Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of Tritipyrum provides insights into the molecular basis of salt tolerance

Soil salinity is a major environmental stress that restricts crop growth and yield. Here, crucial proteins and biological pathways were investigated under salt-stress and recovery conditions in Tritipyrum “Y1805” to explore its salt-tolerance mechanism. In total, 44 and 102 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in “Y1805” under salt-stress and recovery conditions, respectively. A proteome-transcriptome-associated analysis revealed that the expression patterns of 13 and 25 DEPs were the same under salt-stress and recovery conditions, respectively. “Response to stimulus”, “antioxidant activity”, “carbohydrate metabolism”, “amino acid metabolism”, “signal transduction”, “transport and catabolism” and “biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites” were present under both conditions in “Y1805”. In addition, “energy metabolism” and “lipid metabolism” were recovery-specific pathways, while “antioxidant activity”, and “molecular function regulator” under salt-stress conditions, and “virion” and “virion part” during recovery, were “Y1805”-specific compared with the salt-sensitive wheat “Chinese Spring”. “Y1805” contained 83 specific DEPs related to salt-stress responses. The strong salt tolerance of “Y1805” could be attributed to the strengthened cell walls, reactive oxygen species scavenging, osmoregulation, phytohormone regulation, transient growth arrest, enhanced respiration, ammonium detoxification, transcriptional regulation and error information processing. These data will facilitate an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance and aid in the breeding of salt-tolerant wheat.