Regulation of Na+ and K+ Homeostasis in Plants: Towards Improved Salt Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants

Overview

Journal Genet Mol Biol

Specialty Genetics

Date 2017 Mar 29

PMID 28350038

Citations 150

Authors

Diego M Almeida

M Margarida Oliveira

Nelson J M Saibo

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress that results in considerable crop yield losses worldwide. However, some plant genotypes show a high tolerance to soil salinity, as they manage to maintain a high K+/Na+ ratio in the cytosol, in contrast to salt stress susceptible genotypes. Although, different plant genotypes show different salt tolerance mechanisms, they all rely on the regulation and function of K+ and Na+ transporters and H+ pumps, which generate the driving force for K+ and Na+ transport. In this review we will introduce salt stress responses in plants and summarize the current knowledge about the most important ion transporters that facilitate intra- and intercellular K+ and Na+ homeostasis in these organisms. We will describe and discuss the regulation and function of the H+-ATPases, H+-PPases, SOS1, HKTs, and NHXs, including the specific tissues where they work and their response to salt stress.

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