Expression of Aquaporin gene in Salt-stressed Rice Pre-treated with Dopamine

One of the major problems in rice production is coping with saline soils. Thus, Amal Abdelkader from Ain Shams University in Egypt, together with other scientists, conducted a study to investigate the function of neurotransmitter dopamine in enhancing salinity tolerance of rice by adjusting the plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs).

Using RT-PCR, the expression of aquaporin gene (OsPIP1-s) was increased as a response to mild salt concentration. On the other hand, the expression of the gene was decreased in response to dopamine, which may imply that dopamine could have a regulatory role in water penetration. It was also observed that the content of pigment and proline was regulated significantly when the plants were pre-treated with dopamine before exposure to salt stress. Low membrane leakage was observed in salt stressed rice pre-treated with dopamine.

The researchers concluded that dopamine has a role in regulation of OsPIP1-s gene, which is concentration-dependent. It was recommended that pre-treatment of dopamine in low concentrations can be a cheap and potential mechanism to improve salt stress-tolerance in rice through the neurotransmitter's effect on plasma membrane aquaporins.

Read the abstract at http://www.pomics.com/abdelkader_5_6_2012_532_541.pdf.