Gene expression at Suaeda salsa seed germination under salinity

Abstract

Suaeda salsa is a succulent halophyte belonging to Suaedoideae; sodium, chloride and sulfate ions or combination of the ions were useful to its growth. The seed germination is important event in plants life cycle, and it is sensitive to salt stress. To further understand the molecular mechanisms of S. salsa seed germination under salt stress, cDNA-AFLP and qRT-PCR were used to identify genes differentially expressed during seed germination under 100 mM NaCl stress (0, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 h), and 113 transcript derived fragments (TDFs) over 80 bp in length were identified using cDNA-AFLP. Gene ontology analysis revealed that these genes were involved in stress response, signal transduction and protein synthesis, etc. Further, four genes closely related to salt resistance were selected and their expression during S. salsa seed germination were investigated by qRT-PCR. The result showed differential gene expression at various germination stages under salt stress. Further work will be focused on cloning these genes and identifying their functions in S. salsa germination process under salt stress.