Regulation of cell-specific inositol metabolism and transport in plant salinity tolerance.

myo-Inositol and its derivatives are commonly studied with respect to cell signaling and membrane biogenesis, but they also participate in responses to salinity in animals and plants. In this study, we focused on L-myo-inositol 1-phosphate synthase (INPS), which commits carbon to de novo synthesis, and myo-inositol O-methyltransferase (IMT), which uses myo-inositol for stress-induced accumulation of a methylinositol, D-ononitol. The Imt and Inps promoters are transcriptionally controlled. We determined that the transcription rates, transcript levels, and protein abundance are correlated. During normal growth, INPS is present in all cells, but IMT is repressed. After salinity stress, the amount of INPS was enhanced in leaves but repressed in roots. IMT was induced in all cell types. The absence of myo-inositol synthesis in roots is compensated by inositol/ononitol transport in the phloem. The mobilization of photosynthate through myo-inositol translocation links root metabolism to photosynthesis. Our model integrates the transcriptional control of a specialized metabolic pathway with physiological reactions in different tissues. The tissue-specific differential regulation of INPS, which leads to a gradient of myo-inositol synthesis, supports root growth and sodium uptake. By inducing expression of IMT and increasing myo-inositol synthesis, metabolic end products accumulate, facilitating sodium sequestration and protecting photosynthesis.