Transcriptome analysis reveals the effects of hydrogen gas on NaCl stress in purslane roots

Abstract

Purslane development may be affected by high salt concentrations. It has been found that H2 enhanced salt-tolerance of plant. The goal of present study was to investigate the impact of H2 on root growth of purslane under salt stress, and to analyze the molecular mechanism of H2 effect on salt tolerance of purslane by using transcriptome method. Under hydroponic conditions, H2 significantly reduced electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content, substantially enhance the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase in roots of purslane (‘Tall Green’) under NaCl stress. Transcriptome analysis showed that NaCl stress significantly affected the expression of differential genes in purslane roots. The expression of differential genes was significantly affected by the addition of H2, especially under salt stress. The qRT-PCR analysis was used to confirm the RNA-seq results. GO and KEGG analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS), plant hormone signal transduction and UDP-glucosyltransferase activity. At the transcriptional level, ROS accumulation and clearance; auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, abscisic acid signal transduction; sucrose synthesis and catabolism, and the synthesis of plant cell wall component may play a crucial role in the influence of H2 on the salt tolerance of purslane. These findings have crucial implications for improved understanding the role of H2 in plant salt tolerance and provide specific data for in-depth identification of purslane salt tolerance genes.