Identity and functional characterisation of the transporter supporting the Na -dependent high-affinity NO uptake in Zostera marina L.

Zostera marina is a seagrass, a group of angiosperms that evolved from land to live submerged in seawater, an environment of high salinity, alkaline pH and usually very low NO . In 2000, we reported the first physiological evidence for the Na -dependent high-affinity NO uptake in this plant. Now, to determine the molecular identity of this process, we searched for NO transporters common to other vascular plants encoded in Z.

Molecular Characterization of , the Putative Sodium Dependent High-Affinity Nitrate Transporter of L.

One of the most important adaptations of seagrasses during sea colonization was the capacity to grow at the low micromolar nitrate concentrations present in the sea. In contrast to terrestrial plants that use H symporters for high-affinity NO uptake, seagrasses such as L. use a Na-dependent high-affinity nitrate transporter.