Chloride-dependent plasma membrane hyperpolarization confers superior salinity tissue tolerance in wild rice Oryza coarctata

Salinity tissue tolerance is a key trait that confers adaptive potential in halophytic species. The aim of this study was to understand the mechanistic basis of salinity tissue tolerance in the Oryza coarctata a halophytic wild relative of cultivated rice Oryza sativa , to be then used as novel targets for improving salinity stress tolerance of O. sativa . Salinity led to ∼ 80 % decline in mesophyll cell viability in cultivated rice, whereas only 15 % reduction was observed in the wild rice. In response to NaCl treatments, mesophyll cells of O. coarctata showed less Na + uptake and better K + retention than cultivated rice. Pharmacological experiments suggested that salinity-induced Na + uptake and K + loss in O. coarctata were mediated by non-selective cation channels (NSCCs) while K + loss in cultivated rice was mediated predominantly by GORK (guard cell outward-rectifying K + ) channels. Salt treatment resulted in a depolarization of the plasma membrane (PM) in O. sativa . In contrast, O. coarctata had NaCl dose-dependent hyperpolarization in the mesophyll cells, due to its higher preference for Cl − uptake. This difference in plant ionic relations was partially attributable to differences in transcriptional expression levels of Potassium transporter 1 (AKT1), Salt overly sensitive 1 (SOS1), Sodium transporter OsHKT1;4, and Chloride channel (OsCLC1). It is concluded that O. coarctata possesses a strong ability to discriminate between Cl − and Na + uptake (a trait lacking in cultivated rice) and use it to maintain negative membrane potential (MP) values without activating H + -ATPase, thus enabling more efficient K + retention in mesophyll with low energy costs. The above traits should be considered as potential targets in the rice breeding program for salt tolerance enhancement.