The Reaumuria trigyna transcription factor RtWRKY1 confers tolerance to salt stress in transgenic Arabidopsis

Reaumuria trigyna (R. trigyna) is an endangered small shrub endemic to the Eastern Alxa-Western Ordos area in Inner Mongolia, China. Based on R. trigyna transcriptome data, the Group I WRKY transcription factor gene RtWRKY1 was cloned from R. trigyna. The full-length RtWRKY1 gene was 2100 bp, including a 1261-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 573 amino acids. RtWRKY1 was mainly expressed in the stem and was induced by salt, cold stress, and ABA treatment. Overexpression of RtWRKY1 in Arabidopsis significantly enhanced the chlorophyll content, root length, and fresh weight of the transgenic lines under salt stress. RtWRKY1 transgenic Arabidopsis exhibited higher proline content, GSH-PX, POD, SOD, and CAT activities, and lower MDA content, Na+ content, and Na+/K+ ratio than wild-type Arabidopsis under salt stress conditions. Salt stress affected the expression of ion transport, proline biosynthesis, and antioxidant related genes, including AtAPX1, AtCAT1, AtSOD1, AtP5CS1, AtP5CS2, AtPRODH1, AtPRODH2, and AtSOS1 in transgenic lines. RtWRKY1 confers tolerance to salt stress in transgenic Arabidopsis by regulating plant growth, osmotic balance, Na+/K+ homeostasis, and the antioxidant system.