Mechanistic Analysis of Melatonin-Enhanced Salt-Alkali Tolerance in Adzuki Bean Seedlings

doi:10.7668/hbnxb.20196393

Abstract

Abstract:

Excessive salt-alkali in the soil will inhibit the growth of adzuki bean plants,resulting in a decrease in yield and quality.The bud stage is one of the most vulnerable stages in the plant life cycle,and improving salt and alkali tolerance during the bud stage is particularly important to ensure the healthy growth of crops throughout the entire growth cycle.This study focuses on exploring the alleviation mechanism of melatonin on sprouting red beans under salt alkali stress,using the red bean variety Longxiaodou 5 as the experimental material.The experiment was conducted with distilled water as the control(CK)and three treatment groups,namely SA(mixed saline alkali solution),MT(melatonin solution),and MT+SA(melatonin solution with a concentration of 100 μmol/L added to SA).Compared with SA,MT+SA treatment can significantly promote the growth of red bean sprouts.The antioxidant enzyme activity,soluble protein,and soluble sugar content of red beans were significantly enhanced.The content of ROS,MDA,and H₂O₂ of red beans were significantly reduced.In terms of transcriptome analysis,a comparison between SA and CK,and a comparison between MT+SA and SA,resulted in 9 111 and 4 662 differentially expressed genes(DEGs),respectively.There were 4 624 upregulated genes and 4 487 downregulated genes in the SA vs CK treatment group;there were 1 800 upregulated genes and 2 862 downregulated genes in the MT+SA and SA treatment groups.GO enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed that they were mainly enriched in metabolic processes,biological regulation,transcriptional regulation activity,transport activity,catalytic activity,and other aspects;the main pathways identified through KEGG enrichment analysis were map00940,map00941,and map00943.The differential genes identified in these three pathways were validated by qRT-PCR,and the results showed that the expression trend of qRT-PCR was consistent with that of RNA-seq,thus confirming the reliability of RNA-seq data.In summary,based on phenotype,physiology,transcriptome data,and qRT-PCR data,this study found that melatonin has a significant effect on the resistance of sprouting red beans to salt alkali stress.

Key words: Adzuki bean at bud stage, Salt and alkali stress, Exogenous melatonin, Phenotypicindex, Physiological index, Transcriptome data

CLC Number:

XU Bo, DUAN Kehan, CHEN Boyuan, YU Dezhen, ZHANG Qi, DU Jidao. Mechanistic Analysis of Melatonin-Enhanced Salt-Alkali Tolerance in Adzuki Bean Seedlings[J]. Acta Agriculturae Boreali-Sinica, 2026, 41(4): 132-139. doi: 10.7668/hbnxb.20196393.

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Figures/Tables 10

Fig.1 The effect of exogenous melatonin on growth indicators of sprouting adzuki bean under saline alkali stress Different letters in the figure represent significant differences(P<0.05).The same as Fig.2—5,9.

Fig.2 Effect of exogenous melatonin on antioxidant enzyme activity of adzuki bean during germination under salt alkali stress

Fig.3 The effect of exogenous melatonin on ROS content in sprouting adzuki beans under salt alkali stress

Fig.4 The effect of exogenous melatonin on the content of osmoregulatory substances in sprouting adzuki beans under salt alkali stress

Fig.5 The effect of exogenous melatonin on the cell membrane of adzuki bean during germination under salt alkali stress

Fig.6 Statistical analysis of differential expression in adzuki bean during the germination stage

Fig.7 Annotation classification of SA vs CK and MT+SA vs SA differentially expressed genes 1.Structural molecule activity;2.Molecular transducer activity;3.Molecular function regulator activity;4.ATP-dependent activity;5.Transcription regulator activity;6.Transporter activity;7.Catalytic activity;8.Binding;9.Protein-containing complex;10.Cellular anatomical entity;11.Multicellular organismal process;12.Reproductive process;13.Homeostatic process;14.Biological process involved in interspecies interaction between organisms;15.Developmental process;16.Localization;17.Response to stimulus;18.Biological regulation;19.Metabolic process;20.Cellular process.

Fig.8 Circular plot of KEGG analysis of differentially expressed genes in SA vs CK and MT+SA vs SA 1.Isoflavonoid biosynthesis;2.Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis;3.Motor proteins;4.Flavonoid biosynthesis;5.MAPK signaling pathway-plant;6.Plant-pathogen interaction;7.Alpha-linolenic acid metabolism;8.Galactose metabolism;9.Tryptophan metabolism;10.Indole alkaloid biosynthesis;11.Ubiquinone and other terpenoid-quinone biosynthesis;12.Flavone and flavonol biosynthesis;13.Cyanoamino acid metabolism;14.Zeatin biosynthesis;15.Monoterpenoid biosynthesis;16.Butanoate metabolism;17.Terpenoid backbone biosynthesis;18.ABC transporters;19.Valine,leucine and isoleucine degradation;20.Linoleic acid metabolism.

Fig.9 Analysis of expression patterns of adzuki bean genes under salt alkali stress and melatonin treatment

Fig.10 Docking of melatonin molecules with POD,4CL,and CAD proteins at the first site

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