Zhang Ran, Zhong Rui, Niu Kuiju, Jia Fang, Liu Yuehan, Li Xiaoxia
Institute of Ecological Protection and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China.
College of Pratacultural Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Sep 4;14(17):2771. doi: 10.3390/plants14172771.
The tall wheatgrass has excellent saline-alkali tolerance and great potential for restoring saline-alkali land to enhance productivity. This study used the cv. "Orbit" variety, which is widely planted in saline-alkali pastures, as the material and artificially simulated salt stress using 150 mM NaCl and 150 mM NaSO, respectively. The growth and physiological indexes of the leaves and roots of seedlings were measured after various treatment durations, and the transcriptomes of untreated and NaSO-treated leaves and roots were also analyzed after 24 h of treatment. The results showed that salt stress resulted in significant reductions in leaf relative water content in seedlings and inhibited root elongation growth, with NaSO treatment producing a greater impact on plant growth than NaCl treatment. Salt stress significantly alters ion transport and distribution in , characterized by pronounced Na accumulation and a concomitant decline in K uptake. Additionally, to adapt to salt stress, roots enhance their ability to absorb and transport essential cations, such as Ca, Mg, Fe, and Cu. RNA-Seq analysis identified 1682 and 2816 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in leaves and roots under NaSO stress, respectively, with 210 common DEGs. Enrichment analyses revealed that DEGs were primarily associated with redox homeostasis, ion balance, and signal transduction. Furthermore, transcription regulation analysis indicated the can coordinate the activation of NAC/MYB/WRKY transcription factors, SA/ETH hormone signaling, and Ca pathways in response to salt stress. In summary, this study systematically reveals for the first time the molecular mechanisms by which responds to NaSO stress through coordinated regulation of ion transport, transcription factor networks, and hormone-Ca signaling pathways. Based on transcriptomic and protein-protein interaction analyses, nine key candidate genes for saline-alkali tolerance were identified, including , , , , , , , and . These findings provide novel genetic resources and a theoretical foundation for breeding salt-alkali-tolerant crops.
高羊茅具有优异的耐盐碱能力，在盐碱地恢复和提高生产力方面具有巨大潜力。本研究以广泛种植于盐碱地牧场的“轨道”品种为材料，分别用150 mM NaCl和150 mM Na₂SO₄人工模拟盐胁迫。在不同处理时间后测定幼苗叶片和根系的生长及生理指标，并在处理24小时后分析未处理和Na₂SO₄处理的叶片和根系的转录组。结果表明，盐胁迫导致幼苗叶片相对含水量显著降低，抑制根系伸长生长，Na₂SO₄处理对植物生长的影响大于NaCl处理。盐胁迫显著改变了植物体内离子的运输和分布，其特征是Na大量积累并伴随K吸收下降。此外，为适应盐胁迫，根系增强了吸收和运输Ca、Mg、Fe和Cu等必需阳离子的能力。RNA-Seq分析分别在Na₂SO₄胁迫下的叶片和根系中鉴定出1682个和2816个差异表达基因（DEG），其中有210个共同的DEG。富集分析表明，DEG主要与氧化还原稳态、离子平衡和信号转导相关。此外，转录调控分析表明，植物可以通过协调激活NAC/MYB/WRKY转录因子、SA/ETH激素信号和Ca信号通路来响应盐胁迫。总之，本研究首次系统地揭示了植物通过协调离子运输、转录因子网络和激素-Ca信号通路来响应Na₂SO₄胁迫的分子机制。基于转录组和蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用分析，鉴定出9个耐盐碱关键候选基因，包括……（此处原文未完整列出基因名称）。这些发现为培育耐盐碱作物提供了新的遗传资源和理论基础。
