Over-expression of a plasma membrane H+-ATPase SpAHA1 conferred salt tolerance to transgenic Arabidopsis

Abstract

The SpAHA1 gene, encoding a plasma membrane (PM) H-ATPase (AHA) in Sesuvium portulacastrum, was transformed into Arabidopsis plants, and its expression increased salinity tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis plants: seed germination ratio, root growth, and biomass of transgenic plants were greater compared to wild-type plants under NaCl treatment condition. Upon salinity stress, both Na and H effluxes in the roots of SpAHA1 expressing plants were faster than those of untransformed plants. Transformed plants with SpAHA1 had lower Na and higher K contents relative to wild-type plants when treated with NaCl, resulting in greater K/Na ratio in transgenic plants than in wild-type plants under salt stress. Extent of oxidative stress increased in both transgenic and wild-type plants exposed to salinity stress, but overexpression of SpAHA1 could alleviate the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (HO) induced by NaCl treatment in transgenic plants relative to wild-type plants; the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was lower in transgenic plants than that in wild-type plants under salinity stress. These results suggest that the higher H-pumping activity generated by SpAHA1 improved the growth of transgenic plants via regulating ion and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis in plant cells under salinity stress.

Engineering salinity tolerance in plants: progress and prospects

“…in Arabidopsis thaliana that conferred salt tolerance by improving seed germination ratio, root growth, and biomass of transgenics. In addition to improved ion homeostasis, transgenic plants displayed lower oxidative stress (Fan et al 2018). The above studies indicate the important yet not fully understood roles of PM H + -ATPase in imparting salt stress tolerance.…”

Improving crop salt tolerance using transgenic approaches: An update and physiological analysis

“…thaliana overexpressing the PM H + ATPase from S. portulacastrum (SpAHA1) grown in pots with 200 mM NaCl (Fan et al, 2018). Transgenic A. thaliana with SpAHA1 showed increased H + (2100%) and Na + (410%) efflux rate than non-transformed plants (measured for roots in 100 mM NaCl) (Fan et al, 2018).…”

“…thaliana overexpressing the PM H + ATPase from S. portulacastrum (SpAHA1) grown in pots with 200 mM NaCl (Fan et al, 2018). Transgenic A. thaliana with SpAHA1 showed increased H + (2100%) and Na + (410%) efflux rate than non-transformed plants (measured for roots in 100 mM NaCl) (Fan et al, 2018). Greater biomass production under saline conditions, as compared to non-transformed plants, was also observed in rice (Oryza sativa cv Nipponbare), expressing either the Na + ATPase (PpENA1) from the moss Physcomitrella patens (Jacobs et al, 2011) or the Na + /K + P-type ATPase (PyKPA1) from the red alga, Porphyra yezoensis (Kishimoto et al, 2013…”

Gene regulation at transcriptional and post‐transcriptional levels to combat salt stress in plants

“…Overexpression of plasma membrane H + ‐ATPase from salt‐tolerant Chloris virgata enhanced salt tolerance of genetically modified yeast (Zhanget al, 2014). Similarly, Fan et al (2018) isolated a plasma membrane H + ‐ATPase ( SpAHA1 ) from Sesuvium portulacastrum and overexpressed it in Arabidopsis thaliana , ultimately maintaining proper root growth, germination percentage and ion homeostasis, with lesser oxidative damages. However, plasma membrane H + ‐ATPase does not appear to be much effective in the generation of salt‐tolerant plants due to their non‐tissue‐specific expression during adult phase, leading to altered development and cell expansion (Gevaudant et al, 2007; Niczyj et al, 2016).…”