TSPO-induced degradation of the ethylene receptor RhETR3 promotes salt tolerance in rose ( Rosa hybrida )

Abstract

The gaseous plant hormone ethylene regulates plant development, growth, and responses to stress. In particular, ethylene affects tolerance to salinity; however, the underlying mechanisms of ethylene signaling and salt tolerance are not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that salt stress induces the degradation of the ethylene receptor ETHYLENE RESPONSE 3 (RhETR3) in rose ( Rosa hybrid ). Furthermore, the TspO/MBR (Tryptophan-rich sensory protein/mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor) domain-containing membrane protein RhTSPO interacted with RhETR3 to promote its degradation in response to salt stress. Salt tolerance is enhanced in RhETR3 -silenced rose plants but decreased in RhTSPO -silenced plants. The improved salt tolerance of RhETR3 -silenced rose plants is partly due to the increased expression of ACC SYNTHASE1 ( ACS1 ) and ACS2, which results in an increase in ethylene production, leading to the activation of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR98 ( RhERF98 ) expression and, ultimately accelerating H₂O₂ scavenging under salinity conditions. Additionally, overexpression of RhETR3 increased the salt sensitivity of rose plants. Co-overexpression with RhTSPO alleviated this sensitivity. Together, our findings suggest that RhETR3 degradation is a key intersection hub for the ethylene signalling-mediated regulation of salt stress.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the General Project of Shenzhen Science and Technology and Innovation Commission (grant 6020330006K0, grant 21K270360620), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant 32202530), Jinning Flower Industry Science and Technology Service Group (202204BI090022), Consult of Flower Industry of Jinning District (202204BI090022).

Author contributions

Q.Z., W.J., Y.H., and X.Z participated in the design of this study. Q.Z., and W.J., J. F organized the results and charted. Q.Z., and X.Z wrote the manuscript. Y. L revised this manuscript. Other authors involved in related experiments. All authors read and approved the final draft of this article.

Data availability

The data used to support the findings are available in the paper and in the supplementary materials that are available online.

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Supplementary Data

Supplementary data is available at Horticulture Research online.

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