Soil alkalization is a major environmental threat that affects plant distribution and yield in northeastern China. Puccinellia tenuiflora is an alkali-tolerant grass species that is used for salt-alkali grassland restoration. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) enhance P. tenuiflora responses to alkali stress. Here, metabolite profiling in P. tenuiflora seedlings with or without arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) under alkali stress was conducted using liquid chromatography combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOF-MS). The results showed that AMF colonization increased seedling biomass under alkali stress. In addition, principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) demonstrated that non-AM and AM seedlings showed different responses under alkali stress. A heat map analysis showed that the levels of 88 metabolites were significantly changed in non-AM seedlings, but those of only 31 metabolites were significantly changed in AM seedlings. Moreover, the levels of a total of 62 metabolites were significantly changed in P. tenuiflora seedlings after AMF inoculation. The results suggested that AMF inoculation significantly increased amino acid, organic acid, flavonoid and sterol contents to improve osmotic adjustment and maintain cell membrane stability under alkali stress. P. tenuiflora seedlings after AMF inoculation produced more plant hormones (salicylic acid and abscisic acid) than the non-AM seedlings, probably to enhance the antioxidant system and facilitate ion balance under stress conditions. In conclusion, these findings provide new insights into the metabolic mechanisms of P. tenuiflora seedlings with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi under alkali conditions and clarify the role of AM in the molecular regulation of this species under alkali stress.

As important components of the photosynthetic apparatus, photosystems I (PS I) and II (PS II) are sensitive to salinity. Salt stress can destroy the PS II reaction center, disrupt electron transport from PS II to PS I, and ultimately lead to a decrease in the photosynthetic capacity of the plant. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can enhance the photosynthetic capacity of a host plant under salinity stress. However, this specific effect of AMF is not always predictable. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis including 436 independent observations to compare chlorophyll fluorescence parameters in response to AMF inoculation under salt stress. The results showed that AMF inoculation had a positive total impact on photosynthesis in the host plant. Subgroup analysis showed that annual host plants had better performance in terms of photosynthesis after inoculation. The mitigating effects of AMF on the photosynthetic rate (Pn), actual quantum yield of photochemical energy conversion in PS II (ɸPS II), and electron transfer rate (ETR) in C4 species were higher than those in C3 species. Moreover, the photosynthesis performance of monocotyledon species was better than that of dicotyledon species after AMF inoculation. The woody host plants had higher energy utilization by way of an enhanced electron transfer rate to reduce energy dissipation after AMF inoculation. Finally, the mitigating effect of AMF on plants under moderate salinity was stronger than that under high salinity. Among AMF species, Funneliformis mosseae was found to be the most effective in enhancing the photosynthesis performance of plants. For the analyzed dataset, AMF inoculation alleviated the detrimental effects of salinity on photosystem II of the host plant by improving the utilization of photons and photosynthetic electron transport, and also by reducing the susceptibility of photosystem II to photoinhibition.

Universal stress proteins (USPs) play an important regulatory role in responses to abiotic stress. Most of the research related to USPs so far has been conducted on plant models such as Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), rice (Oryza sativa L.), and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the four major food crops in the world. The potato is susceptible to mechanical damage and infection by pathogenic fungi during transport and storage. Deoxynivalenol (DON) released by Fusarium can seriously degrade the quality of potatoes. As a result, it is of great significance to study the expression pattern of the potato StUSP gene family under abiotic stress conditions. In this study, a total of 108 USP genes were identified from the genome of the Atlantic potato, divided into four subgroups. Based on their genetic structure, the physical and chemical properties of their proteins and other aspects of their biological characteristics are comprehensively analyzed. Collinear analysis showed that the homologous genes of StUSPs and four other representative species (Solanum lycopersicum, Arabidopsis, Oryza sativa L., and Nicotiana attenuata) were highly conserved. The cis-regulatory elements of the StUSPs promoter are involved in plant hormones, environmental stress, mechanical damage, and light response. RNA-seq analysis showed that there are differences in the expression patterns of members of each subgroup under different abiotic stresses. A Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis (WGCNA) of the central gene showed that the differential coexpression gene is mainly involved in the plant–pathogen response process, plant hormone signal transduction, and the biosynthesis process of secondary metabolites. Through qRT-PCR analysis, it was confirmed that StUSP13, StUSP14, StUSP15, and StUSP41 may be important candidate genes involved in the response to adversity stress in potatoes. The results of this study provide a basis for further research on the functional analysis of StUSPs in the response of potatoes to adversity stress.