Variation in tissue Na(+) content and the activity of SOS1 genes among two species and two related genera of Chrysanthemum.
BACKGROUND
Chrysanthemum, a leading ornamental species, does not tolerate salinity stress, although some of its related species do. The current level of understanding regarding the mechanisms underlying salinity tolerance in this botanical group is still limited.


RESULTS
A comparison of the physiological responses to salinity stress was made between Chrysanthemum morifolium 'Jinba' and its more tolerant relatives Crossostephium chinense, Artemisia japonica and Chrysanthemum crassum. The stress induced a higher accumulation of Na(+) and more reduction of K(+) in C. morifolium than in C. chinense, C. crassum and A. japonica, which also showed higher K(+)/Na(+) ratio. Homologs of an Na(+)/H(+) antiporter (SOS1) were isolated from each species. The gene carried by the tolerant plants were more strongly induced by salt stress than those carried by the non-tolerant ones. When expressed heterologously, they also conferred a greater degree of tolerance to a yeast mutant lacking Na(+)-pumping ATPase and plasma membrane Na(+)/H(+) antiporter activity. The data suggested that the products of AjSOS1, CrcSOS1 and CcSOS1 functioned more effectively as Na (+) excluders than those of CmSOS1. Over expression of four SOS1s improves the salinity tolerance of transgenic plants and the overexpressing plants of SOS1s from salt tolerant plants were more tolerant than that from salt sensitive plants. In addition, the importance of certain AjSOS1 residues for effective ion transport activity and salinity tolerance was established by site-directed mutagenesis and heterologous expression in yeast.


CONCLUSIONS
AjSOS1, CrcSOS1 and CcSOS1 have potential as transgenes for enhancing salinity tolerance. Some of the mutations identified here may offer opportunities to better understand the mechanistic basis of salinity tolerance in the chrysanthemum complex.
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
Jiaojiao
J
Gao
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
Jing
J
Sun
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
Peipei
P
Cao
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
Liping
L
Ren
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
Chen
C
Liu
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
Sumei
S
Chen
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
Fadi
F
Chen
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China. jiangjiafu@njau.edu.cn.
Jiafu
J
Jiang
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019306:Artemisia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D031202:Chrysanthemum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D009154:Mutation; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D054712:Salinity; D055049:Salt Tolerance / Q000235:genetics; D055051:Salt-Tolerant Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D017923:Sodium-Hydrogen Exchangers / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity
D010940:Plant Proteins; D017923:Sodium-Hydrogen Exchangers; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D012964:Sodium; D011188:Potassium
Chrysanthemum morifolium; Complementation assay; Compositae; Functional characterization; SOS1