title: A Populus euphratica NAC protein regulating Na⁺/K⁺ homeostasis improves salt tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: NAC transcription factors are plant-specific and play an important role in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Populus euphratica is a salt-tolerant tree species growing in semi-arid saline areas. A stress responsive gene was successfully isolated from this species and named PeNAC1. The isolated cDNA encoded a protein containing a conserved NAC domain that belonged to the ATAF subgroup of the NAC protein family. The protein was localized to the nucleus and its C-terminus had transcriptional activation activity. Northern hybridization showed that its expression was strongly induced by drought and salt stress, but only slightly induced by ABA treatment in P. euphratica. Transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing PeNAC1 showed enhanced tolerance to salt stress, with lower Na(+)/K(+) ratios in the roots and leaves, and significantly inhibited expression levels of AtHKT1. Our results suggest that PeNAC1 plays a role in the plant response to salt stress by regulating Na(+)/K(+) homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 12 Zhong Guan Cun South Street, Beijing 100081, China. jyw19@163.com
authors.forename: Jun-Ying
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jun-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.lastname: He-Yuan
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D032107:Populus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism*; D055049:Salt Tolerance / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C418004:NAC1 protein, Arabidopsis; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D012964:Sodium; D011188:Potassium