Physiological and Biochemical Traits of Two Major Arabidopsis Accessions, Col-0 and Ws, Under Salinity

Abstract

Salinity affects plant growth and development as shown with the glycophyte model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). Two Arabidopsis accessions, Wassilewskija (Ws) and Columbia (Col-0), are widely used to generate mutants available from various Arabidopsis seed resources. However, these two ecotypes are known to be salt-sensitive with different degrees of tolerance. In our study, 3-week-old Col-0 and Ws plants were treated with and without 150 mM NaCl for 48, 72, or 96 h, and several physiological and biochemical traits were characterized on shoots to identify any specific traits in their tolerance to salinity. Before salt treatment was carried out, a different phenotype was observed between Col-0 and Ws, whose main inflorescence stem became elongated in contrast to Col-0, which only displayed rosette leaves. Our results showed that Col-0 and Ws were both affected by salt stress with limited growth associated with a reduction in nutrient uptake, a degradation of photosynthetic pigments, an increase in protein degradation, as well as showing changes in carbohydrate metabolism and cell wall composition. These traits were often more pronounced in Col-0 and occurred usually earlier than in Ws. Tandem Mass Tags quantitative proteomics data correlated well with the physiological and biochemical results. The Col-0 response to salt stress was specifically characterized by a greater accumulation of osmoprotectants such as anthocyanin, galactinol, and raffinose; a lower reactive oxygen detoxification capacity; and a transient reduction in galacturonic acid content. Pectin degradation was associated with an overaccumulation of the wall-associated kinase 1, WAK1, which plays a role in cell wall integrity (CWI) upon salt stress exposure. Under control conditions, Ws produced more antioxidant enzymes than Col-0. Fewer specific changes occurred in Ws in response to salt stress apart from a higher number of different fascilin-like arabinogalactan proteins and a greater abundance of expansin-like proteins, which could participate in CWI. Altogether, these data indicate that Col-0 and Ws trigger similar mechanisms to cope with salt stress, and specific changes are more likely related to the developmental stage than to their respective genetic background.

Comprehensive Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes and Epigenetic Modification-Related Expression Variation Induced by Saline Stress at Seedling Stage in Fiber and Oil Flax, Linum usitatissimum L.

“…It suggests that salt stress may affect plant growth by affecting water usage in the shoots and thus disrupting the photosynthetic system. Previous studies have shown that photosynthesis is impaired in plants under salt stress [ 25 , 26 , 27 ], which is in agreement with this study. Polyamines, amides, and biogenic amines were significantly enriched in the leaves and roots of Fanni and Longya10, further validating that those polyamines play an essential role in the plant’s response to abiotic stress [ 28 ].…”

Elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms by which Seed-Borne Endophytic Fungi, Epichloë gansuensis, Increases the Tolerance of Achnatherum inebrians to NaCl Stress

“…In addition, salt stress significantly affected the galactose metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis of rice [46]. In our study, NaCl stress up-regulated the arabinan catabolic process, lignin catabolic process and flavonoid biosynthetic process of the host plant and some studies illustrated these processes played an important role in helping the plant to adapt to salt stress [56,57]. Therefore, the synthesis of secondary metabolites vulnerable to salt stress and the function of secondary metabolites includes the protection from the damage of reactive oxygen species and the enhancement of the resistance of the cell wall [58].…”

Multi-omic analysis of the Arabidopsis clock activator mutantrve 4 6 8reveals connections to carbohydrate metabolism and proteasome regulation

“…Similar to CDPK6/CPK3 salt-stress induction, over-expression of native CPK1 resulted in increased salinity tolerance in cell culture (Veremeichik et al, 2021), reinforcing a potential link between diel CPK-mediated phosphorylation events and the ability to mitigate abiotic stress. Alternatively, WAK1 has been implicated in maintaining cell wall integrity (Leschevin et al, 2021), which has diel plant cell growth implications that may contribute to the large mesophyll cell phenotype of rve 4 6 8 plants (Gray et al, 2017).…”