Abstract
Barley is characterized by a rich genetic diversity, making it an important model for studies of salinity response with great potential for crop improvement. Moreover, salt stress severely affects barley growth and development, leading to substantial yield loss. Leaf and root transcriptomes of a salt-tolerant Tunisian landrace (Boulifa) exposed to 2, 8, and 24 h salt stress were compared with pre-exposure plants to identify candidate genes and pathways underlying barley’s response. Expression of 3585 genes was upregulated and 5586 downregulated in leaves, while expression of 13,200 genes was upregulated and 10,575 downregulated in roots. Regulation of gene expression was severely impacted in roots, highlighting the complexity of salt stress response mechanisms in this tissue. Functional analyses in both tissues indicated that response to salt stress is mainly achieved through sensing and signaling pathways, strong transcriptional reprograming, hormone osmolyte and ion homeostasis stabilization, increased reactive oxygen scavenging, and activation of transport and photosynthesis systems. A number of candidate genes involved in hormone and kinase signaling pathways, as well as several transcription factor families and transporters, were identified. This study provides valuable information on early salt-stress-responsive genes in roots and leaves of barley and identifies several important players in salt tolerance.
Highlights
Salinity is one of the most pressing abiotic stressors threatening plant growth and agricultural production worldwide
The dendrogram at the top shows the sample clustering, and the black arrows indicate the samples that did not cluster by time point in the analysis
Tunisian local barely accessions may hold genes of high value for salinity tolerance due to their potential to grow under adverse conditions [28]
Summary
Salinity is one of the most pressing abiotic stressors threatening plant growth and agricultural production worldwide. Saline conditions are increasing rapidly along with the alarming rise of global warming, in arid and semiarid regions [1]. Salinity is often recognized as an excessive accumulation of sodium ions in the soil [2], leading to osmotic stress and ion toxicity [3,4]. These two main effects of salt damage result in decreased photosynthetic efficiency, redistribution of cell wall constituents, reduction of cell expansion and division, and oxidative damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS) [2,5,6]. Salinity stress generates deleterious effects on plant growth and productivity
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