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Jasmonic acid improves barley photosynthetic efficiency through a possible regulatory module, MYC2-RcaA, under combined drought and salinity stress

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Abstract

The combined stress of drought and salinity is prevalent in various regions of the world, affects several physiological and biochemical processes in crops, and causes their yield to decrease. Photosynthesis is one of the main processes that are disturbed by combined stress. Therefore, improving the photosynthetic efficiency of crops is one of the most promising strategies to overcome environmental stresses, making studying the molecular basis of regulation of photosynthesis a necessity. In this study, we sought a potential mechanism that regulated a major component of the combined stress response in the important crop barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), namely the Rubisco activase A (RcaA) gene. Promoter analysis of the RcaA gene led to identifying Jasmonic acid (JA)-responsive elements with a high occurrence. Specifically, a Myelocytomatosis oncogenes 2 (MYC2) transcription factor binding site was highlighted as a plausible functional promoter motif. We conducted a controlled greenhouse experiment with an abiotic stress-susceptible barley genotype and evaluated expression profiling of the RcaA and MYC2 genes, photosynthetic parameters, plant water status, and cell membrane damages under JA, combined drought and salinity stress (CS) and JA + CS treatments. Our results showed that applying JA enhances barley's photosynthetic efficiency and water relations and considerably compensates for the adverse effects of combined stress. Significant association was observed among gene expression profiles and evaluated physiochemical characteristics. The results showed a plausible regulatory route through the JA-dependent MYC2-RcaA module involved in photosynthesis regulation and combined stress tolerance. These findings provide valuable knowledge for further functional studies of the regulation of photosynthesis under abiotic stresses toward the development of multiple-stress-tolerant crops.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO) for supporting this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop Production and Plant Breeding, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Massume Aliakbari

  2. Department of Seed and Plant Improvement Research, Fars Agriculture and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Shiraz, Iran

    Sirous Tahmasebi

  3. Department of Plant Production and Genetics, College of Agricultural Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran

    Javad Nouripour Sisakht

Authors
  1. Massume Aliakbari
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  2. Sirous Tahmasebi
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  3. Javad Nouripour Sisakht
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Contributions

MA and ST conceptualized the study design. MA conducted the bioinformatic and statistical analysis. ST and JNS carried out the experimental evaluations. MA wrote the original article. ST and JNS edited the final article.

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Correspondence to Massume Aliakbari or Sirous Tahmasebi.

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Aliakbari, M., Tahmasebi, S. & Sisakht, J.N. Jasmonic acid improves barley photosynthetic efficiency through a possible regulatory module, MYC2-RcaA, under combined drought and salinity stress. Photosynth Res 159, 69–78 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-023-01074-2

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