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Identification of a high affinity NH4+ transporter from plants.

ABSTRACT: Despite the important role of the ammonium ion in metabolism, i.e. as a form of nitrogen that is taken up from the soil by microorganisms and plants, little is known at the molecular level about its transport across biomembranes. Biphasic uptake kinetics have been observed in roots of several plant species. To study such transport processes, a mutant yeast strain that is deficient in two NH4+ uptake systems was used to identify a plant NH4+ transporter. Expression of an Arabidopsis cDNA in the yeast mutant complemented the uptake deficiency. The cDNA AMT1 contains an open reading frame of 501 amino acids and encodes a highly hydrophobic protein with 9-12 putative membrane spanning regions. Direct uptake measurements show that mutant yeast cells expressing the protein are able to take up [14C]methylamine. Methylamine uptake can be efficiently competed by NH4+ but not by K+. The methylamine uptake is optimal at pH 7 with a Km of 65 microM and a Ki for NH4+ of approximately 10 microM, is energy-dependent and can be inhibited by protonophores. The plant protein is highly related to an NH4+ transporter from yeast (Marini et al., accompanying manuscript). Sequence homologies to genes of bacterial and animal origin indicate that this type of transporter is conserved over a broad range of organisms. Taken together, the data provide strong evidence that a gene for the plant high affinity NH4+ uptake has been identified.

SUBMITTER: Ninnemann O

PROVIDER: S-EPMC395249 | biostudies-other | 1994 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Identification of a high affinity NH4+ transporter from plants.

Ninnemann O O Jauniaux J C JC Frommer W B WB

The EMBO journal 19940801 15

Despite the important role of the ammonium ion in metabolism, i.e. as a form of nitrogen that is taken up from the soil by microorganisms and plants, little is known at the molecular level about its transport across biomembranes. Biphasic uptake kinetics have been observed in roots of several plant species. To study such transport processes, a mutant yeast strain that is deficient in two NH4+ uptake systems was used to identify a plant NH4+ transporter. Expression of an Arabidopsis cDNA in the y ...[more]

PMID: 8062823

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Project description:L-Arabinose occurs at economically relevant levels in lignocellulosic hydrolysates. Especially at low concentrations of L-arabinose, its uptake via the Gal2 galactose transporter is an important rate-controlling step in the complete conversion of these feedstocks by engineered, pentose-metabolizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. Chemostat-based transcriptome analysis yielded 16 putative sugar transporter genes in the filamentous fungus Penicillium chrysogenum whose transcript levels were at least three-fold higher in L-arabinose-limited cultures than in glucose-limited and ethanol-limited cultures. Of five genes that showed an over 30-fold higher transcript level in arabinose-grown cultures, only one (Pc20g01790) restored growth on L-arabinose upon expression in an engineered L-arabinose-fermenting S. cerevisiae strain in which GAL2 had been deleted. Sugar-transport assays indicated that Pc20g01790this transporter, designated as PcAraT, encodes functions as a high-affinity (Km = 0.13 mM) L-arabinose-proton symporter that does not transport xylose or glucose. An L-arabinose-metabolizing S. cerevisiae strain co-expressing Pc20g01790PcAraT and GAL2 showed lower residual substrate concentrations in L-arabinose-limited chemostat cultures (4 mg L-1) than a congenic strain in which L-arabinose import exclusively depended on Gal2 (1.8 g L-1). Inhibition of L-arabinose transport by these sugars was less pronounced than observed with Gal2. A hexose-phosphorylation-deficient, L-arabinose-metabolizing S. cerevisiae strain expressing PcAraT Pc20g0190 grew on 20 g L-1 L-arabinose in the presence of 20 g L-1 glucose, which completely inhibited growth on L-arabinose of a congenic strain dependent on L-arabinose transport via Gal2. Its high affinity and specificity for L-L-arabinose, combined with limited sensitivity to inhibition by glucose and D-D-xylose make PcAraT/ Pc20g01790 a valuable transporter gene for application in metabolic engineering strategies aimed at engineering S. cerevisiae strains for efficient conversion of lignocellulosic hydrolysates.

Dataset Information

Identification of a high affinity NH4+ transporter from plants.

Publications

Identification of a high affinity NH4+ transporter from plants.

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