Cation Transporter Genes for Saline Soil Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for breeding wheat and barley plants to tolerate saline and sodic soils are labor-intensive and inefficient, particularly in identifying and developing traits for reduced sodium accumulation in aerial plant parts, which limits crop productivity and yield.
Innovation Solution
Identification and utilization of specific wheat and barley genes encoding cation transporters, such as the Nax2 gene, which enhance salt tolerance by regulating sodium and potassium transport across plant cell membranes, allowing for the development of transgenic plants with improved salt tolerance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional breeding techniques are used to develop salt-tolerant wheat and barley, then salt tolerance may be improved, but the breeding process becomes labor-intensive and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical breeding methods (crossing, phenotyping, selection) with molecular biology techniques. Specific genes encoding cation transporters are identified and utilized to directly confer salt tolerance, substituting the mechanical breeding process with genetic transformation and marker-assisted selection, thereby dramatically improving breeding efficiency while maintaining reliable salt tolerance improvement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces molecular markers as intermediaries to link phenotypic selection with genotypic identification. These markers serve as mediators that allow breeders to select for salt tolerance traits without labor-intensive phenotyping, bridging the gap between traditional breeding and modern genetic techniques to achieve efficient and reliable salt-tolerant cultivar development
2Quantity of substance
If durum wheat is grown on saline soils, then market return may be improved due to high price, but yield and productivity are reduced due to salt sensitivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the genetic parameters of durum wheat by introducing or enhancing genes encoding cation transporters. This genetic modification alters the plant's physiological parameters, specifically its ability to regulate sodium and potassium uptake and transport, enabling it to maintain productivity in saline soils while preserving the high market value of durum wheat
3Reliability
If sodium exclusion is controlled at three stages in the transpiration stream, then salt tolerance is improved, but the complexity of the breeding program increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and utilizes specific genes encoding cation transporters that control sodium exclusion at critical stages in the transpiration stream. By focusing on these key genetic determinants rather than attempting to modify all physiological processes, the patent simplifies the breeding program while maintaining effective salt tolerance improvement across multiple transport stages
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The use of these genes enables the production of plants with enhanced tolerance to saline and sodic soils, reducing sodium accumulation in aerial parts and improving crop yield and productivity, thereby addressing the inefficiencies of existing breeding methods.
Implementation Method 1
a polypeptide which comprises an amino acid sequence as provided in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 9 or 83 to 89, a biologically active fragment thereof, or an amino acid sequence which is at least 67% identical to any one or more of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 9 or 83 to 89, wherein the polypeptide has cation transporter activity when produced in a cell
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(A)~3(B)
AI summary
The present invention relates to polypeptides, and polynucleotides encoding therefor, with cation transporter activity. In particular, the present invention relates to methods for producing, identifying, and/or breeding transgenic or non-transgenic plants, especially wheat or barley plants, with enhanced tolerance to saline and/or sodic soils, and/or reduced sodium accumulation in an aerial part of the plant. Also provided are plants produced using these methods.