ZmNRAMP4 Enhances the Tolerance to Aluminum Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana |
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| Authors: | Hongjie Li Ning Wang Wanpeng Hu Weina Yan Xinwu Jin Yan Yu Chengfeng Du Chan Liu Wenzhu He Suzhi Zhang |
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| Affiliation: | 1.Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Maize in Southwest China of Agricultural Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China; (H.L.); (N.W.); (W.H.); (W.Y.); (X.J.); (Y.Y.); (C.D.); (C.L.);2.Crop Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China; |
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| Abstract: | Aluminum (Al) toxicity causes severe reduction in crop yields in acidic soil. The natural resistance-associated macrophage proteins (NRAMPs) play an important role in the transport of mineral elements in plants. Recently, OsNrat1 and SbNrat1 were reported specifically to transport trivalent Al ions. In this study, we functionally characterized ZmNRAMP4, a gene previously identified from RNA-Seq data from Al-treated maize roots, in response to Al exposure in maize. ZmNRAMP4 was predominantly expressed in root tips and was specifically induced by Al stress. Yeast cells expressing ZmNRAMP4 were hypersensitive to Al, which was associated with Al accumulation in yeast. Furthermore, overexpression of ZmNRAMP4 in Arabidopsis conferred transgenic plants with a significant increase in Al tolerance. However, expression of ZmNRAMP4, either in yeast or in Arabidopsis, had no effect on the response to cadmium stress. Taken together, these results underlined an internal tolerance mechanism involving ZmNRAMP4 to enhance Al tolerance via cytoplasmic sequestration of Al in maize. |
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| Keywords: | Al toxicity ZmNRAMP4 plasma membrane maize metal transporter |
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