Salt-triggered expression of the ANAC092-dependent senescence regulon in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The NAC domain transcription factor ANAC092 plays a central role in leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana. We recently identified 170 genes whose expression increases upon activation of ANAC092 in a chemically (estradiol) controlled experimental set-up, 78 of which are known senescence-associated genes (SAGs). In accordance with the well-known phenomenon that salt stress promotes early leaf senescence in many plant species, we previously observed salt stress-enhanced expression of many SAGs of the ANAC092 regulon. Global expression profiling now revealed that 36 genes, representing 46% of all ANAC092 downstream SAGs, are induced by long-term (4 days) salt stress in shoots of Arabidopsis, whereas short-term stress (6 hours) only slightly affects gene expression. Expression analysis also showed that 14 of the 36 genes are induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment. Additionally, 15 senescence-associated NAC genes (senNACs), including ANAC092, respond to H2O2 exposure. Our data support the model that salt-triggered senescence is at least partly mediated through the ANAC092 gene regulatory network. Other senNACs most likely contribute to the coordination of this process, potentially in concert with H2O2-mediated signaling.