Knockout of a gene encoding a Gγ protein boosts alkaline tolerance in cereal crops.

Sorghum is highly tolerant to alkaline stress, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, based on genotypic difference in alkaline tolerance of sorghum, it was found that AT1 (Alkaline tolerance 1) encoding a G protein is involved in alkaline tolerance through negatively modulating the phosphorylation level of PIP2, an aquaporin with transport activity for HO. Knockout of AT1 releases its inhibition of PIP2, thereby resulting in an increased transport of HO from the cytosol into the apoplast, subsequently boosting alkaline tolerance.