Integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses reveal MT-mediated aluminum tolerance mechanisms in celery

Area of Science:

• Plant Physiology
• Molecular Biology
• Environmental Stress Response

Background:

• Aluminum toxicity in acidic soils severely limits plant growth by causing oxidative damage and disrupting hormone pathways.
• Melatonin (MT) is a known plant regulator that enhances tolerance to abiotic stresses, but its specific role in mitigating aluminum toxicity requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically explore the alleviative effects of melatonin on aluminum stress in celery (Apium graveolens L.).
• To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying melatonin's role in enhancing aluminum tolerance.

Main Methods:

• Physiological phenotype analysis of celery under aluminum stress with and without melatonin treatment.
• Transcriptome sequencing to analyze gene expression changes in response to aluminum and melatonin.

Main Results:

• Melatonin treatment significantly promoted celery biomass accumulation and root growth, counteracting aluminum-induced growth inhibition.
• Melatonin reduced oxidative damage, evidenced by decreased H2O2 content, and upregulated genes in glutathione metabolism, notably GST family genes.
• Melatonin modulated plant hormone signaling pathways, including auxin, brassinosteroid, and salicylic acid, by altering the expression of key regulatory genes.

Conclusions:

• Melatonin effectively alleviates aluminum toxicity in celery by regulating antioxidant metabolism and plant hormone signaling.
• The findings provide a theoretical foundation for using melatonin to improve aluminum tolerance in agricultural crops.