Scholarlink

Background <p>Soil salinization severely limits global agricultural productivity. Halophytes such as <i>Nitraria sibirica</i> (<i>N. sibirica</i>) serve as valuable model systems for unraveling the sophisticated mechanisms underlying salt adaptation. Although mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades function as central signaling modules in plant stress responses, their specific architecture and functional organization remain largely unexplored in extremophytes .</p> Results <p>Through a genome-wide analysis of <i>N. sibirica</i>, we systematically identified 79 MAPK cascade components, including 14 MAPKs, 7 MAPKKs, and 58 MAPKKKs. All identified proteins harbor canonical structural features, including conserved T(E/D)Y motifs in MAPKs, active site S/T-X<sub>5</sub>-S/T motifs in MAPKKs, and subfamily-specific signatures in MAPKKKs. Evolutionary analysis classified these components into highly conserved subfamilies aligned with the established <i>Arabidopsis</i> framework. Transcriptomic profiling, coupled with qRT-PCR validation, uncovered multiple salt-responsive genes that exhibited diverse subcellular localization patterns. Furthermore, by integrating AlphaFold-based structural modeling with yeast two-hybrid assays, we identified a linearly organized MAPK cascade module: NsMAPKKK (NISI07G2543) - NsMAPKK (NISI03G1309) - NsMAPK (NISI09G1183). This signaling module was consistently upregulated under salinity stress, and its physical interactions were demonstrated in vitro.</p> Conclusions <p>This study presents a genome-wide identification of the MAPK cascade family in <i>N. sibirica</i>. By delineating a candidate salt-responsive module, our findings provide insights into stress signal transduction in extremophytes and offer potential target candidates for engineering salt tolerance in crops.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Identification of salt-responsive mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade members in the halophyte N. sibirica

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月21日

查看全文
  • Yuchang Chen,
  • Yajing Lu,
  • Xueyi Chu,
  • Yajing Ning,
  • Rongxin Gou,
  • Tao Li,
  • Zhaodong Hao,
  • Tielong Cheng,
  • Jinhui Chen,
  • Lu Lu

摘要

Background

Soil salinization severely limits global agricultural productivity. Halophytes such as Nitraria sibirica (N. sibirica) serve as valuable model systems for unraveling the sophisticated mechanisms underlying salt adaptation. Although mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades function as central signaling modules in plant stress responses, their specific architecture and functional organization remain largely unexplored in extremophytes .

Results

Through a genome-wide analysis of N. sibirica, we systematically identified 79 MAPK cascade components, including 14 MAPKs, 7 MAPKKs, and 58 MAPKKKs. All identified proteins harbor canonical structural features, including conserved T(E/D)Y motifs in MAPKs, active site S/T-X5-S/T motifs in MAPKKs, and subfamily-specific signatures in MAPKKKs. Evolutionary analysis classified these components into highly conserved subfamilies aligned with the established Arabidopsis framework. Transcriptomic profiling, coupled with qRT-PCR validation, uncovered multiple salt-responsive genes that exhibited diverse subcellular localization patterns. Furthermore, by integrating AlphaFold-based structural modeling with yeast two-hybrid assays, we identified a linearly organized MAPK cascade module: NsMAPKKK (NISI07G2543) - NsMAPKK (NISI03G1309) - NsMAPK (NISI09G1183). This signaling module was consistently upregulated under salinity stress, and its physical interactions were demonstrated in vitro.

Conclusions

This study presents a genome-wide identification of the MAPK cascade family in N. sibirica. By delineating a candidate salt-responsive module, our findings provide insights into stress signal transduction in extremophytes and offer potential target candidates for engineering salt tolerance in crops.