Research Article

Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress

Volume: 7 Number: 2 June 30, 2026
EN

Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress

Abstract

Aquaporins (AQPs) are integral membrane proteins that facilitate water and solute transport, playing crucial roles in stress adaptation in both plants and animals. In mammals, aquaglyceroporins such as AQP3 and AQP7 are well characterized, whereas their plant counterparts remain less understood, particularly at the protein level. In this study, alfalfa (Medicago sativa) was grown in Hoagland’s medium supplemented with 0, 50, 100, 200, or 400 mM NaCl for 21 days. Protein extracts were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using antibodies against human - mouse - rat AQP3 and mouse - human AQP7. Two distinct cross-reactive protein bands were identified. Their expression was weak at 200 mM NaCl but strongly induced under severe salt stress at 400 mM NaCl. These results suggest a threshold-dependent regulation of aquaporin-like proteins in alfalfa. Unlike transcriptomic analyses, our protein-level approach highlights stress-specific expression dynamics and points to potential functional similarities with mammalian aquaglyceroporins, particularly in osmolyte transport and osmotic adjustment. This study underscores the importance of direct protein analysis for understanding stress physiology and provides new insights into salt stress adaptation mechanisms in forage legumes.

Keywords

Alfalfa, Aquaglyceroporins, Aquaporins, Protein expression, Salt stress

Ethical Statement

This study does not require ethical committee approval.

Thanks

A part of this article was presented as an abstract at the 6th International Congress on Engineering and Life Science held in Kyrenia between 2-4 September, 2025.

References

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APA
Kaynar, D., & Kaynar, Ö. (2026). Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress. Journal of Agricultural Production, 7(2), 97-102. https://doi.org/10.56430/japro.1806878
AMA
1.Kaynar D, Kaynar Ö. Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress. J Agri Pro. 2026;7(2):97-102. doi:10.56430/japro.1806878
Chicago
Kaynar, Dilara, and Özgür Kaynar. 2026. “Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress”. Journal of Agricultural Production 7 (2): 97-102. https://doi.org/10.56430/japro.1806878.
EndNote
Kaynar D, Kaynar Ö (June 1, 2026) Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress. Journal of Agricultural Production 7 2 97–102.
IEEE
[1]D. Kaynar and Ö. Kaynar, “Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress”, J Agri Pro, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 97–102, June 2026, doi: 10.56430/japro.1806878.
ISNAD
Kaynar, Dilara - Kaynar, Özgür. “Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress”. Journal of Agricultural Production 7/2 (June 1, 2026): 97-102. https://doi.org/10.56430/japro.1806878.
JAMA
1.Kaynar D, Kaynar Ö. Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress. J Agri Pro. 2026;7:97–102.
MLA
Kaynar, Dilara, and Özgür Kaynar. “Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress”. Journal of Agricultural Production, vol. 7, no. 2, June 2026, pp. 97-102, doi:10.56430/japro.1806878.
Vancouver
1.Dilara Kaynar, Özgür Kaynar. Protein-Level Assessment of Aquaporins in Alfalfa Under Salt Stress. J Agri Pro. 2026 Jun. 1;7(2):97-102. doi:10.56430/japro.1806878