Quantification and fatty acid profiles of sulfolipids in two halophytes and a glycophyte grown under different salt concentrations

Abstract

This study was aimed at understanding the role of sulfolipids in salt tolerance mechanisms of the halophytes Aster tripolium L., Compositae, and Sesuvium portulacastrum L., Aizoaceae, and of the glycophyte Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh., Brassicaceae. In Aster and Sesuvium the sulfolipid contents increased significantly under salt stress conditions (517 mM or 864 mM). In Arabidopsis, changes in sulfolipid contents were not observed (NaCl up to 100 mM). The fatty acid profile of sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) in Aster was modified with increasing NaCl concentrations. LC-MS analyses of sulfolipids from Aster and Sesuvium revealed the presence of 18:3/18:3 and 16:0/18:3 molecules. Obviously, the function of sulfolipids during salt stress differs between halophytic species and between halophytes and glycophytes where sulfolipid accumulation was not observed.