Abstract
Potassium (K+), as a vital element, is involved in regulating important cellular processes such as enzyme activity, cell turgor, and nutrient movement in plant cells, which affects plant growth and production. Potassium channels are involved in the transport and release of potassium in plant cells. In the current study, three OsKAT genes and two OsAKT genes, along with 11 nonredundant putative potassium channel genes in the rice genome, were characterized based on their physiochemical properties, protein structure, evolution, duplication, in silico gene expression, and protein–protein interactions. In addition, the expression patterns of OsAKTs and OsKATs were studied in root and shoot tissues under salt stress using real-time PCR in three rice cultivars. K+ channel genes were found to have diverse functions and structures, and OsKATs showed high genetic divergence from other K+ channel genes. Furthermore, the Ka/Ks ratios of duplicated gene pairs from the K+ channel gene family in rice suggested that these genes underwent purifying selection. Among the studied K+ channel proteins, OsKAT1 and OsAKT1 were identified as proteins with high potential N-glycosylation and phosphorylation sites, and LEU, VAL, SER, PRO, HIS, GLY, LYS, TYR, CYC, and ARG amino acids were predicted as the binding residues in the ligand-binding sites of K+ channel proteins. Regarding the coexpression network and KEGG ontology results, several metabolic pathways, including sugar metabolism, purine metabolism, carbon metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, monoterpenoid biosynthesis, and folate biosynthesis, were recognized in the coexpression network of K+ channel proteins. Based on the available RNA-seq data, the K+ channel genes showed differential expression levels in rice tissues in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In addition, the real-time PCR results revealed that OsAKTs and OsKATs are induced by salt stress in root and shoot tissues of rice cultivars, and OsKAT1 was identified as a key gene involved in the rice response to salt stress. In the present study, we found that the repression of OsAKTs, OsKAT2, and OsKAT2 in roots was related to salinity tolerance in rice. Our findings provide valuable insights for further structural and functional assays of K+ channel genes in rice.
Highlights
Potassium (K+), as a fundamental macronutrient, is essential for plant growth and plays an important role in regulating cellular processes such as the control of pH and cell turgor [1,2]
K+ channels are found in cell membranes, vacuolar membranes, xylem, and phloem tissues that participate in maintaining homeostasis and the transport of potassium within the plant cell [1,12,13]
Potassium channels are key transporters involved in the distribution of potassium in plant cells
Summary
Potassium (K+), as a fundamental macronutrient, is essential for plant growth and plays an important role in regulating cellular processes such as the control of pH and cell turgor [1,2]. To counteract the harmful effects of other ions, the potassium concentration in the cytoplasm is in the range of 100–200 mM and is not replaced by other cations, while the potassium concentration in the vacuoles is variable and can be replaced by other osmotica [10,11]. This replacement is effective in maintaining cellular pressure. Many K+ channel proteins linked to the uptake and release of K+ from the cell have been stated in different plant species [2,14,15]
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