Plant Genetic Research
Scientific Journal

Study of the Expression of Transcription Factors TaWRKY10, TaWRKY53, NAC2, and P5CS and Biochemical Traits Related to Salt Stress in Bread Wheat Cultivars

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Saeid Navabpour 1
Hoorieh Najafi 1
Zohreh Emdadi 2
Mostafa Hamidi 1

1 Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

2 Department of Agriculture and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/pgr.2025.2069794.1013
Abstract
Wheat is a vital food crop; however, its production is continuously threatened by abiotic stresses, particularly salinity stress. Understanding the molecular mechanisms through which wheat responds to salinity stress is essential for the development of salt-tolerant varieties. Given the significant role of the NAC and WRKY transcription factor families in stress responses, the expression levels of three key genes from these families—TaWRKY10, TaWRKY53, NAC2, and P5CS—were evaluated in the cultivars Kalateh, Baharan Gonbad, and N9108. In addition, total chlorophyll content and the cellular oxidation index were assessed in this study. The experiment was conducted as a split-plot arrangement within a randomized complete block design with four replications. Salinity treatment was applied through irrigation water after plant emergence and establishment (Zadoks growth stage 34). Sampling for gene expression and biochemical trait analysis was performed at the stem elongation stage. Gene expression levels were analyzed using qRT-PCR technology. Analysis of variance revealed that the interaction effect of salinity stress × cultivar was significant at the 1% level for chlorophyll a content and malondialdehyde content, and at the 5% level for chlorophyll b content. Gene expression analysis showed that TaWRKY10 exhibited the highest expression (1.5-fold increase compared to the control) under 9 dS/m salinity treatment in the Kalateh cultivar. NAC2 showed a 15-fold increase in expression compared to the control under 12 dS/m salinity treatment in the Kalateh cultivar. The P5CS gene also displayed an increasing trend under salinity stress with rising salinity levels, with the highest expression (16.34-fold increase compared to the control) observed in the Kalateh cultivar under 12 dS/m salinity treatment. The gene expression results indicated that increasing salinity levels significantly induced stress-responsive genes, including TaWRKY10, NAC2, and P5CS, particularly in the Kalateh cultivar, highlighting their key role in salinity tolerance mechanisms. The marked upregulation of these genes, especially under higher salinity levels, suggests that they may serve as suitable molecular markers in breeding programs aimed at selecting salt-tolerant wheat cultivars.

Keywords

Salinity
Transcription factors
Chlorophyll
Wheat

Subjects

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