Abstract
The contribution of SOS1 (for Salt Overly Sensitive 1), encoding a sodium/proton antiporter, to plant salinity tolerance was analyzed in wild-type and RNA interference (RNAi) lines of the halophytic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana)-relative Thellungiella salsuginea. Under all conditions, SOS1 mRNA abundance was higher in Thellungiella than in Arabidopsis. Ectopic expression of the Thellungiella homolog ThSOS1 suppressed the salt-sensitive phenotype of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain lacking sodium ion (Na(+)) efflux transporters and increased salt tolerance of wild-type Arabidopsis. thsos1-RNAi lines of Thellungiella were highly salt sensitive. A representative line, thsos1-4, showed faster Na(+) accumulation, more severe water loss in shoots under salt stress, and slower removal of Na(+) from the root after removal of stress compared with the wild type. thsos1-4 showed drastically higher sodium-specific fluorescence visualized by CoroNa-Green, a sodium-specific fluorophore, than the wild type, inhibition of endocytosis in root tip cells, and cell death in the adjacent elongation zone. After prolonged stress, Na(+) accumulated inside the pericycle in thsos1-4, while sodium was confined in vacuoles of epidermis and cortex cells in the wild type. RNAi-based interference of SOS1 caused cell death in the root elongation zone, accompanied by fragmentation of vacuoles, inhibition of endocytosis, and apoplastic sodium influx into the stele and hence the shoot. Reduction in SOS1 expression changed Thellungiella that normally can grow in seawater-strength sodium chloride solutions into a plant as sensitive to Na(+) as Arabidopsis.
Highlights
The contribution of SOS1, encoding a sodium/proton antiporter, to plant salinity tolerance was analyzed in wild-type and RNA interference (RNAi) lines of the halophytic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana)-relative Thellungiella salsuginea
Transcript abundance of SOS1 was compared between Arabidopsis and Thellungiella by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR
In Thellungiella, SOS1 mRNA was significantly more abundant than in Arabidopsis in both shoot and root, more prominently expressed in roots in the absence of salt stress, while the levels of reference gene expression were indistinguishable between the two species (Fig. 1A)
Summary
The contribution of SOS1 (for Salt Overly Sensitive 1), encoding a sodium/proton antiporter, to plant salinity tolerance was analyzed in wild-type and RNA interference (RNAi) lines of the halophytic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana)-relative Thellungiella salsuginea. SOS1, whose deletion resulted in a strong salt-sensitivity phenotype in Arabidopsis, encodes a plasma membrane Na+/H+ antiporter involved in removing Na+ ions from cells (Shi et al, 2000). This efflux strategy, which may be sufficient for the survival of unicellular organisms, must be accompanied by other means of Na+ confinement to avoid carryover of Na+ between cells in futile cycles. Even though SOS1 has been an intensely studied component of the ion homeostasis mechanism, its involvement in the exceptional salt tolerance of halophytes is not known
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