The transcription factor OsMYBc and an E3 ligase regulate expression of a K+ transporter during salt stress.

Sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) homeostasis is essential for plant survival in saline soils. A member of the High-Affinity K+ Transporter (HKT) family in rice (Oryza sativa), OsHKT1;1, is a vital regulator of Na+ exclusion from shoots and is bound by a MYB transcription factor (OsMYBc). Here, we generated transgenic rice lines in the oshkt1;1 mutant background for genetic complementation using genomic OsHKT1;1 containing a native (Com) or mutated (mCom) promoter that cannot be bound by OsMYBc. In contrast to wild-type (WT) or Com lines, the mCom lines were not able to recover the salt-sensitive phenotype of oshkt1;1. The OsMYBc-overexpressing plants were more tolerant to salt stress than WT plants. A yeast two-hybrid screen using the OsMYBc N-terminus as bait identified a rice MYBc stress-related RING finger protein (OsMSRFP). OsMSRFP is an active E3 ligase that ubiquitinated OsMYBc in vitro and mediated 26S proteasome-mediated degradation of OsMYBc under semi-in vitro and in vivo conditions. OsMSRFP attenuated OsMYBc-mediated OsHKT1;1 expression, and knockout of OsMSRFP led to rice salt tolerance. These findings uncover a regulatory mechanism of salt response that fine-tunes OsHKT1;1 transcription by ubiquitination of OsMYBc.

The Rice High-Affinity Potassium Transporter1;1 Is Involved in Salt Tolerance and Regulated by an MYB-Type Transcription Factor.

Sodium transporters play key roles in plant tolerance to salt stress. Here, we report that a member of the High-Affinity K(+) Transporter (HKT) family, OsHKT1;1, in rice (Oryza sativa 'Nipponbare') plays an important role in reducing Na(+) accumulation in shoots to cope with salt stress. The oshkt1;1 mutant plants displayed hypersensitivity to salt stress. They contained less Na(+) in the phloem sap and accumulated more Na(+) in the shoots compared with the wild type. OsHKT1;1 was expressed mainly in the phloem of leaf blades and up-regulated in response to salt stress. Using a yeast one-hybrid approach, a novel MYB coiled-coil type transcription factor, OsMYBc, was found to bind to the OsHKT1;1 promoter. In vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation and in vitro electrophoresis mobility shift assays demonstrated that OsMYBc binds to AAANATNC(C/T) fragments within the OsHKT1;1 promoter. Mutation of the OsMYBc-binding nucleotides resulted in a decrease in promoter activity of OsHKT1;1. Knockout of OsMYBc resulted in a reduction in NaCl-induced expression of OsHKT1;1 and salt sensitivity. Taken together, these results suggest that OsHKT1;1 has a role in controlling Na(+) concentration and preventing sodium toxicity in leaf blades and is regulated by the OsMYBc transcription factor.