Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Salt Tolerance Mechanisms Present in Date-Plum Persimmon Rootstock (Diospyros lotus L.)
Author
Gil-Muñoz, Francisco; Delhomme, Nicolas; Quinones, Ana; Naval, María M.; Badenes, María L.; García-Gil, M. RosarioDate
2020Cita bibliográfica
Gil-Muñoz, F., Delhomme, N., Quiñones, A., Naval, M. D. M., Badenes, M. L., & García-Gil, M. R. (2020). Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Salt Tolerance Mechanisms Present in Date-Plum Persimmon Rootstock (Diospyros lotus). Agronomy, 10(11), 1703.Abstract
Agriculture needs solutions for adapting crops to increasing salinity globally. Research on
physiological and molecular responses activated by salinity is needed to elucidate mechanisms of
salinity tolerance. Transcriptome profiling (RNA-Seq) is a powerful tool to study the transcriptomic
profile of genotypes under stress conditions. Persimmon species have di erent levels of tolerance
to salinity, this variability may provide knowledge on persimmon species and development of
salt–tolerant rootstocks. In this study, we conducted a physiological and transcriptomic profiling
of roots and leaves in tolerant and sensitive plants of persimmon rootstock grown under saline
and control conditions. Characterization of physiological responses along with gene expression
changes in roots and leaves allowed the identification of several salt tolerance mechanisms related to
ion transport and thermospermine synthesis. Di erences were observed in putative H+/ATPases
that allow transmembrane ionic transport and chloride channel protein-like genes. Furthermore,
an overexpression of thermospermine synthase found in the roots of tolerant plants may indicate that
alterations in root architecture could act as an additional mechanism of response to salt stress. These
results indicate that Diospyros lotus L. exhibits genetically-controlled variability for salt tolerance
traits which opens potential opportunities for breeding salt-tolerant persimmon rootstocks in a
Mediterranean environment challenged by drought and salinity.