SbHKT1;4, a member of the high‐affinity potassium transporter gene family from Sorghum bicolor,functions to maintain optimal Na~+/K~+ balance under Na~+ stress

In halophytic plants, the high‐affinity potassium transporter HKT gene family can selectively uptake Kt in the presence of toxic concentrations of Nat. This has so far not been well examined in glycophytic crops. Here, we report the characterization of SbHKT1;4, a member of the HKT gene family from Sorghum bicolor. Upon Nat stress, SbHKT1;4 expression was more strongly upregulated in salt‐tolerant sorghum accession, correlating with a better balanced Nat/ Kt ratio and enhanced plant growth. Heterogeneous expression analyses in mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Arabidopsis thaliana indicated that overexpressing SbHKT1;4 resulted in hypersensitivity to Nat stress, and such hypersensitivity could be alleviated with the supply of elevated levels of Kt, implicating that SbHKT1;4 may mediate Kt uptake in the presence of excessive Nat. Further electrophysiological evidence demonstrated that SbHKT1;4 could transport Nat and Kt when expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The relevance of the finding that SbHKT1;4 functions to maintain optimal Nat/Kt balance under Nat stress to the breeding of salt‐tolerant glycophytic crops is discussed.