iTRAQ protein profile analysis of leaves and roots of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) differing in response to salt stress

Abstract

Background Salinity is one of the most serious threat to agriculture worldwide. Sugar beet is an important sugar-yielding crop and has a certain tolerance to salt. However, the molecular mechanism of salt tolerance in Beta vulgaris are poorly understood. Proteomics can provide a new perspective and deeper understanding for the research of salt-tolerant sugar beet. Results Here, leaves and roots were used to identify the differentially abundant protein species (DAPs) between salt-stress and control conditions in beta vulgaris . As a result, 70 and 76 DAPs were identified in leaves and roots, respectively. The functions were determined for the classification of the DAPs, mainly involved in cellular processes, environmental information processing, genetic information processing and metabolism. These processes can work cooperatively to reconstruct the favorable equilibrium of physiological and cellular homeostasis under salt stress. Some candidate DAPs are closely related to salt resistance such as choline monooxygenase, betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and F-type H + -transporting ATPase. The expressional pattern of 10 DAPs encoding genes were consistent with the iTRAQ data. Conclusions Our results demonstrated that during adaptation of beet to salt stress, leaves and roots have distinct mechanisms of molecular metabolism regulation. This study provided some significative insights into the molecular mechanism underlying the response of higher plant to salt stress, and identified some candidate proteins against salt stress.