J Integr Plant Biol. ›› 2012, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (6): 412-421.DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7909.2012.01129.x

• Plant-environmental Interactions • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Ectopic Expression of a Bacterium NhaD-type Na+/H+ Antiporter Leads to Increased Tolerance to Combined Salt/Alkali Stresses

Nai-Qin Zhong1,2, Li-Bo Han1,2, Xiao-Min Wu1,2, Li-Li Wang1,2, Fang Wang1,2, Yan-He Ma1* and Gui-Xian Xia1,2*   

  1. 1Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101
    2State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Beijing 100101
  • Received:2012-04-03 Accepted:2012-04-12 Published:2012-05-14
  • About author:**Corresponding authors Tel: +86 10 6484 5674/6480 7590; Fax: +86 10 6484 5674; E-mail: mayanhe@im.ac.cn; xiagx@im.ac.cn

Abstract:

AaNhaD, a gene isolated from the soda lake alkaliphile Alkalimonas amylolytica, encodes a Na+/H+ antiporter crucial for the bacterium’s resistance to salt/alkali stresses. However, it remains unknown whether this type of bacterial gene may be able to increase the tolerance of flowering plants to salt/alkali stresses. To investigate the use of extremophile genetic resources in higher plants, transgenic tobacco BY-2 cells and plants harboring AaNhaD were generated and their stress tolerance was evaluated. Ectopic expression of AaNhaD enhanced the salt tolerance of the transgenic BY-2 cells in a pH-dependent manner. Compared to wild-type controls, the transgenic cells exhibited increased Na+ concentrations and pH levels in the vacuoles. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that AaNhaD-GFP fusion proteins were primarily localized in the tonoplasts. Similar to the transgenic BY-2 cells, AaNhaD-overexpressing tobacco plants displayed enhanced stress tolerance when grown in saline-alkali soil. These results indicate that AaNhaD functions as a pH-dependent tonoplast Na+/H+ antiporter in plant cells, thus presenting a new avenue for the genetic improvement of salinity/alkalinity tolerance.

Zhong NQ, Han LB, Wu XM, Wang LL, Wang F, Ma YH, Xia GX (2012) Ectopic expression of a bacterium NhaD-type Na+/H+ antiporter leads to increased tolerance to combined salt/alkali stresses. J. Integr. Plant Biol. 54(6), 412–421.

Key words: Alkaliphiles Alkalimonas amylolytica, Na+/H+ antiporter, tobacco BY-2 cells, high salinity stress, alkaline

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