Exogenous melatonin enhances salt tolerance by regulating the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in common bean at sprout stage

Salt stress is a major environmental abiotic stress factor. Plants sense salt from germination onwards, negatively affecting their growth and development. Enhancing salt tolerance in crops at the sprout stage is crucial, given that it is the first stage to encounter stress. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-met...

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Main Authors: Qi Zhang, Anjian Li, Bo Xu, Hongda Wang, Jinqi Yu, Jiaxi Liu, Lingmin Jian, Cheng Quan, Jidao Du
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Plant Stress
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667064X24002422
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author Qi Zhang
Anjian Li
Bo Xu
Hongda Wang
Jinqi Yu
Jiaxi Liu
Lingmin Jian
Cheng Quan
Jidao Du
author_facet Qi Zhang
Anjian Li
Bo Xu
Hongda Wang
Jinqi Yu
Jiaxi Liu
Lingmin Jian
Cheng Quan
Jidao Du
author_sort Qi Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Salt stress is a major environmental abiotic stress factor. Plants sense salt from germination onwards, negatively affecting their growth and development. Enhancing salt tolerance in crops at the sprout stage is crucial, given that it is the first stage to encounter stress. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a potent antioxidant that can alleviate stress from various environmental factors. Here, a common bean variety “Heiyundou” was used as the plant material. A concentration of 70 mMol·L−1 NaCl was chosen as the stress treatment, and 100 μmol·L−1 melatonin was applied. Four treatment groups were established: CK (control, water treatment), S (salt stress), M (melatonin), and M+S (salt stress with melatonin). Melatonin application under salt stress (M+S) significantly improved sprout length, surface area, volume, and average diameter compared to the salt stress group (S). Physiological analysis revealed that salt stress increased the activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging enzymes, while exogenous melatonin (M+S) further enhanced this activity. Salt stress also significantly elevated levels of stress markers like malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide anion (O2−). However, these markers decreased under the M+S treatment, indicating melatonin's protective effect. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis identified 639 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the control (W) and salt stress (S) groups, and 170 DEGs between the salt stress (S) and salt stress with melatonin (M+S) groups. 40 DEGs were common to both comparisons (Co-DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that oxidoreductase activity (GO:0016491) and oxidation–reduction processes (GO:0055114) were enriched in all three groups (WvsS, SvsM+S, and Co-DEGs). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (Ko00940) was the most enriched pathway in all three groups. Within this pathway, 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL) and peroxidase (POD) were identified as key enzymes. Molecular docking simulations further confirmed the binding potential of melatonin to these two enzymes. Additionally, 4CL activity and lignin content analyses supported the role of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis as the underlying mechanism of melatonin's protective action. Collectively, these findings provide a theoretical basis for applying melatonin in enhancing salt tolerance in common bean crops.
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spelling doaj-art-db02b46b2ad94154831ad8b0f0fe4b3c2025-08-20T02:34:35ZengElsevierPlant Stress2667-064X2024-12-011410058910.1016/j.stress.2024.100589Exogenous melatonin enhances salt tolerance by regulating the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in common bean at sprout stageQi Zhang0Anjian Li1Bo Xu2Hongda Wang3Jinqi Yu4Jiaxi Liu5Lingmin Jian6Cheng Quan7Jidao Du8College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang,China; Natiomal coarse cereals engineering research center, Daqing, Heilongjiang, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang,ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang,ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang,ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang,ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang,ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang,ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang,ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang,China; Natiomal coarse cereals engineering research center, Daqing, Heilongjiang, China; Corresponding author at: Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, China.Salt stress is a major environmental abiotic stress factor. Plants sense salt from germination onwards, negatively affecting their growth and development. Enhancing salt tolerance in crops at the sprout stage is crucial, given that it is the first stage to encounter stress. Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a potent antioxidant that can alleviate stress from various environmental factors. Here, a common bean variety “Heiyundou” was used as the plant material. A concentration of 70 mMol·L−1 NaCl was chosen as the stress treatment, and 100 μmol·L−1 melatonin was applied. Four treatment groups were established: CK (control, water treatment), S (salt stress), M (melatonin), and M+S (salt stress with melatonin). Melatonin application under salt stress (M+S) significantly improved sprout length, surface area, volume, and average diameter compared to the salt stress group (S). Physiological analysis revealed that salt stress increased the activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging enzymes, while exogenous melatonin (M+S) further enhanced this activity. Salt stress also significantly elevated levels of stress markers like malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide anion (O2−). However, these markers decreased under the M+S treatment, indicating melatonin's protective effect. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis identified 639 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the control (W) and salt stress (S) groups, and 170 DEGs between the salt stress (S) and salt stress with melatonin (M+S) groups. 40 DEGs were common to both comparisons (Co-DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that oxidoreductase activity (GO:0016491) and oxidation–reduction processes (GO:0055114) were enriched in all three groups (WvsS, SvsM+S, and Co-DEGs). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (Ko00940) was the most enriched pathway in all three groups. Within this pathway, 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL) and peroxidase (POD) were identified as key enzymes. Molecular docking simulations further confirmed the binding potential of melatonin to these two enzymes. Additionally, 4CL activity and lignin content analyses supported the role of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis as the underlying mechanism of melatonin's protective action. Collectively, these findings provide a theoretical basis for applying melatonin in enhancing salt tolerance in common bean crops.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667064X24002422Salt stressMelatoninCommon beanPhenylpropanoid biosynthesis
spellingShingle Qi Zhang
Anjian Li
Bo Xu
Hongda Wang
Jinqi Yu
Jiaxi Liu
Lingmin Jian
Cheng Quan
Jidao Du
Exogenous melatonin enhances salt tolerance by regulating the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in common bean at sprout stage
Plant Stress
Salt stress
Melatonin
Common bean
Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis
title Exogenous melatonin enhances salt tolerance by regulating the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in common bean at sprout stage
title_full Exogenous melatonin enhances salt tolerance by regulating the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in common bean at sprout stage
title_fullStr Exogenous melatonin enhances salt tolerance by regulating the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in common bean at sprout stage
title_full_unstemmed Exogenous melatonin enhances salt tolerance by regulating the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in common bean at sprout stage
title_short Exogenous melatonin enhances salt tolerance by regulating the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in common bean at sprout stage
title_sort exogenous melatonin enhances salt tolerance by regulating the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway in common bean at sprout stage
topic Salt stress
Melatonin
Common bean
Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667064X24002422
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