Differential analysis of protein expression in RNA-binding-protein transgenic and parental rice seeds cultivated under salt stress.

Transgenic plants tolerant to various environmental stresses are being developed to ensure a consistent food supply. We used a transgenic rice cultivar with high saline tolerance by introducing an RNA-binding protein (RBP) from the ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum); differences in salt-soluble protein expression between nontransgenic (NT) and RBP rice seeds were analyzed by 2D difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE), a gel-based proteomic method. To identify RBP-related changes in protein expression under salt stress, NT and RBP rice were cultured with or without 200 mM sodium chloride. Only two protein spots differed between NT and RBP rice seeds cultured under normal conditions, one of which was identified as a putative abscisic acid-induced protein. In NT rice seeds, 91 spots significantly differed between normal and salt-stress conditions. Two allergenic proteins of NT rice seeds, RAG1 and RAG2, were induced by high salt. In contrast, RBP rice seeds yielded seven spots and no allergen spots with significant differences in protein expression between normal and salt-stress conditions. Therefore, expression of fewer proteins was altered in RBP rice seeds by high salt than those in NT rice seeds.