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Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Leaves and Roots Responses in Salt-Tolerant Barley Line CC89/Giza123 Under
Muhammad Matloob Javed1, Abdullah A Al-Doss1, Muhammad Altaf Khan1
1Plant Production Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Current Issues in Molecular Biology
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Barley roots and leaves show distinct gene expression patterns under salt stress. Roots activate early, indicating a key role in initial salt response for improved crop tolerance.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Salinity stress significantly impacts crop yields and plant physiology.
- Understanding plant molecular responses to salt stress is crucial for developing tolerant crop varieties.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate transcriptomic changes in a salt-tolerant barley line under salinity stress.
- Identify tissue-specific and time-dependent gene expression patterns in response to salt.
Main Methods:
- Transcriptomic analysis of barley roots and leaves exposed to 200 mM NaCl for 12 and 24 hours.
- Differential gene expression analysis and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis.
Main Results:
- Roots exhibited a significantly stronger and earlier transcriptomic response than leaves.
- Roots rapidly activated ribosome and secondary-metabolite pathways, shifting to carbon fixation and energy pathways later.
- Leaves initially adjusted photosynthesis-antenna proteins, later expanding to defense and amino-acid biosynthesis pathways.
- Key salt-responsive genes including protein kinases, PP2Cs, aquaporins, and LEA proteins were identified.
Conclusions:
- Barley exhibits dynamic, tissue-specific molecular responses to salt stress.
- Roots play a critical role in the initial adaptive response to salinity.
- The identified genes and pathways provide insights for breeding salt-tolerant cereal crops.
Related Concept Videos
02:02Responses to Salt Stress
Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.