Biotech Updates

Overexpression of PtSOS2 Gene Improves Salinity Tolerance of Transgenic Poplar

February 18, 2015

The salt overly sensitive (SOS) pathway is crucial in conferring salt tolerance in plants under saline conditions. In this study, the Chinese Academy of Sciences researcher Hong-Xia Zhang showed that overexpression of the active form of PtSOS2 (PtSOS2TD), a key component of the pathway, significantly increased salt tolerance in the poplar Aspen hybrid clone Shanxin Yang (Populus davidiana × Populus bolleana).

Compared to the wild-type, transgenic popolars expressing PtSOS2TD exhibited more vigorous growth and produced more biomass under high concentrations of NaCl. The improved salt tolerance was also associated with a decreased Na+ accumulation in the leaves of transgenic plants.

Further analyses revealed that plasma membrane Na+/H+ exchange activity and Na+ efflux in transgenic plants were significantly higher than in the wildtypes. These results suggest that PtSOS2 can be an ideal target gene to genetically engineer salt tolerance in trees.

For more information on the study, read the full article in Plant Biotechnology Journal.