Comparative Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses of Two Contrasting Pepper Genotypes under Salt Stress Reveal Complex Salt Tolerance Mechanisms in Seedlings
As a glycophyte plant, pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i> L.) is widely cultivated worldwide, but its growth is susceptible to salinity damage, especially at the seedling stage. Here, we conducted a study to determine the physiological and transcriptional differences between two genotype see...
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/17/9701 |
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| author | Tao Zhang Kaile Sun Xiaoke Chang Zhaopeng Ouyang Geng Meng Yanan Han Shunshan Shen Qiuju Yao Fengzhi Piao Yong Wang |
| author_facet | Tao Zhang Kaile Sun Xiaoke Chang Zhaopeng Ouyang Geng Meng Yanan Han Shunshan Shen Qiuju Yao Fengzhi Piao Yong Wang |
| author_sort | Tao Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As a glycophyte plant, pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i> L.) is widely cultivated worldwide, but its growth is susceptible to salinity damage, especially at the seedling stage. Here, we conducted a study to determine the physiological and transcriptional differences between two genotype seedlings (P300 and 323F3) with contrasting tolerance under salt stress. The P300 seedlings were more salt-tolerant and had higher K<sup>+</sup> contents, higher antioxidase activities, higher compatible solutes, and lower Na<sup>+</sup> contents in both their roots and their leaves than the 323F3 seedlings. During RNA-seq analysis of the roots, more up-regulated genes and fewer down-regulated genes were identified between salt-treated P300 seedlings and the controls than between salt-treated 323F3 and the controls. Many ROS-scavenging genes and several SOS pathway genes were significantly induced by salt stress and exhibited higher expressions in the salt-treated roots of the P300 seedlings than those of 323F3 seedlings. Moreover, biosynthesis of the unsaturated fatty acids pathway and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum pathway were deeply involved in the responses of P300 to salt stress, and most of the differentially expressed genes involved in the two pathways, including the genes that encode mega-6 fatty acid desaturases and heat-shock proteins, were up-regulated. We also found differences in the hormone synthesis and signaling pathway genes in both the P300 and 323F3 varieties under salt stress. Overall, our results provide valuable insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms that affect the salt tolerance of pepper seedlings, and present some candidate genes for improving salt tolerance in pepper. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:45:50Z |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:45:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
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| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-0beb0955a84f411fb9fa2325425609ad2023-11-23T13:15:25ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672022-08-012317970110.3390/ijms23179701Comparative Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses of Two Contrasting Pepper Genotypes under Salt Stress Reveal Complex Salt Tolerance Mechanisms in SeedlingsTao Zhang0Kaile Sun1Xiaoke Chang2Zhaopeng Ouyang3Geng Meng4Yanan Han5Shunshan Shen6Qiuju Yao7Fengzhi Piao8Yong Wang9College of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaHenan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaHenan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaHenan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaAs a glycophyte plant, pepper (<i>Capsicum annuum</i> L.) is widely cultivated worldwide, but its growth is susceptible to salinity damage, especially at the seedling stage. Here, we conducted a study to determine the physiological and transcriptional differences between two genotype seedlings (P300 and 323F3) with contrasting tolerance under salt stress. The P300 seedlings were more salt-tolerant and had higher K<sup>+</sup> contents, higher antioxidase activities, higher compatible solutes, and lower Na<sup>+</sup> contents in both their roots and their leaves than the 323F3 seedlings. During RNA-seq analysis of the roots, more up-regulated genes and fewer down-regulated genes were identified between salt-treated P300 seedlings and the controls than between salt-treated 323F3 and the controls. Many ROS-scavenging genes and several SOS pathway genes were significantly induced by salt stress and exhibited higher expressions in the salt-treated roots of the P300 seedlings than those of 323F3 seedlings. Moreover, biosynthesis of the unsaturated fatty acids pathway and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum pathway were deeply involved in the responses of P300 to salt stress, and most of the differentially expressed genes involved in the two pathways, including the genes that encode mega-6 fatty acid desaturases and heat-shock proteins, were up-regulated. We also found differences in the hormone synthesis and signaling pathway genes in both the P300 and 323F3 varieties under salt stress. Overall, our results provide valuable insights into the physiological and molecular mechanisms that affect the salt tolerance of pepper seedlings, and present some candidate genes for improving salt tolerance in pepper.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/17/9701peppersalt stressphysiological analysisRNA-seq |
| spellingShingle | Tao Zhang Kaile Sun Xiaoke Chang Zhaopeng Ouyang Geng Meng Yanan Han Shunshan Shen Qiuju Yao Fengzhi Piao Yong Wang Comparative Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses of Two Contrasting Pepper Genotypes under Salt Stress Reveal Complex Salt Tolerance Mechanisms in Seedlings International Journal of Molecular Sciences pepper salt stress physiological analysis RNA-seq |
| title | Comparative Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses of Two Contrasting Pepper Genotypes under Salt Stress Reveal Complex Salt Tolerance Mechanisms in Seedlings |
| title_full | Comparative Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses of Two Contrasting Pepper Genotypes under Salt Stress Reveal Complex Salt Tolerance Mechanisms in Seedlings |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses of Two Contrasting Pepper Genotypes under Salt Stress Reveal Complex Salt Tolerance Mechanisms in Seedlings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses of Two Contrasting Pepper Genotypes under Salt Stress Reveal Complex Salt Tolerance Mechanisms in Seedlings |
| title_short | Comparative Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses of Two Contrasting Pepper Genotypes under Salt Stress Reveal Complex Salt Tolerance Mechanisms in Seedlings |
| title_sort | comparative physiological and transcriptomic analyses of two contrasting pepper genotypes under salt stress reveal complex salt tolerance mechanisms in seedlings |
| topic | pepper salt stress physiological analysis RNA-seq |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/17/9701 |
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