Functional Characterization of the Arabidopsis Abscisic Acid Transporters NPF4.5 and NPF4.6 in Xenopus Oocytes.

Few proteins have been characterized as abscisic acid transporters. Several of them are NRT1/PRT Family (NPF) transporters which have been characterized in yeast using reporter systems. Because several members of the NPF4 subfamily members were identified in yeast as ABA transporters, here, we screened for ABA transport activity the seven members of the NPF4 subfamily in Xenopus oocytes using cRNA injection and H-ABA accumulation.

Disruption of the Lotus japonicus transporter LjNPF2.9 increases shoot biomass and nitrate content without affecting symbiotic performances.

Background: After uptake from soil into the root tissue, distribution and allocation of nitrate throughout the whole plant body, is a critical step of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and for modulation of plant growth in response to various environmental conditions. In legume plants nitrate distribution is also important for the regulation of the nodulation process that allows to fix atmospheric N (N) through the symbiotic interaction with rhizobia (symbiotic nitrogen fixation, SNF).

Results: Here we report the functional characterization of the Lotus japonicus gene LjNPF2.

Functional Genomics and Seed Development in Medicago truncatula: An Overview.

The study of seed development in the model species Medicago truncatula has made a significant contribution to our understanding of this process in crop legumes. Thanks to the availability of comprehensive proteomics and transcriptomics databases, coupled with exhaustive mutant collections, the roles of several regulatory genes in development and maturation are beginning to be deciphered and functionally validated. Advances in next-generation sequencing and the availability of a genomic sequence have made feasible high-density SNP genotyping, allowing the identification of markers tightly linked to traits of agronomic interest.

The Nitrate Transporter Family Protein LjNPF8.6 Controls the N-Fixing Nodule Activity.

N-fixing nodules are new organs formed on legume roots as a result of the beneficial interaction with soil bacteria, rhizobia. The nodule functioning is still a poorly characterized step of the symbiotic interaction, as only a few of the genes induced in N-fixing nodules have been functionally characterized. We present here the characterization of a member of the nitrate transporter1/peptide transporter family, The phenotypic characterization carried out in independent LORE1 insertion lines indicates a positive role of LjNPF8.

Transporters Involved in Root Nitrate Uptake and Sensing by .

Most plants use nitrate (NO) as their major nitrogen (N) source. The NO uptake capacity of a plant is determined by three interdependent factors that are sensitive to NO availability: (i) the functional properties of the transporters in roots that contribute to the acquisition of NO from the external medium, (ii) the density of functional transporters at the plasma membrane of root cells, and (iii) the surface and architecture of the root system. The identification of factors that regulate the NO-sensing systems is important for both fundamental and applied science, because these factors control the capacity of plants to use the available NO, a process known as the "nitrate use efficiency.

DASH transcription factor impacts Medicago truncatula seed size by its action on embryo morphogenesis and auxin homeostasis.

The endosperm plays a pivotal role in the integration between component tissues of molecular signals controlling seed development. It has been shown to participate in the regulation of embryo morphogenesis and ultimately seed size determination. However, the molecular mechanisms that modulate seed size are still poorly understood especially in legumes.

The role of the DNA-binding One Zinc Finger (DOF) transcription factor family in plants.

The DOF (DNA-binding One Zinc Finger) family of transcription factors is involved in many fundamental processes in higher plants, including responses to light and phytohormones as well as roles in seed maturation and germination. DOF transcription factor genes are restricted in their distribution to plants, where they are in many copies in both gymnosperms and angiosperms and also present in lower plants such as the moss Physcomitrella patens and in the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii which possesses a single DOF gene. DOF transcription factors bind to their promoter targets at the consensus sequence AAAG.