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Increase in unsaturated fatty acids in membrane lipids of Suaeda salsa L. enhances protection of photosystem II under high salinity

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

In order to examine the possible role of unsaturated fatty acids in photosynthesis of halophytes under high salinity, the effect of salinity on plant growth, chlorophyll (Chl) content, photochemical efficiency of PSII, membrane lipid content and fatty acids composition of a C3 euhalophyte Suaeda salsa L. was investigated. Salt stress induced a slight increase of the maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), actual PSII efficiency (ΦPSII), Chl a content and Chl a/b ratio. The unsaturated fatty acid content also increased under salt stress. The proportion of MGDG, DGDG, SQDG, and PC decreased, while the proportion of PG increased from 10.9% to 26.9% under salt stress. These results suggest that S. salsa displays high resistance to photoinhibition under salt stress and that increased concentration of unsaturated fatty acids in membrane lipids of S. salsa enhances the tolerance of photosystem II to salt stress.

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Abbreviations

16:0:

palmitic acid; 16:1(3t)

Δ3:

trans-hexadecenoic

18:0:

stearic acid

18:1:

oleic acid

18:2:

linoleic acid

18:3:

linolenic acid

Chl:

chlorophyll

DGDG:

digalactosyldiacylglycerols

Fo :

initial fluorescence of the dark-adapted state

Fv :

variable fluorescence

Fm :

maximal fluorescence of the dark-adapted state

Fs :

the steady-state fluorescence

Fm′:

maximal fluorescence in the light-adapted state

Fv/Fm :

maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII

DBI:

double bond index

MGDG:

monogalactosyldiacylglycerols

PC:

phosphatidylcholines

PG:

phosphatidylglycerols

ΦPSII :

the quantum yield of PSII electron transport

SQDG:

sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerols

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for financial support from the NSFC (National Natural Science Research Foundation of China, project No. 30870138), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (20090450155), the Doctoral Foundation of Shandong Province (2009BSB02023), the Postdoctoral Innovative Foundation of Shandong Province (200802009), and the Opening Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, China (2008KF03).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Lab of Plant Stress Research, College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, P.R. China

    N. Sui, K. Li, J. Song & B. -S. Wang

  2. Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, 250100, P.R. China

    M. Li

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  1. N. Sui
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Correspondence to B. -S. Wang.

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Sui, N., Li, M., Li, K. et al. Increase in unsaturated fatty acids in membrane lipids of Suaeda salsa L. enhances protection of photosystem II under high salinity. Photosynthetica 48, 623–629 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-010-0080-x

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