O₂, and abscisic acid (ABA), improved tolerance to drought and salt in tobacco, with a higher survival rate and longer roots under these stresses. Additionally, physiological index analyses showed that the heterologous expression of BdGF14a induced higher expression levels of antioxidant enzymes and their activities, leading to lighter DAB and NBT staining, denoting decreased H₂O₂ content. Additionally, the lower MDA content and ion leakage indicated enhanced cell membrane stability. Moreover, exogenous ABA resulted in shorter roots and a lower stomatal aperture in BdGF14a transgenic plants. BdGF14a interacted with NtABF2 and regulated the expression of stress-related genes. However, adding an ABA biosynthesis inhibitor suppressed most of these changes. Furthermore, similar salt and drought resistance phenotypes and physiological indicators were characterized in tobacco plants expressing BdbZIP62, an ABRE/ABF that interacts with BdGF14a. And Y1H and LUC assays showed that BdGF14a could enhance the transcription regulation activity of NtABF2 and BdbZIP62, targeting NtNECD1 by binding to the ABRE cis-element. Thus, BdGF14a confers resistance to drought and salinity through interaction with BdbZIP62 and enhances its transcriptional regulation activity via an ABA-mediated signaling pathway. Therefore, this work offers novel target genes for breeding salt- and drought-tolerant plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: From Physiology to Molecular Genetic Improvement)

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20 pages, 3658 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Functional Characterisation of the Transcription Factor GsWRKY23 Gene from Glycine soja in Overexpressed Soybean Composite Plants and Arabidopsis under Salt Stress

by Shile Sun, Xun Liu, Tianlei Zhang, Hao Yang and Bingjun Yu

Plants 2023, 12(17), 3030; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12173030 - 23 Aug 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1087

Abstract

WRKY proteins are a superfamily of transcription factors (TFs) that play multiple roles in plants’ growth, development, and environmental stress response. In this study, a novel WRKY gene called GsWRKY23 that is specifically upregulated in salt-tolerant Glycine soja accession BB52 seedlings was identified by transcriptomic analysis under salt stress. How the physiological functions and mechanisms of the GsWRKY23 gene affect salt tolerance was investigated using transformations of soybean hairy roots and Arabidopsis, including wild-type (WT) and atwrky23-mutant plants. The results showed that GsWRKY23 in the roots, stems, and leaves of BB52, along with its promoter in the cotyledons and root tips of GsWRKY23pro::GUS Arabidopsis seedlings, displayed enhanced induction under salt stress. GsWRKY23 localises to the nucleus and shows transcriptional activation ability in yeast cells. Compared to GsWRKY23-RNAi wild soybean hairy-root composite plants under salt stress, obvious improvements, such as superior growth appearance, plant height and fresh weight (FW), and leaf chlorophyll and relative water content (RWC), were displayed by GsWRKY23-overexpressing (OE) composite plants. Moreover, their relative electrolytic leakage (REL) values and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in the roots and leaves declined significantly. Most of the contents of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ in the roots, stems, and leaves of GsWRKY23-OE plants decreased significantly, while the content of K⁺ in the roots increased, and the content of NO₃⁻ displayed no obvious change. Ultimately, the Na⁺/K⁺ ratios of roots, stems, and leaves, along with the Cl⁻/NO₃⁻ ratios of roots and stems, decreased significantly. In the transgenic WT-GsWRKY23 and atwrky23-GsWRKY23 Arabidopsis seedlings, the salt-induced reduction in seed germination rate and seedling growth was markedly ameliorated; plant FW, leaf chlorophyll content, and RWC increased, and the REL value and MDA content in shoots decreased significantly. In addition, the accumulation of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ decreased, and the K⁺ and NO₃⁻ levels increased markedly to maintain lower Na⁺/K⁺ and Cl⁻/NO₃⁻ ratios in the roots and shoots. Taken together, these results highlight the role of GsWRKY23 in regulating ionic homeostasis in NaCl-stressed overexpressed soybean composite plants and Arabidopsis seedlings to maintain lower Na⁺/K⁺ and Cl⁻/NO₃⁻ ratios in the roots and shoots, thus conferring improved salt tolerance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: From Physiology to Molecular Genetic Improvement)

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16 pages, 9779 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Analysis and Expression Profiling of DUF668 Genes in Glycine max under Salt Stress

by Madiha Zaynab, Yasir Sharif, Zhaoshi Xu, Sajid Fiaz, Rashid Al-Yahyai, Hamad. A. Yadikar, Najla Amin T. Al Kashgry, Sameer H. Qari, Monther Sadder and Shuangfei Li

Plants 2023, 12(16), 2923; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12162923 - 11 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1009

Abstract

The DUF668 gene performs a critical role in mitigating the impact of abiotic stress factors. In this study, we identified 30 DUF668 genes in a soybean genome, distributed across fifteen chromosomes. The phylogenetic analysis classified the DUF668 genes into three groups (group I, group II, and group III). Interestingly, gene structure analysis illustrated that several GmDUF668 genes were without introns. Furthermore, the subcellular localization results suggested that GmDUF668 proteins were present in the nucleus, mitochondria, cytoplasm, and plasma membrane. GmDUF668 promoters were analyzed in silico to gain insight into the presence of regulatory sequences for TFs binding. The expression profiling illustrated that GmDUF668 genes showed expression in leaves, roots, nodules, and flowers. To investigate their response to salt stress, we utilized the RNA sequencing data of GmDUF668 genes. The results unveiled that GmDUF668-8, GmDUF668-20, and GmDUF668-30 genes were upregulated against salt stress treatment. We further validated these findings using qRT-PCR analysis. These findings provide a scientific basis to explore the functions of GmDUF668 genes against different stress conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: From Physiology to Molecular Genetic Improvement)

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15 pages, 637 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparing the Salt Tolerance of Different Spring Soybean Varieties at the Germination Stage

by Xinyu Zhou, Yumei Tian, Zhipeng Qu, Jinxing Wang, Dezhi Han and Shoukun Dong

Plants 2023, 12(15), 2789; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12152789 - 27 Jul 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1860

Abstract

Salinization is a global agricultural problem with many negative effects on crops, including delaying germination, inhibiting growth, and reducing crop yield and quality. This study compared the salt tolerance of 20 soybean varieties at the germination stage to identify soybean germplasm with a high salt tolerance. Germination tests were conducted in Petri dishes containing 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mmol L⁻¹ NaCl. Each Petri dish contained 20 soybean seeds, and each treatment was repeated five times. The indicators of germination potential, germination rate, hypocotyl length, and radicle length were measured. The salt tolerance of 20 soybean varieties was graded, and the theoretical identification concentration was determined by cluster analysis, the membership function method, one-way analysis of variance, and quadratic equation analysis. The relative germination rate, relative germination potential, relative root length, and relative bud length of the 20 soybean germplasms decreased when the salt concentration was >50 mmol L⁻¹, compared with that of the Ctrl. The half-lethal salt concentration of soybean was 164.50 mmol L⁻¹, and the coefficient of variation was 18.90%. Twenty soybean varieties were divided into three salt tolerance levels following cluster analysis: Dongnong 254, Heike 123, Heike 58, Heihe 49, and Heike 68 were salt-tolerant varieties, and Xihai 2, Suinong 94, Kenfeng 16, and Heinong 84 were salt-sensitive varieties, respectively. This study identified suitable soybean varieties for planting in areas severely affected by salt and provided materials for screening and extracting parents or genes to breed salt-tolerant varieties in areas where direct planting is impossible. It assists crop breeding at the molecular level to cope with increasingly serious salt stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: From Physiology to Molecular Genetic Improvement)

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12 pages, 1978 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Overexpression of lncRNA77580 Regulates Drought and Salinity Stress Responses in Soybean

by Xiangqian Chen, Xuemin Jiang, Fengjuan Niu, Xianjun Sun, Zheng Hu, Fei Gao, Hui Zhang and Qiyan Jiang

Plants 2023, 12(1), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12010181 - 1 Jan 2023

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2182

Abstract

Emerging evidence indicates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in diverse biological processes. However, the biological functions of most plant lncRNAs are still unknown. We previously discovered a soybean abiotic-stress-related lncRNA, lncRNA77580, and cloned the entire full-length sequence. Here, in order to fully identify the function of lncRNA77580 in soybean stress response, we created transgenic soybean lines overexpressing lncRNA77580. Compared with the wild type, overexpression of lncRNA77580 enhances the drought tolerance of soybean. However, the transgenic plants exhibit increased sensitivity to high salinity at the seedling stage. We found that lncRNA77580 modulates the transcription of different gene sets during salt and drought stress response. Under water deficit at the reproductive stage, lncRNA77580 overexpression increases the seed yield by increasing the seed number per plant. These results provide insight into the role of lncRNA77580 in soybean stress response. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: From Physiology to Molecular Genetic Improvement)

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