Role of bZIP Transcription Factors in Response to NaCl Stress in under Exogenous Potassium (K).

Salt stress is a significant environmental factor affecting plant growth and development, with NaCl stress being one of the most common types of salt stress. The halophyte, Ledeb (. ), is frequently utilized for the afforestation of saline-alkali soils. Indeed, there has been limited research and reports by experts and scholars on the regulatory mechanisms of basic leucine zipper () genes in . when treated with exogenous potassium (K) to alleviate the effects of NaCl stress. This study focused on the genes in roots under NaCl stress with additional KCl applied. We identified key candidate genes and metabolic pathways related to bZIP and validated them through quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The results revealed that under NaCl stress with additional KCl applied treatments at 0 h, 48 h, and 168 h, based on Pfam protein domain prediction and physicochemical property analysis, we identified 20 related genes. Notably, four genes (_2, _6, _16, and _18) were labeled with the plant hormone signal transduction pathway, showing a predominant up-regulation in expression levels. The results suggest that these genes may mediate multiple physiological pathways under NaCl stress with additional KCl applied at 48 h and 168 h, enhancing signal transduction, reducing the accumulation of ROS, and decreasing oxidative damage, thereby enhancing the tolerance of . to NaCl stress. This study provides gene resources and a theoretical basis for further breeding of salt-tolerant species and the involvement of bZIP transcription factors in mitigating NaCl toxicity.