The lipid partners of plant membrane transporters in salinity stress response

Plant membrane transporters are essential for perceiving salinity stress, transducing signals, and mitigating stress during salt exposure. These proteins reside in the membrane and are modulated by various cellular components, including membrane lipids. Certain specific lipids are known to modulate the activity of plant membrane transporters, influencing their structure, function, and distribution within the membrane. Most of these regulatory lipids are low in abundance and target specific subsets of membrane transporters based on their localization. The interaction between plant membrane transporters and lipids in response to salinity stress is a relatively underexplored area. While there are only a few instances where the roles of lipids have been directly linked to transporters during salinity stress, this review comprehensively covers salinity stress-related plant membrane transporters known to be regulated by lipids. Further, it also examines the effects of lipids and their role in regulating the major transporters present in both the plasma membrane and intracellular membranes. The lipid regulation mechanisms of the transporters are inferred from recently published structures of lipid-bound plant membrane transporters. Finally, the review discusses traditional and novel methods for identifying lipid-membrane protein interactions. This work highlights the significance of studying the membrane protein-lipid interactome in light of recent insights into lipid function and the role of membrane transporters in plant salinity tolerance.