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Abstract Rice, an important food resource, is highly sensitive to salt stress, which is directly related to food security. Although many studies have identified physiological mechanisms that confer tolerance to the osmotic effects of salinity, the link between rice genotype and salt tolerance is not very clear yet. Association of gene co‐expression network and rice phenotypic data under stress has penitential to identify stress‐responsive genes, but there is no standard method to associate stress phenotype with gene co‐expression network. A novel method for integration of gene co‐expression network and stress phenotype data was developed to conduct a system analysis to link genotype to phenotype. We applied aLASSO‐based method to the gene co‐expression network of rice with salt stress to discover key genes and their interactions for salt tolerance‐related phenotypes. Submodules in gene modules identified from the co‐expression network were selected by theLASSOregression, which establishes a linear relationship between gene expression profiles and physiological responses, that is, sodium/potassium condenses under salt stress. Genes in these submodules have functions related to ion transport, osmotic adjustment, and oxidative tolerance. We argued that these genes in submodules are biologically meaningful and useful for studies on rice salt tolerance. This method can be applied to other studies to efficiently and reliably integrate co‐expression network and phenotypic data.
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This content will become publicly available on November 1, 2026
Adaptive Remodeling of the Proteome in Pistachio Roots Under Salt Stress: Implications for Food and Energy Security in Arid Regions
ABSTRACT Pistachio thrives in semi‐arid and arid environments and is highly adaptable to various abiotic stresses. However, soil salinization significantly threatens productivity, leading to considerable osmotic and ionic stress for these plants. Roots are the primary sites for stress perception and response; however, they remain understudied in woody crops, such asPistachio. This study examines the alterations in root protein expression and metabolic pathways in response to sodium chloride‐induced salt stress through biochemical and proteomic analyses. One‐year‐old pistachio rootstocks were treated with four different saline water regimes over a 100‐day period, and the total proteins were isolated from these samples. Over 1600 protein identifiers were detected, with comparative analysis revealing 245 proteins that were more abundant and 190 that were less abundant across three stress levels. Key pathways associated with stress tolerance, such as protein modification, folding, and heat shock protein (HSP) protection, were upregulated. An increase in secondary metabolites played a crucial role in detoxification. As salt stress intensified, the abundance of trafficking proteins increased, enhancing transporter activities. Active signaling pathways were observed at lower stress levels, while structural proteins became more critical at higher stress levels for maintaining cell membrane integrity. This cultivar exhibited enhanced kinase activities that regulate lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, thereby aiding in ion homeostasis and maintaining redox balance. The protein interaction network, mapped to orthologous proteins inArabidopsis thaliana, revealed clusters associated with cytosolic, carbohydrate, and amino acid metabolism contributing to salinity stress tolerance. The validation of proteomic data was performed by assessing corresponding changes in transcript levels. The study expands upon previous work by providing a comprehensive proteomic map of UCB‐1 pistachio rootstock across multiple salinity levels. The findings have practical implications for developing more resilient cultivars, supporting sustainable pistachio production in regions prone to salinity.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2150087
- PAR ID:
- 10655126
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Publisher
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Food and Energy Security
- Volume:
- 14
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 2048-3694
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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