Integrative RNA-seq and ATAC-seq Analysis Unveils Antioxidant Defense Mechanisms in Salt-Tolerant Rice Variety Pokkali

Background: Salt stress is one of the most significant environmental challenges, severely impacting rice growth and yield. While different rice varieties exhibit varying levels of tolerance to salinity, Pokkali, a traditional salt-tolerant variety, stands out for its ability to thrive in saline conditions. Understanding the molecular and physiological mechanisms that underpin this tolerance is essential for breeding and developing rice varieties with enhanced resilience to salt stress.Methods: In this study, we selected the salt-tolerant rice variety Pokkali and the salt-sensitive variety IR29 for a controlled saline stress experiment. Plants were subjected to a 150 mM NaCl treatment for 7 days, after which leaf samples were collected from both varieties. Antioxidant physiological parameters were measured, and RNA-seq and ATAC-seq analyses were conducted to explore gene expression and chromatin accessibility. Key genes identified through sequencing were validated using qPCR.