The mechanistic basis of sodium exclusion in Puccinellia tenuiflora under conditions of salinity and potassium deprivation

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SUMMARY Soil salinity is a significant threat to global agriculture. Understanding salt exclusion mechanisms in halophyte species may be instrumental in improving salt tolerance in crops. Puccinellia tenuiflora is a typical salt‐excluding halophytic grass often found in potassium‐deprived saline soils. Our previous work showed that P. tenuiflora possesses stronger selectivity for K + than for Na + ; however, the mechanistic basis of this phenomenon remained elusive. Here, P. tenuiflora PutHKT1;5 was cloned and the functions of PutHKT1;5 and PutSOS1 were characterized using heterologous expression systems. Yeast assays showed that PutHKT1;5 possessed Na + transporting capacity and was highly selective for Na + over K + . PutSOS1 was located at the plasma membrane and operated as a Na + /K + exchanger, with much stronger Na + extrusion capacity than its homolog from Arabidopsis. PutHKT2;1 mediated high‐affinity K + and Na + uptake and its expression levels were upregulated by mild salinity and K + deprivation. Salinity‐induced changes of root PutHKT1;5 and PutHKT1;4 transcript levels matched the expression pattern of root PutSOS1 , which was consistent with root Na + efflux. The transcript levels of root PutHKT2;1 and PutAKT1 were downregulated by salinity. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the functional activity of PutHKT1;5 and PutSOS1 in P. tenuiflora roots is fine‐tuned under saline conditions as well as by operation of other ion transporters/channel (PutHKT1;4, PutHKT2;1, and PutAKT1). This leads to the coordination of radial Na + and K + transport processes, their loading to the xylem, or Na + retrieval and extrusion under conditions of mild salinity and/or K + deprivation.