AI Article Synopsis
- Cytokinins are crucial for plant growth, and their movement within plants is controlled by transport proteins.
- Recent research identified the AZG protein family from Arabidopsis thaliana as key players in taking up cytokinins, revealing structural details through cryo-electron microscopy.
- The AZG1 protein forms a homodimer and uses an elevator mechanism to transport cytokinins across cell membranes, highlighting its role in plant physiology.
Article Abstract
Cytokinins are essential for plant growth and development, and their tissue distributions are regulated by transmembrane transport. Recent studies have revealed that members of the 'Aza-Guanine Resistant' (AZG) protein family from Arabidopsis thaliana can mediate cytokinin uptake in roots. Here we present 2.7 to 3.3 Å cryo-electron microscopy structures of Arabidopsis AZG1 in the apo state and in complex with its substrates trans-zeatin (tZ), 6-benzyleaminopurine (6-BAP) or kinetin. AZG1 forms a homodimer and each subunit shares a similar topology and domain arrangement with the proteins of the nucleobase/ascorbate transporter (NAT) family. These structures, along with functional analyses, reveal the molecular basis for cytokinin recognition. Comparison of the AZG1 structures determined in inward-facing conformations and predicted by AlphaFold2 in the occluded conformation allowed us to propose that AZG1 may carry cytokinins across the membrane through an elevator mechanism.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41477-023-01590-y | DOI Listing |
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Article Synopsis
- Cytokinins are crucial for plant growth, and their movement within plants is controlled by transport proteins.
- Recent research identified the AZG protein family from Arabidopsis thaliana as key players in taking up cytokinins, revealing structural details through cryo-electron microscopy.
- The AZG1 protein forms a homodimer and uses an elevator mechanism to transport cytokinins across cell membranes, highlighting its role in plant physiology.
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