*Article* **Ectopic Expression of** *AeNAC83***, a NAC Transcription Factor from** *Abelmoschus esculentus***, Inhibits Growth and Confers Tolerance to Salt Stress in** *Arabidopsis*

**Xuan Zhao † , Tingting Wu † , Shixian Guo, Junling Hu and Yihua Zhan \***

> The Key Laboratory for Quality Improvement of Agricultural Products of Zhejiang Province, College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou 311300, China

**\*** Correspondence: yhzhan@zafu.edu.cn

† These authors contributed equally to this work.

**Abstract:** NAC transcription factors play crucial roles in plant growth, development and stress responses. Previously, we preliminarily identified that the transcription factor *AeNAC83* gene was significantly up-regulated under salt stress in okra (*Abelmoschus esculentus*). Herein, we cloned the nuclear-localized AeNAC83 from okra and identified its possible role in salt stress response and plant growth. The down-regulation of *AeNAC83* caused by virus-induced gene silencing enhanced plant sensitivity to salt stress and increased the biomass accumulation of okra seedlings. Meanwhile, *AeNAC83*-overexpression *Arabidopsis* lines improved salt tolerance and exhibited many altered phenotypes, including small rosette, short primary roots, and promoted crown roots and root hairs. RNA-seq showed numerous genes at the transcriptional level that changed significantly in the *AeNAC83*-overexpression transgenic and the wild *Arabidopsis* with or without NaCl treatment, respectively. The expression of most phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes was largely induced by salt stress. While genes encoding key proteins involved in photosynthesis were almost declined dramatically in *AeNAC83*-overexpression transgenic plants, and NaCl treatment further resulted in the down-regulation of these genes. Furthermore, DEGs encoding various plant hormone signal pathways were also identified. These results indicate that AeNAC83 is involved in resistance to salt stress and plant growth.

**Keywords:** okra; salt stress; growth; NAC transcription factor; flavonoid; photosynthesis
