Salt priming coordinates transcriptional and epigenetic states for enhanced salt tolerance in mung bean (Vigna radiata)
- 1National Medium-Term Genebank for Drought-Resistant and Saline-Alkali Tolerant Crop Germplasm Resources (Jinan), National Saline-Alkali Tolerant Crop Germplasm Resources Nursery (Dongying), Institute of Crop Germplasm Resources, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences
- 2School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan
Abstract
Soil salinization threatens sustainable agriculture by reducing crop growth and yield. Stress priming, in which seedlings experience mild salt treatment followed by recovery before re-exposure, can enhance tolerance, but its molecular basis in legumes is unclear. Here, we used mung bean (Vigna radiata) to compare primed and non-primed plants under subsequent salt stress. Primed plants rapidly accumulated proline, activated antioxidant enzymes, and maintained lower Na⁺/K⁺ ratios at early stages. During intermediate stress, defense- and hormone-related transcripts remained elevated, sustaining physiological advantages. At later stages, primed plants preserved chlorophyll, reduced malondialdehyde accumulation, and limited electrolyte leakage, coinciding with persistently accessible stress-responsive promoters enriched for bZIP class A-like motifs. Genome-wide DNA methylation diverged, with primed plants retaining higher CpG, CHG, and CHH methylation and upregulating heterochromatin maintenance factors. These results reveal a temporal, multi-layer regulatory framework linking transcription, chromatin accessibility, and DNA methylation that underpins salt priming in mung bean.
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BibTeX
@article{wang2026salt,
title = {{Salt priming coordinates transcriptional and epigenetic states for enhanced salt tolerance in mung bean (Vigna radiata)}},
author = {Zhi-Wei Wang and Min Liu and Hui-Tong Sang and Song Hou and Guan Li and Ru-Mei Tian and Yong-Yi Yang and Kun Xie and Longxin Wang and Na-Na Li and Kai-Hua Jia},
journal = {Communications Biology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s42003-026-10574-5},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10574-5},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Salt priming coordinates transcriptional and epigenetic states for enhanced salt tolerance in mung bean (Vigna radiata)
AU - Zhi-Wei Wang
AU - Min Liu
AU - Hui-Tong Sang
AU - Song Hou
AU - Guan Li
AU - Ru-Mei Tian
AU - Yong-Yi Yang
AU - Kun Xie
AU - Longxin Wang
AU - Na-Na Li
AU - Kai-Hua Jia
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Communications Biology
DO - 10.1038/s42003-026-10574-5
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10574-5
AB - Soil salinization threatens sustainable agriculture by reducing crop growth and yield. Stress priming, in which seedlings experience mild salt treatment followed by recovery before re-exposure, can enhance tolerance, but its molecular basis in legumes is unclear. Here, we used mung bean (Vigna radiata) to compare primed and non-primed plants under subsequent salt stress. Primed plants rapidly accumulated proline, activated antioxidant enzymes, and maintained lower Na⁺/K⁺ ratios at early stages. During intermediate stress, defense- and hormone-related transcripts remained elevated, sustaining physiological advantages. At later stages, primed plants preserved chlorophyll, reduced malondialdehyde accumulation, and limited electrolyte leakage, coinciding with persistently accessible stress-responsive promoters enriched for bZIP class A-like motifs. Genome-wide DNA methylation diverged, with primed plants retaining higher CpG, CHG, and CHH methylation and upregulating heterochromatin maintenance factors. These results reveal a temporal, multi-layer regulatory framework linking transcription, chromatin accessibility, and DNA methylation that underpins salt priming in mung bean.
SN - 2399-3642
ER -