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Isolation and characterization of a tonoplast Na+/H+ antiporter from the halophyte Nitraria sibirica

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Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

Na+/H+ exchanger (NHX)-mediated Na+ and H+ antiport is an important mechanism for salt tolerance in plants. In this study, an Na+/H+ antiporter gene, referred to as NsNHX1, was isolated from the halophyte Nitraria sibirica Pall. using degenerate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The resulting 2 182 bp NsNHX1 cDNA contained a 1 635 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encoded 544 amino acids and showed striking sequence similarity to tonoplast-localized NHXs from other plants. Subcellular localization analysis confirmed NsNHX1 to be a tonoplast-localized protein. Cis-elements described as being responsive to biotic and abiotic stresses were present in the NsNHX1 promoter region, and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analysis confirmed that NsNHX1 expression was induced by exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), cold, and NaCl. Transcription of NsNHX1 increased sharply 3 h after treatment with 200 mM NaCl revealing that NsNHX1 responded rapidly to the salt stress. Overexpression of NsNHX1 enhanced salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thalliana L. suggesting that NsNHX1-mediated Na+ compartmentalization played an important role in enhancing plant salt tolerance.

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Correspondence to X. F. Lin.

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Wang, L., Ma, Y.K., Li, N.N. et al. Isolation and characterization of a tonoplast Na+/H+ antiporter from the halophyte Nitraria sibirica . Biol Plant 60, 113–122 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-015-0560-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-015-0560-8

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