Silicon transporters in plants: Unravelling the molecular Nexus with sodium and potassium transporters under salinity stress

Abstract

Salt stress poses a serious hazard to plant growth by altering osmotic and ionic homeostasis, producing too many oxidants and radicals, and harming vital metabolic processes like photosynthesis. Plants use mechanistic cascades of biochemical and physiological processes to battle salt stress and prevent ion toxicity; nevertheless, repeated exposure can overwhelm the defence system, leading to plant death. The Salt-Overly Sensitive (SOS) pathway, which predominantly relies on Na⁺ exclusion from the cytosol, makes a significant contribution to salinity tolerance in plants. Although silicon (Si) is known to reduce salt stress in a variety of crops and to raise plant stress tolerance, its impact on Na⁺ transport is little understood. In this review, we emphasise recent research on the interaction between Si treatment and important Na⁺ and K⁺ transporters involved in ion homeostasis under salt stress. The following aspects will receive special consideration: (1) The effects of salinity on membrane stability and ion homeostasis and the involvement of Na⁺ and K⁺ transporters in ion homeostasis (2) The uptake, storage, and transport of Si in higher plants, as well as the discovered Si transporters in many plant species (3) Modulation of the expression of the Na⁺, K⁺, and Si transporters to affect the absorption, transport, and homeostasis of ions by Si. Finally, this review also highlights the necessity for further investigation into the function of Si in salt stress in plants and the discovery of knowledge gaps in the broader area of this process.