Changes in ALDH Family and Patterns of ACS Gene Expression in Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) in Response to Acetic Acid Application under Saline Conditions

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

1 Department of Agriculture, Minab Higher Education Center, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran

2 Department of Horticulture Faculty of Agriculture Shiraz University Shiraz, Iran

3 Department of Horticultural Science, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

Exogenous application of acetic acid has been reported to increase plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. To investigate the role of acetic acid in plants for improved tolerance to NaCl and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms, acetic acid (1 and 2 mM) was foliar-applied on Paros strawberry plants exposed to NaCl (0 and 40 mM). The expression patterns of some ALDH (aldehyde dehydrogenase) and ACS (acetyl CoA synthase) candidates were analyzed. The results showed that ALDH3I1 and ALDH7B4 were strongly induced by salt stress or by the application of acetic acid under salt stress. The ALDH3I1 and ALDH7B4 isoforms showed higher expression levels in plants under salt stress after acetic acid treatment than the untreated control plants. Under non-stress conditions, ACS expression in plants increased in response to 2 mM acetic acid but decreased in response to 1 mM. In conclusion, ALDH genes, especially ALDH3I1, were significantly induced in strawberry plants treated with acetic acid and exposed to salinity stress. ALDH7B4 also showed increased expression under these conditions, though to a lesser extent than ALDH3I1. The activation of these ALDH genes can be assocaied with a defense mechanism that reduces damage caused by stress.

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