• Salt stress triggers the overdose accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in crop plants, leading to severe oxidative damage to living tissues. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as master regulators orchestrating the stress responsive regulatory networks as well as salt tolerance. However, the fundamental roles of miRNAs in modulating salt tolerance in cereal crops, especially in salt‐triggered ROS scavenging remain largely unknown.
• Through small RNA sequencing, a salt‐responsive miRNA, miR172 was identified in rice. Further, by generating the miR172‐overexpression or MIR172 gene loss‐of‐function mutant lines, the biological significance of miR172 and its downstream signaling pathways related to salt tolerance were defined.
• We demonstrated that miR172 is a positive regulator of salt tolerance in both rice and wheat. More interestingly, miR172a and miR172b, but not miR172c or miR172d are involved in salt stress response, emphasizing the functional differentiation within miR172 family members. Further evidence uncovers a novel miR172/IDS1 regulatory module that functions as a crucial molecular rheostat in maintaining ROS homeostasis during salt stress, mainly through balancing the expression of a group of ROS‐scavenging genes.
• Our findings establish a direct molecular link between miRNAs and detoxification response in cereal crops for improving salt tolerance.

中文翻译：

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miR172 / IDS1信号模块通过维持谷物作物中的ROS稳态来赋予耐盐性

• 盐胁迫会触发农作物中过量的活性氧（ROS）积累，从而导致对生物组织的严重氧化损伤。MicroRNA（miRNA）充当主调节器，协调应激响应性调节网络以及耐盐性。但是，miRNA在调节谷物作物的耐盐性中的基本作用，尤其是在盐触发的ROS清除中，仍是未知之数。
• 通过小RNA测序，在水稻中鉴定出了盐反应性miRNA miR172。此外，通过产生miR172过表达或MIR172基因功能丧失突变株，可以确定miR172的生物学意义及其与盐耐受性相关的下游信号传导途径。
• 我们证明了miR172在水稻和小麦中都是耐盐性的正调节剂。更有趣的是，miR172a和miR172b而不是miR172c或miR172d参与盐胁迫响应，强调了miR172家族成员之间的功能分化。进一步的证据揭示了一种新型的miR172 / IDS1调控模块，该模块在盐胁迫期间通过维持一组ROS清除基因的表达，在维持ROS稳态中起着至关重要的分子变阻器的作用。
• 我们的发现建立了谷物中miRNA与排毒反应之间的直接分子联系，以提高耐盐性。