Binayak Das, Team bioXone
Salinity stress is one of the most prevalent abiotic stresses that obstructs plant development and harshly affects the agricultural yield of valuable crops. Emerging studies have depicted the production of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and its role in a plant’s response to the onset of various abiotic stresses. Although knowledge regarding the underlying mechanisms of how the responses are being affected are not well documented yet, this new study successfully elaborates on how plant growth, Na+ transportation and buildup, ROS metabolism and how GABA influences amino acids and gene expressions of SlGADs.
By administering GABA exogenously, the changes that the authors observed were:
- a significant fall in the damage index caused by the salt,
- a significant increase in plant height and chlorophyll content.
- Na+ influx in roots prevented,
- Thereby reducing Na+ accumulation in leaves and roots
- Expression of SlGAD1-3 genes was induced as the stress response.
- Thereby causing increased GAD activity
- Increased amino acid content during salt stress in leaves, especially for endogenous GABA, proline, glutamate, glycine, alanine, methionine and more.
- Helped cure oxidative stress damage: It promoted better regulation of the antioxidant system, by increasing the activity of SODs and PODs. This led to a decrease in the population of active oxygen species and malondialdehyde.
Therefore, it was made clear from these phenotypic changes in the tomato plant, that the external application of GABA had helped in contributing to the salt stress-tolerance responses.
Also read: Molecules for Life- Glutaredoxin System
Source: Wu, X., Jia, Q., Ji, S. et al. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) alleviates salt damage in tomato by modulating Na+ uptake, the GAD gene, amino acid synthesis and reactive oxygen species metabolism. BMC Plant Biol 20, 465 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-020-02669-w
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