Revealing salt tolerance mechanism of Tamarix hispida by large scale identification of genes conferring salt tolerance.

Abstract

The identification of genes conferring salt tolerance is important to reveal plant salt tolerance mechanism. Here, we employed yeast expression system combined with high-throughput-sequencing to identify genes conferring salt tolerance from Tamarix hispida. Totally, 1,224 potential genes conferring salt tolerance were identified. Twenty-one genes were randomly selected for functional characterization using transient transformation in T. hispida and stable transformation in Arabidopsis. More than 90% of studied genes are found to confer tolerance to salt stress, indicating that the identified genes are reliable. More than 75% of the identified genes were highly expressed in roots rather than in leaves, suggesting roots play important role in salt tolerance. The genes belonging to response to stimulus were highly accumulated that accounted for 32% of the total identified genes. Additionally, the processes of protein translation , osmotic adjustment , scavenging of free radicals , photosynthesis, detoxification of cells , protection of cellular macromolecules , and maintenance of cellular pH play important roles in salt tolerance. This study provides useful information on the salt-tolerance mechanism of T. hispida and offers a valuable resource for exploring genes used in salt-tolerance breeding.