Cloning of Potassium Transporter Gene (HcKUP12) from Halostachys caspica and Its Expression Profile under Salt Stress

A gene encoded potassium transporter was cloned from Halostachys caspica by SMART^TM RACE, and homology analysis by BLAST showed that it had high identity with AtKUP12 from Arabidopsis thaliana, so named HcKUP12. Results showed that HcKUP12 contained a 262 bp 5'-UTR, 147 bp 3'-UTR and 2544 bp open reading frame encoding 847 amino acids with a molecular weight of 93.31 kD and an isoelectric point of 7.19. The expression profile of HcKUP12 was examined under 600 mmol/L NaCl stress during 24 h using real-time qRT-PCR. Results indicated that its expression level was significantly increased and showed the highest level of expression (225 times higher than that of the control) after 24 h treatment. This suggests that the HcKUP12 gene might be a candidate gene related to salt tolerance in Halostachys caspica.