Salinity stress-responsive transcription factors in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha

Abstract

Salinity stress limits plant growth and productivity. To cope with this limitation, the expression patterns of numerous genes are altered in response to salt stress; however, the regulatory mechanisms involved in these changes are unclear. In the present study, we investigated the regulation of the salinity stress response in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. The growth of M. polymorpha gemmalings was severely inhibited by NaCl, and RNA-sequencing and quantitative RT-PCR analyses revealed that the expression of several transcription factor gene families was induced by salinity stress. This work provides insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the salinity stress response in M. polymorpha.