The cyclic nucleotide-gated channel, AtCNGC10, influences salt tolerance in Arabidopsis

Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNGCs) in the plasma membrane transport K+ and other cations; however, their roles in the response and adaptation of plants to environmental salinity are unclear. Growth, cation contents, salt tolerance and K+ fluxes were assessed in wild-type and two AtCNGC10 antisense lines (A2 and A3) of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Compared with the wild-type, mature plants of both antisense lines had altered K+ and Na+ concentrations in shoots and were more sensitive to salt stress, as assessed by biomass and Chl fluorescence. The shoots of A2 and A3 plants contained higher Na+ concentrations and significantly higher Na+/K+ ratios compared with wild-type, whereas roots contained higher K+ concentrations and lower Na+/K+ ratios. Four-day-old seedlings of both antisense lines exposed to salt stress had smaller Na+/K+ ratios and longer roots than the wild-type. Under sudden salt treatment, the Na+ efflux was higher and the K+ efflux was smaller in the antisense lines, indicating that AtCNGC10 might function as a channel providing Na+ influx and K+ efflux at the root/soil interface. We conclude that the AtCNGC10 channel is involved in Na+ and K+ transport during cation uptake in roots and in long-distance transport, such as phloem loading and/or xylem retrieval. Mature A2 and A3 plants became more salt sensitive than wild-type plants because of impaired photosynthesis induced by a higher Na+ concentration in the leaves.