Abstract

Potassium is the most important and abundant inorganic cation in plants and it can comprise up to 10% of a plant’s dry weight. Plants possess complex systems of transporters and channels for the transport of K+ from soil to numerous parts of plants. Cajanus cajan is cultivated in different regions of the world as an economical source of carbohydrates, fiber, proteins, and fodder for animals. In the current study, 39 K+ transport genes were identified in C. cajan, including 25 K+ transporters (17 carrier-like K+ transporters (KUP/HAK/KTs), 2 high-affinity potassium transporters (HKTs), and 6 K+ efflux transporters (KEAs) and 14 K+ channels (9 shakers and 5 tandem-pore K+ channels (TPKs). Chromosomal mapping indicated that these genes were randomly distributed among 10 chromosomes. A comparative phylogenetic analysis including protein sequences from Glycine max, Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Medicago truncatula Cicer arietinum, and C. cajan suggested vital conservation of K+ transport genes. Gene structure analysis showed that the intron/exon organization of K+ transporter and channel genes is highly conserved in a family-specific manner. In the promoter region, many cis-regulatory elements were identified related to abiotic stress, suggesting their role in abiotic stress response. Abiotic stresses (salt, heat, and drought) adversely affect chlorophyll, carotenoids contents, and total soluble proteins. Furthermore, the activities of catalase, superoxide, and peroxidase were altered in C. cajan leaves under applied stresses. Expression analysis (RNA-seq data and quantitative real-time PCR) revealed that several K+ transport genes were expressed in abiotic stress-responsive manners. The present study provides an in-depth understanding of K+ transport system genes in C. cajan and serves as a basis for further characterization of these genes.

Highlights

  • Potassium (K+ ) is an essential inorganic macro-element that may comprise at least10% of a plant’s total dry weight [1]

  • Identification of K+ Transporters and Channels In C. cajan, after confirming the motifs, thirty-nine genes for K+ transport system were identified (Table 1)

  • All the transporters and channels were renamed according to their respective chromosome number on which their gene sequence belonged, except the shaker family, which was named according to the shaker family of model plant

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Summary

Introduction

10% of a plant’s total dry weight [1] It is abundantly present in the cytosol of cells (i.e., 60–150 mM) [2,3]. It plays a significant role in physiological processes, i.e., anionic group electrical neutralization, osmoregulation, and membrane polarization. Controlling K+ transport in phloem vasculature helps to build up an osmotic gradient that results in driving the flow of sugar sap to sink tissues during the photosynthesis of mature leaves. A plant drives the flow of crude sap from roots to shoots by secreting K+ into vessels, when there is no transpiration [4].

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