Comparing Transcriptome Expression Profile to Reveal the Mechanism of Salt Tolerance and Exogenous Glycine Betaine Mitigation Effect in Maize Seedling Stage

To better understand the response of maize to salt stress and the mechanism of exogenous glycine betaine (GB) in alleviating salt stress, the morphology, physiological and biochemical indexes and root transcriptome expression profiles of seedlings of salt-sensitive inbred line P138 and salt-tolerant inbred line 8723 were compared under salt stress and GB alleviated salt stress. The results showed that 219 up-regulated and 153 down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were co-expressed between P138 and 8723 under NaCl treatment. 487 up-regulated and 942 down-regulated DEGs were co-expressed between P138 and 8723 under exogenous GB remission treatment. Our results from this study may provide theoretical basis for the salt tolerance mechanism of maize and the mechanism of GB regulating salt stress.