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Overexpression of AtNHX5 improves tolerance to both salt and water stress in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

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Abstract

Overexpression of NHX genes has been previously shown to improve salt tolerance of transgenic plants. In this study, transgenic rice plants overexpressing AtNHX5 showed not only high salt tolerance, but also high drought tolerance. Measurements of ion levels indicated that Na+ and K+ contents were all higher in AtNHX5 overexpressing shoots than in wild type (WT) shoots in high saline conditions. After exposure to water deficiency and salt stress, the WT plants all died, while the AtNHX5 overexpressing rice plants had a higher survival rate, dry weight, leaf water content, and leaf chlorophyll contents, accumulated more proline, and had less membrane damage than the WT plants. In addition, seeds of both transgenic and WT plants germinated on 1/2 MS medium supplemented with 250 mM mannitol, but overexpression of AtNHX5 improved the shoot growth of the seedlings. Taken together, the results indicate that AtNHX5 gene could enhance the tolerance of rice plants to multiple environmental stresses by promoting the accumulation of more effective osmolytes (ions or proline) to counter the osmotic stress caused by abiotic factors.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30170667), the CAS/SAFEA International Partner-ship Program for Creative Research Teams.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, People’s Republic of China

    Meiru Li, Xiaoping Pan & Guojiang Wu

  2. Yangjiang Vocational and Technical College, Yangjiang, 529566, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaojie Lin

  3. Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Biotechnology for Plant Development, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People’s Republic of China

    Hongqing Li

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  1. Meiru Li
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  2. Xiaojie Lin
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  3. Hongqing Li
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  4. Xiaoping Pan
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Correspondence to Guojiang Wu.

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Li, M., Lin, X., Li, H. et al. Overexpression of AtNHX5 improves tolerance to both salt and water stress in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 107, 283–293 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-011-9979-6

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