Systemic Upregulation of MTP2- and HMA2-Mediated Zn Partitioning to the Shoot Supplements Local Zn Deficiency Responses.

Low bioavailable concentrations of the micronutrient zinc (Zn) limit agricultural production on 40% of cultivated land. Here, we demonstrate that plant acclimation to Zn deficiency involves systemic regulation. Physiological Zn deficiency of shoots results in increased root transcript levels of the membrane transport protein-encoding genes () and (), which are unresponsive to the local Zn status of roots.

Ascorbate-Deficient vtc2 Mutants in Arabidopsis Do Not Exhibit Decreased Growth.

In higher plants the L-galactose pathway represents the major route for ascorbate biosynthesis. The first committed step of this pathway is catalyzed by the enzyme GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase and is encoded by two paralogs in Arabidopsis - VITAMIN C2 (VTC2) and VTC5. The first mutant of this enzyme, vtc2-1, isolated via an EMS mutagenesis screen, has approximately 20-30% of wildtype ascorbate levels and has been reported to have decreased growth under standard laboratory conditions.

Metallochaperone-like genes in Arabidopsis thaliana.

A complete inventory of metallochaperone-like proteins containing a predicted HMA domain in Arabidopsis revealed a large family of 67 proteins. 45 proteins, the HIPPs, have a predicted isoprenylation site while 22 proteins, the HPPs, do not. Sequence comparisons divided the proteins into seven major clusters (I-VII).

Plant homologs of the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine-resistance transporter, PfCRT, are required for glutathione homeostasis and stress responses.

In Arabidopsis thaliana, biosynthesis of the essential thiol antioxidant, glutathione (GSH), is plastid-regulated, but many GSH functions, including heavy metal detoxification and plant defense activation, depend on cytosolic GSH. This finding suggests that plastid and cytosol thiol pools are closely integrated and we show that in Arabidopsis this integration requires a family of three plastid thiol transporters homologous to the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine-resistance transporter, PfCRT. Arabidopsis mutants lacking these transporters are heavy metal-sensitive, GSH-deficient, and hypersensitive to Phytophthora infection, confirming a direct requirement for correct GSH homeostasis in defense responses.

Metal binding affinities of Arabidopsis zinc and copper transporters: selectivities match the relative, but not the absolute, affinities of their amino-terminal domains.

HMA2, HMA4, and HMA7 are three of the eight heavy metal transporting P(1B)-type ATPases in the simple plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The first two transport Zn(2+), and the third transports Cu(+). Each protein contains soluble N-terminal metal-binding domains (MBDs) that are essential for metal transport.

Metal specificities of Arabidopsis zinc and copper transport proteins match the relative, but not the absolute, affinities of their N-terminal domains.

Metal specificities of zinc and copper transport proteins HMA4 and HMA7 from the simple plant Arabidopsis thaliana match the relative, but not the absolute, affinities of their amino-terminal domains.

Functional analysis of the heavy metal binding domains of the Zn/Cd-transporting ATPase, HMA2, in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The Zn/Cd-transporting ATPase, HMA2, has N- and C-terminal domains that can bind Zn ions with high affinity. Mutant derivatives were generated to determine the significance of these domains to HMA2 function in planta. Mutant derivatives, with and without a C-terminal GFP tag, were expressed from the HMA2 promoter in transgenic hma2,hma4, Zn-deficient, plants to test for functionality.

HMA P-type ATPases are the major mechanism for root-to-shoot Cd translocation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The Zn/Cd-transporting ATPases, HMA2 and HMA4, essential for root-to-shoot Zn translocation, are also able to transport Cd. Phytochelatins (PCs) are a major mechanism of Cd detoxification through the sequestration of PC-Cd complexes in vacuoles. The roles of HMA2 and HMA4 in root-to-shoot Cd translocation and Cd tolerance were investigated in the PC-deficient, cad1-3 mutant and CAD1 backgrounds.

Cell wall modifications in Arabidopsis plants with altered alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase activity.

Although cell wall remodeling is an essential feature of plant growth and development, the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. This work describes the characterization of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants with altered expression of ARAF1, a bifunctional alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase/beta-D-xylosidase (At3g10740) belonging to family 51 glycosyl-hydrolases. ARAF1 was localized in several cell types in the vascular system of roots and stems, including xylem vessels and parenchyma cells surrounding the vessels, the cambium, and the phloem.

Restricting glutathione biosynthesis to the cytosol is sufficient for normal plant development.

Glutathione (GSH) homeostasis in plants is essential for cellular redox control and efficient responses to abiotic and biotic stress. Compartmentation of the GSH biosynthetic pathway is a unique feature of plants. The first enzyme, gamma-glutamate cysteine ligase (GSH1), responsible for synthesis of gamma-glutamylcysteine (gamma-EC), is, in Arabidopsis, exclusively located in the plastids, whereas the second enzyme, glutathione synthetase (GSH2), is located in both plastids and cytosol.

Transporters of ligands for essential metal ions in plants.

Essential metals are required for healthy plant growth but can be toxic when present in excess. Therefore plants have mechanisms of metal homeostasis which involve coordination of metal ion transporters for uptake, translocation and compartmentalization. However, very little metal in plants is thought to exist as free ions.

The use of the zinc-fluorophore, Zinpyr-1, in the study of zinc homeostasis in Arabidopsis roots.

* The usefulness of the zinc (Zn)-fluorophore, Zinpyr-1, to examine the localization of Zn in the roots of Arabidopsis has been investigated. * In wild-type roots Zinpyr-1 fluorescence was predominantly in the xylem. The fluorescence signal was abolished by the application of the Zn-chelator, N,N,N',N-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN), and was increased by increasing exogenous Zn in the medium, indicating that fluorescence reflected relative Zn concentrations.

A novel major facilitator superfamily protein at the tonoplast influences zinc tolerance and accumulation in Arabidopsis.

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient required by all cells but is toxic in excess. We have identified three allelic Zn-sensitive mutants of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The gene, designated ZINC-INDUCED FACILITATOR1 (ZIF1), encodes a member of the major facilitator superfamily of membrane proteins, which are found in all organisms and transport a wide range of small, organic molecules.

Maturation of arabidopsis seeds is dependent on glutathione biosynthesis within the embryo.

Glutathione (GSH) has been implicated in maintaining the cell cycle within plant meristems and protecting proteins during seed dehydration. To assess the role of GSH during development of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana [L.] Heynh.

P-type ATPase heavy metal transporters with roles in essential zinc homeostasis in Arabidopsis.

Arabidopsis thaliana has eight genes encoding members of the type 1(B) heavy metal-transporting subfamily of the P-type ATPases. Three of these transporters, HMA2, HMA3, and HMA4, are closely related to each other and are most similar in sequence to the divalent heavy metal cation transporters of prokaryotes. To determine the function of these transporters in metal homeostasis, we have identified and characterized mutants affected in each.

Two alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase genes in Arabidopsis thaliana are differentially expressed during vegetative growth and flower development.

Glycosyl hydrolases are important mediators of plant cell wall modification during plant development. These enzymes catalyse the hydrolytic release of specific sugars, such as L-arabinose, from the polysaccharide-rich cell wall matrix. The cloning and expression analysis of two genes, AtASD1 and AtASD2, encoding putative alpha-L-arabinofuranosidases in Arabidopsis thaliana are reported here.

Structural and functional relationships between type 1 heavy metal-transporting P-type ATPases in Arabidopsis.

Arabidopsis is remarkable for having eight members of the type 1 heavy metal-transporting P-type ATPase subfamily. Sequence analyses indicate that four, two of which may be targeted to plastids, are related to known Cu(I) transporters and contain N-terminal metal-binding site (MBS) motifs similar to those identified in other organisms. The remaining four are more closely related to known divalent cation transporters of prokaryotes.

Arabidopsis and the genetic potential for the phytoremediation of toxic elemental and organic pollutants.

In a process called phytoremediation, plants can be used to extract, detoxify, and/or sequester toxic pollutants from soil, water, and air. Phytoremediation may become an essential tool in cleaning the environment and reducing human and animal exposure to potential carcinogens and other toxins. Arabidopsis has provided useful information about the genetic, physiological, and biochemical mechanisms behind phytoremediation, and it is an excellent model genetic organism to test foreign gene expression.