Abstract
As one of the most abundant ions in cells, sufficient amount of potassium (K+) is closely related to plant growth and development and contributes to plant tolerance to various abiotic stresses. However, molecular mechanisms involved in K+ uptake and transport are unclear in tropical fruit trees. In this study, 18 KT/HAK/KUP family genes (MiHAKs) were isolated from mango and characterized in mango. Results showed that MiHAKs were variable across the tissues examined and responded differentially to K+ depletion, PEG, and NaCl stresses in roots. In this tissue, K+ depletion and exogenous PEG significantly enhanced, while NaCl treatment reduced expression of responsive MiHAK genes. In particular, MiHAK14 was the most abundant KT/HAK/KUP gene in mango, especially in roots. Functional complementation in the TK2420 mutant revealed that MiHAK14 could take up exogenous K+. Moreover, overexpression of MiHAK14 in Arabidopsis enhanced plant tolerance to K+ depletion and NaCl stress with strengthened K+ nutritional status and ROS scavenging ability. This study provides molecular basis for further functional studies of KT/HAK/KUP transporters in tropical fruit trees, and favorably demonstrates the essentiality of K+ homeostasis in plant tolerance to abiotic stress, including K+ deficiency and NaCl stress.
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Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by grants from the National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFD1000500), the National Natural Science Foundations of China (31501743), and the Agricultural Variety Improvement Project of Shandong Province (2019LZGC009).
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Zhang, Y., Shi, X., Lin, S. et al. Heterologous expression of the MiHAK14 homologue from Mangifera indica enhances plant tolerance to K+ deficiency and salinity stress in Arabidopsis. Plant Growth Regul 98, 39–49 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-022-00831-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-022-00831-y