Functional screening of genes, which may play an important role for salt tolerance in halophytes

Abstract

To analyze the molecular mechanisms for salt tolerance in a mangrove plant, Bruguiera sexangula, and a member of the family Chenopodiaceae, Suaeda japonica, functional screening of cDNAs encoding proteins which may play an important role for salt tolerance in these halophytes was done using Escherichia coli as a host organism. In this screening, cDNAs encoding allene oxide cyclase homolog (mangrin) (Yamada et al. 2002 Plant Cell Physiol, 43 903-910), alfa subunit of chapenonin containing TCP-1 (CCT alfa) (Yamada et al. 2002 Plant Cell Physiol, 43 1043-1048), and RelA/SpoT homolog (Yamada et al. Plant Cell Physiol, in press) were successfully isolated. The role of these proteins in the mechanisms for salt tolerance will be discussed.