The WRKY Transcription Factor OsWRKY54 Is Involved in Salt Tolerance in Rice
Salt stress is a critical limiting factor for rice growth and production. Although numerous salt-tolerant genes have been identified, the mechanism underlying salt stress tolerance in rice remains unclear. This study reports the need for an uncharacterized WRKY transcription factor OsWRKY54 for rice...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/19/11999 |
| Summary: | Salt stress is a critical limiting factor for rice growth and production. Although numerous salt-tolerant genes have been identified, the mechanism underlying salt stress tolerance in rice remains unclear. This study reports the need for an uncharacterized WRKY transcription factor OsWRKY54 for rice salt-tolerance. Salt stress resulted in a rapid induction of <i>OsWRKY54</i> expression in roots. Immunostaining analysis showed that it was mainly expressed in the stele. The loss of <i>OsWRKY54</i> resulted in greater Na accumulation in shoots and enhanced sensitivity of rice plants to salt stress. The real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and transcriptome analysis revealed that OsWRKY54 regulated the expression of some essential genes related to salt tolerance, such as <i>OsNHX4</i> and <i>OsHKT1;5.</i> Furthermore, OsWRKY54 was found to regulate <i>OsHKT1;5</i> expression by directly binding to the W-box motif in its promoter. Thus, these results indicated that <i>OsWRKY54</i> was a critical regulatory factor in salt tolerance in rice. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |