Nucleotide sequences and corresponding polypeptides conferring modulated growth rate and biomass in plants grown in saline conditions

A plant cell transformed with a recombinant nucleic acid molecule, wherein the recombinant nucleic acid molecule comprises:

• (a) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:154;
• (b) a nucleotide sequence according to SEQ ID NO:153, wherein the nucleotide sequence encodes the protein of SEQ ID NO:154;
• or
• (c) a nucleotide sequence hybridizing to the full length complementary sequence of the nucleotide sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
• 153 under high stringency conditions which comprise (i) hybridization at 42° C. in 50% formamide, 6×SSC or 6×SSPE, 0.05% Blotto or 5×Denhardt's Reagent, 100 μg/ml denatured salmon sperm DNA, 0.05% SDS and washing at 65° C. first in 2×SSC, 0.1% SDS for at least 30 min to one hour and subsequently in 0.1×SSC, 0.5% SDS for at least 30 min to one hour;
• or (ii) hybridization at 65° C. in 6×SSC or 6×SSPE, 0.05% Blotto or 5×Denhardt's Reagent, 100 μg/ml denatured salmon sperm DNA, 0.05% SDS and washing at 65° C. first in 2×SSC, 0.1% SDS for at least 30 min to one hour, and subsequently in 0.1×SSC, 0.5% SDS for at least 30 min to one hour;
• and wherein said hybridizing nucleotide sequence encodes a protein which has the functional activity of SEQ ID NO:
• 154;
• wherein said nucleotide sequence is operably linked to a heterologous promoter, wherein the protein encoded by the nucleotide sequence is expressed;
• and wherein expression of the protein encoded by said nucleotide sequence in said plant cell increases salt stress tolerance as compared to a control plant cell of the same plant cell species that has not been transformed with the recombinant nucleic acid molecule.