Paper · 2025 · New Phytologist

Polyploidization leads to salt stress resilience via ethylene signaling in citrus plants

Xin Song; Miao Zhang; Ting‐Ting Wang; et al.

5
claims
5
verbatim quotes
34
citations
3
research areas
✓
Open access

Abstract

Summary Polyploidization is a common occurrence in the evolutionary history of flowering plants, significantly contributing to their adaptability and diversity. However, the molecular mechanisms behind these adaptive advantages are not well understood. Through comprehensive phenotyping of diploid and tetraploid clones from Citrus and Poncirus genera, we discovered that genome doubling significantly enhances salt stress resilience. Epigenetic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that increased ethylene production in the roots of tetraploid plants was associated with hypomethylation and enhanced chromatin accessibility of the ACO1 gene. This increased ethylene production activates the transcription of reactive oxygen species scavenging genes and stress‐related hormone biosynthesis genes. Consequently, tetraploid plants exhibited superior root functionality under salt stress, maintaining improved cytosolic K + /Na + homeostasis. To genetically validate the link between salt stress resilience and ACO1 expression, we generated overexpression and knockout lines, confirming the central role of ACO1 expression regulation following genome doubling in salt stress resilience. Our work elucidates the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of genome doubling in stress resilience. We also highlight the importance of chromatin dynamics in fine‐tuning ethylene gene expression and activating salt stress resilience pathways, offering valuable insights into plant adaptation and crop genome evolution.

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Claims 5

Intervention effectobservedoriginal resultpositivesignificant (as stated)measured

Claim · model-written summary

Genome doubling enhanced salt stress resilience in Citrus and Poncirus clones.

Taxon
CitrusCitruse0
Treatment
genome doublinge0
Outcome
salt stress resiliencee0
Direction
enhancese0
Comparator
diploide0

Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Citrus
Citrus · Taxon · picture of the genus (one of its species)Ellen Levy Finch ( Elf ) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons ↗

Verbatim

e0

“Through comprehensive phenotyping of diploid and tetraploid clones from Citrus and Poncirus genera, we discovered that genome doubling significantly enhances salt stress resilience.”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 253–434 · show in text ↑
Associationobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Tetraploid roots had increased ethylene production associated with ACO1 hypomethylation and chromatin accessibility.

Taxon
tetraploid plantse0
Organ / stage
rootse0
Gene
ACO1e0
Compound
ethylenee0
Outcome
ethylene productione0
Direction
increasede0

Verbatim

e0

“increased ethylene production in the roots of tetraploid plants was associated with hypomethylation and enhanced chromatin accessibility of the ACO1 gene”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 488–641 · show in text ↑
Mechanismobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Increased ethylene production activated transcription of ROS scavenging and stress hormone biosynthesis genes.

Compound
ethylenee0
Outcome
transcription of reactive oxygen species scavenging genes and stress‐related hormone biosynthesis genese0

Not reportedTaxon

Verbatim

e0

“This increased ethylene production activates the transcription of reactive oxygen species scavenging genes and stress‐related hormone biosynthesis genes.”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 643–796 · show in text ↑
Observationobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Tetraploid plants maintained improved root functionality and cytosolic potassium and sodium homeostasis under salt stress.

Taxon
tetraploid plantse0
Organ / stage
roote0
Treatment
salt stresse0
Outcome
root functionalitye0
Direction
superiore0

Verbatim

e0

“tetraploid plants exhibited superior root functionality under salt stress, maintaining improved cytosolic K + /Na + homeostasis”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 811–938 · show in text ↑
Mechanismobservedoriginal resultpositivemeasured

Claim · model-written summary

Overexpression and knockout lines confirmed ACO1 regulation as central to salt resilience after genome doubling.

Treatment
genome doublinge0
Gene
ACO1e0
Outcome
salt stress resiliencee0

Not reportedTaxon

Verbatim

e0

“we generated overexpression and knockout lines, confirming the central role of ACO1 expression regulation following genome doubling in salt stress resilience”

✓ located verbatim in the source · abstract, characters 1025–1182 · show in text ↑