Abstract
Salinity is one of the most decisive environmental factors threatening the productivity of crop plants. Understanding the mechanisms of plant salt tolerance is critical to be able to maintain or improve crop yield under these adverse environmental conditions. Plant membranes act as biological barriers, protecting the contents of cells and organelles from biotic and abiotic stress, including salt stress. Alterations in membrane lipids in response to salinity have been observed in a number of plant species including both halophytes and glycophytes. Changes in membrane lipids can directly affect the properties of membrane proteins and activity of signaling molecules, adjusting the fluidity and permeability of membranes, and activating signal transduction pathways. In this review, we compile evidence on the salt stress responses of the major membrane lipids from different plant tissues, varieties, and species. The role of membrane lipids as signaling molecules in response to salinity is also discussed. Advances in mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques have largely expanded our knowledge of salt-induced changes in lipids, however only a handful studies have investigated the underlying mechanisms of membrane lipidome regulation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent works that have been carried out on lipid remodeling of plant membranes under salt treatment. Challenges and future perspectives in understanding the mechanisms of salt-induced changes to lipid metabolisms are proposed.
Highlights
Soil salinization is a major environmental concern, affecting more than 800 million hectares of land, equivalent to over 6% of the world’s total land surface
Salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant in this column refer to glycophytes’ salt tolerance level. c Average of three salt-sensitive cultivars is used. d Average of two salt-tolerant cultivars is used. e bundle sheath is relatively salt tolerant compare to mesophyll. *: Lipid content (LC) of salt-treated samples is significantly different from control. # : Significance not specified. ≈: Estimated based on graphs
Salinity-induced alterations in membrane lipids, including the changes to content of lipids, their fatty acid components, bilayer to non-bilayer lipid ratio, and the activities of signaling lipids, could regulate the membrane fluidity and permeability, thereby altering the biological properties of plant membranes (Figure 1) [37,39,62,63]. These alterations could bring about the regulation of the proteins that participate in lipid biosynthesis and metabolism (Figure 1)
Summary
Soil salinization is a major environmental concern, affecting more than 800 million hectares of land, equivalent to over 6% of the world’s total land surface. Human activities, such as vegetation clearance, land irrigation, and fertilizer mismanagement have been accelerating soil salinization [2,3,4,5] This is exasperated by the fact that the salt tolerance of most crops is poor; in general, staple crops such as wheat, rice, and maize show significant yield reductions in the presence of salt [6,7,8,9]. There is a need for screening for more salt-tolerant cultivars, engineering crops to increase salt tolerance, or diversifying our agricultural systems to cultivate more salt-tolerant under-utilized crop plants These approaches would help to secure crop yields and sustain food production, as well as allow continued use of marginal land. Salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant in this column refer to glycophytes’ salt tolerance level. c Average of three salt-sensitive cultivars is used. d Average of two salt-tolerant cultivars is used. e bundle sheath is relatively salt tolerant compare to mesophyll. *: Lipid content (LC) of salt-treated samples is significantly different from control. # : Significance not specified. ≈: Estimated based on graphs
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