The Salt Tolerance–Related Protein (STRP) Is a Positive Regulator of the Response to Salt Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Salt stress is a major abiotic stress limiting plant survival and crop productivity. Plant adaptation to salt stress involves complex responses, including changes in gene expression, regulation of hormone signaling, and production of stress-responsive proteins. The Salt Tolerance–Related Protein (STRP) has been recently characterized as a Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA)–like, intrinsically disordered protein involved in plant responses to cold stress. In addition, STRP has been proposed as a mediator of salt stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana, but its role has still to be fully clarified. Here, we investigated the role of STRP in salt stress responses in A. thaliana. The protein rapidly accumulates under salt stress due to a reduction of proteasome–mediated degradation. Physiological and biochemical responses of the strp mutant and STRP–overexpressing (STRP OE) plants demonstrate that salt stress impairs seed germination and seedling development more markedly in the strp mutant than in A. thaliana wild type (wt). At the same time, the inhibitory effect is significantly reduced in STRP OE plants. Moreover, the strp mutant has a lower ability to counteract oxidative stress, cannot accumulate the osmocompatible solute proline, and does not increase abscisic acid (ABA) levels in response to salinity stress. Accordingly, the opposite effect was observed in STRP OE plants. Overall, obtained results suggest that STRP performs its protective functions by reducing the oxidative burst induced by salt stress, and plays a role in the osmotic adjustment mechanisms required to preserve cellular homeostasis. These findings propose STRP as a critical component of the response mechanisms to saline stress in A. thaliana.