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Review
. 2022 Dec 28;24(1):518.
doi: 10.3390/ijms24010518.

Proteomic Approaches to Uncover Salt Stress Response Mechanisms in Crops

Rehana Kausar  1 , Setsuko Komatsu  2
Affiliations
Review

Proteomic Approaches to Uncover Salt Stress Response Mechanisms in Crops

Rehana Kausar et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Salt stress is an unfavorable outcome of global climate change, adversely affecting crop growth and yield. It is the second-biggest abiotic factor damaging the morphological, physio-biochemical, and molecular processes during seed germination and plant development. Salt responses include modulation of hormonal biosynthesis, ionic homeostasis, the antioxidant defense system, and osmoprotectants to mitigate salt stress. Plants trigger salt-responsive genes, proteins, and metabolites to cope with the damaging effects of a high salt concentration. Enhancing salt tolerance among crop plants is direly needed for sustainable global agriculture. Novel protein markers, which are used for crop improvement against salt stress, are identified using proteomic techniques. As compared to single-technique approaches, the integration of genomic tools and exogenously applied chemicals offers great potential in addressing salt-stress-induced challenges. The interplay of salt-responsive proteins and genes is the missing key of salt tolerance. The development of salt-tolerant crop varieties can be achieved by integrated approaches encompassing proteomics, metabolomics, genomics, and genome-editing tools. In this review, the current information about the morphological, physiological, and molecular mechanisms of salt response/tolerance in crops is summarized. The significance of proteomic approaches to improve salt tolerance in various crops is highlighted, and an integrated omics approach to achieve global food security is discussed. Novel proteins that respond to salt stress are potential candidates for future breeding of salt tolerance.

Keywords: antioxidants; crops; phytohormone; proteomics; reactive oxygen species; salt stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Morphological and physiological changes reported under salt stress in crops. Upward and downward arrows show an increase and decrease, respectively, in morphological or physiological characteristics.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Salt stress response and tolerance mechanism in the leaves and roots of crops based on proteomics results. Upward and downward arrows show an increase and decrease, respectively, in morphological or physiological characteristics. Abbreviations: ABA, abscisic acid; ER, endoplasmic reticulum; ROS, reactive oxygen species; RuBisCO, ribulose bisphosphatase carboxylase/oxygenase; VAMP, vesicle-associated membrane protein; SNARE, soluble N-ethylmale-imide-sensitive factor-attachment protein receptors; HSP, heat shock protein; LEA, late embryogenesis abundant protein; BZIP, basic leucine zipper; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Proteomic alterations of salt-stress-responsive proteins in crop plants. Increased and decreased proteins are highlighted with upward and downward black-colored arrows, respectively. Salt-stress-induced changes in the proteins related to glycolysis, photosynthesis, the TCA cycle, and ROS production are represented. Under salt stress, major proteins belonging to the nucleus, chloroplast, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and endoplasmic reticulum are schematically presented. Abbreviations: HSP70, heat shock protein 70; ABA, abscisic acid; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinases; RuBisCO, ribulose-bisphosphate-carboxylase-oxygenase; CATs, catalases; PODs, peroxidases; SODs, super-oxide dismutases; GPOX, glycolate peroxidase; ER, endoplasmic reticulum; UPR, unfolded protein response; GABA, gamma-amino-butyric acid; VAMP, vesicle-associated membrane protein; acetyl-CoA, acetyl-coenzyme A; SNARE, soluble N-ethylmale-imide-sensitive factor-attachment-protein receptors; HPA1, harpin protein 1; Chl-a, chlorophyll a; Chl-b, chlorophyll b; PEP, phosphoenolpyruvate; GDSL, glycine, aspartic acid, serine, and leucine motif consensus amino acid; GDH, glutamate dehydrogenase; ACO, aconitase; IDH, isocitrate dehydrogenase; MDH, malate dehydrogenase; FS, fumarase; NADH, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrogen; NADs, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides; ADP, adenosine diphosphate; ATP, adenosine triphosphate; TCA, tricarboxylic acid; ROS, reactive oxygen species.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Integration of different omics techniques for crop improvement under salt stress conditions. A crop under salt stress faces oxidative, ionic, and osmotic stresses all together, which ultimately leads to changes in the physio-biochemical and molecular processes. These changes alter the structure, function, and abundance of proteins, which are the key players in cellular metabolism. The omics revolution has now made it possible to thoroughly study proteins and genes. Advanced genomics techniques allow the identification of candidate SNPs using NGS, followed by the identification of the closely linked adjacent SNPs within a specific range on the same chromosomal region (haplotype). Functional haplotypes can be used as an alternative breeding strategy for developing salt-tolerant crop varieties in a short span of time with a more _targeted approach. Abbreviations: NGS, next-generation sequencing; SNPs, single-nucleotide polymorphisms.
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