Study Pinpoints Rice Gene Vital in Salt Tolerance and Growth Vigor

Researchers at Nanchang University in China found a rice gene involved in physiological and molecular responses to salt stress. Their findings, which are vital in the development of salt-resilient rice varieties, are presented in a preprint article at SSRN.

Soil salinization harms rice production worldwide, highlighting the need to pinpoint the genetic components of salt tolerance. Glycine- and proline-rich proteins (GPRPs) have remained unchanged throughout the evolutionary history of different plant species, but their role in crop salinity responses remains unclear. This led the researchers to use CRISPR-Cas9 to disrupt the GPRP gene (OsGPRP3), which was previously associated with grain development, salt tolerance, and growth vigor in rice.

Results showed that the OsGPRP3 knockout lines had increased salt sensitivity and reduced germination and seedling survival rates compared to the wild-type ZH11. During the reproductive stage and under salt stress, the gene-edited plants exhibited a significant decrease (24.8%) in grain yield, which was only 9.1% in the wild-type. Furthermore, assay results indicated impaired oxidative and osmotic homeostasis.

Based on the findings, OsGPRP3 plays a critical role in coordinating physiological and molecular responses to salt stress in rice. The results provide the first functional evidence of a GPRP family member involved in multi-stage salinity adaptation in crops.

Download the paper from SSRN.