胞外ATP (eATP)作为信号分子，在植物生长发育以及防御反应中发挥重要调控作用，但eATP在植物耐盐性中的作用还属未知。本项目在前期胡杨细胞eATP-PCD(细胞程序化死亡)信号网络的基础上,拟探讨eATP对胡杨耐盐性的调控作用。胡杨为典型的耐盐树木，探讨胡杨细胞对盐胁迫响应的eATP信号途径，有助于深入阐明树木的耐盐机理。项目重点研究 (1) 盐诱导的eATP如何通过H2O2、NO和[Ca2+]cyt信号调控胞内的离子平衡和活性氧平衡；(2)胞外ATP水解酶- - Apyrase在盐胁迫下对eATP浓度的调控模式，及其对胡杨细胞耐盐性的影响。通过探究eATP对胡杨细胞耐盐性的调控机制，建立胡杨的eATP信号途径，不但能深入揭示耐盐树木特有的且区别于模式植物的耐盐机理，研究结果还对经济型林木的抗逆性遗传改良具有指导意义。

Extracellular ATP (eATP) is a crucial requirement for regulating plant growth,development and defence response. However, the contribution of eATP signaling to plant salt tolerance is unknown. eATP signaling in Populus euphratica programmed cell death (PCD) has been previously postulated in our lab. In this study, we attempt to characterize ATP signaling cascade and the molecular networks involved in plant response to salinity. The aim is to elucidate the mechanism of salinity tolerance in woody plants as P. euphratica is typically a salt-resistant tree species. We planned to investigate the regulation of salt-induced eATP in salinity tolerance of P. euphratica, including (1) how eATP mediates ionic and ROS (reactive oxygen species) homeostasis in salinized cells through second messengers, such as H2O2, NO and cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]cyt); (2) the contribution of Apyrase (nucleoside triphosphate-diphosphohydrolase) to the control of ATP concentrations in the extracellular matrix and the relevance to salt tolerance. The establishment of ATP signaling pathway in plant salt tolerance is helpful to discover the specific salt-resistance mechanism existing in tree species that differs from model herbaceous plants. Our work may not only extend fundamental biological understanding of trees, but also benefits salt-resistant gene modifications of economically important woody species in the future.