A comparative proteomic study of salt tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana to identify strategies for improving salt tolerance in Solanum lycopersicum

Abstract

Tomatoes are a significant crop globally, valued for their nutritional benefits and widely used in Bangladeshi households. However, soil salinity caused by heavy monsoons and tidal floods, leading to an excess of Na+ ions that negatively affect yield and cultivation space, often hinders tomato production. Certain Arabidopsis proteins have demonstrated the ability to enhance salt tolerance, both in Arabidopsis itself and in other organisms when transformed. This study seeks to identify similar salt-tolerant proteins in tomatoes and explore the potential for gene editing to enhance their salt tolerance. Five Arabidopsis proteins associated with salt tolerance were identified and compared to the tomato proteome to find matching proteins. While several tomato proteins and their isoforms showed significant similarities, they also displayed numerous mutations that altered their functional domains and motifs, as revealed by our analysis. These mutations were dispersed throughout the proteins, deeming the approach of gene editing unsuccessful.