Journal
NEW PHYTOLOGIST
Volume 217, Issue 3, Pages 1161-1176Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/nph.14882
Keywords
ion homeostasis; maize; natural variation; quantitative trait locus (QTL); salt tolerance
Categories
Funding
- National Key RAMP
- D Program of China [2016YFD0100605, 2016YFD0100404]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [31470350]
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Soil salinity is one of several major abiotic stresses that constrain maize productivity worldwide. An improved understanding of salt-tolerance mechanisms will thus enhance the breeding of salt-tolerant maize and boost productivity. Previous studies have indicated that the maintenance of leaf Na+ concentration is essential for maize salt tolerance, and the difference in leaf Na+ exclusion has previously been associated with variation in salt tolerance between maize varieties. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of a maize salt-tolerance quantitative trait locus (QTL), Zea mays Na+ Content1 (ZmNC1), which encodes an HKT-type transporter (designated as ZmHKT1). We show that a natural ZmHKT1 loss-of-function allele containing a retrotransposon insertion confers increased accumulation of Na+ in leaves, and salt hypersensitivity. We next show that ZmHKT1 encodes a plasma membrane-localized Na+-selective transporter, and is preferentially expressed in root stele (including the parenchyma cells surrounding the xylem vessels). We also show that loss of ZmHKT1 function increases xylem sap Na+ concentration and causes increased root-to-shoot Na+ delivery, indicating that ZmHKT1 promotes leaf Na+ exclusion and salt tolerance by withdrawing Na+ from the xylem sap. We conclude that ZmHKT1 is a major salt-tolerance QTL and identifies an important new gene target in breeding for improved maize salt tolerance.
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