SALT TOLERANCE MECHANISMS IN HALOPHYTES: A TRANSCRIPTOMIC AND IONOMIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

The salt stress is a major issue in the agricultural production globally due to its reduced effect on the crops in arid and semi-arid regions.  Halophytes This group of plants naturally tolerates salt, which makes them an exemplary model to examine how the formation of molecules and physiology of plants make them man tolerant of salt.  In this work we applied an integrative transcriptome and ionomic approach to determine how certain halophyte species can withstand salt.  High-throughput RNA sequencing revealed up-regulation of essential genes that are involved in the transport of ions i.e., HKT1, NHX1, and SOS1. Temp, these genes play the role in Na+ efflux and vacuolar sequestration.  Concurrently, there was a great expression of genes assisting in the process of detoxification of reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as SOD, APX and CAT. This is an indication that the body was already putting efforts into promoting low-oxidative-stress.  ICP-MS Ionomic study confirmed the selective patterns of accumulation and higher K + /Na + ratios in root and shoot. Such indicates that ion homeostasis is being regulated very precisely.  The point we must remember is that calcium and magnesium ions did not stay same also and this explains the vital role of these components in signalling and maintaining cells under stable conditions in case of the salt pressure.  The gene expression and ion concentration profiles correlation allows the suggestion that halophytes have a tiered defence system.  These findings provide us with useful data on the interaction of ionomics and transcriptomics and identifies potential genetic targets to create crop types capable of tolerating salt.  The discovery supplements to our knowledge concerning the biology of abiotic stress and provides us with a method that we can use to test the crop improvement in salty environments which can be applied on broad basis.