Integrated physio-biochemical and transcriptomic analyses reveal the mechanism underlying ABA-mediated alleviation of salt stress in Limonium bicolor seedlings

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in regulating plant stress responses. However, there are currently no reports on ABA in regulating the salt tolerance of Limonium bicolor. Here, we analyzed the effects of exogenous ABA on growth, photosynthesis, salt secretion, and physiological and transcriptome changes of L. bicolor seedlings under 300 mM NaCl. Exogenous 10 mu M ABA treatment in L. bicolor seedlings treated with salt upregulated the expression of genes related to stomatal development, increased the density and number of stomata, and improved plant gas exchange capacity, thereby increasing the net photosynthesis rate. Exogenous ABA treatment in L. bicolor seedlings under salt stress also upregulated the expression of genes related to salt gland development, promoted salt glands development, increased salt glands density, increased the salt secretion capacity of leaves, and reduced the accumulation of Na+ in the plant. ABA application enhanced salt tolerance of L. bicolor seedlings by increasing content of soluble solutes, enhancing antioxidant enzymes activities, decreasing accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and increasing ABA and indole acetic acid contents. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that genes differentially expressed in L. bicolor seedlings during ABA -induced salt tolerance are involved in many metabolic pathways, including plant hormone signal transduction, proline metabolism, endocytosis and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum. Furthermore, some transcription factors, MYB, bHLH, and WRKY, might contribute to the improved salt stress tolerance of L. bicolor conferred by ABA. These results provide a basis for further clarifying the salt tolerance mechanism mediated by exogenous ABA in L. bicolor seedlings.