Molybdenum (Mo) is a trace element essential for living organisms, however no molybdate transporter has been identified in eukaryotes. Here, we report the identification of a molybdate transporter, MOT1, from Arabidopsis thaliana. MOT1 is expressed in both roots and shoots, and the MOT1 protein is localized, in part, to plasma membranes and to vesicles. MOT1 is required for efficient uptake and translocation of molybdate and for normal growth under conditions of limited molybdate supply. Kinetics studies in yeast revealed that the Km value of MOT1 for molybdate is Ϸ20 nM. Furthermore, Mo uptake by MOT1 in yeast was not affected by coexistent sulfate, and MOT1 did not complement a sulfate transporter-deficient yeast mutant strain. These data confirmed that MOT1 is specific for molybdate and that the high affinity of MOT1 allows plants to obtain scarce Mo from soil. molybdenum ͉ nutrition

Ion fluxes and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are early events that follow elicitor treatment or microbial infection. However, molecular mechanisms for these responses as well as their relationship have been controversial and still largely unknown. We here simultaneously monitored the temporal sequence of initial events at the plasma membrane in suspension-cultured tobacco cells (cell line BY-2) in response to a purified proteinaceous elicitor, cryptogein, which induced hypersensitive cell death.

Molybdenum (Mo) is a micronutrient essential for plant growth, as several key enzymes of plant metabolic pathways contain Mo cofactor in their catalytic centres. Mo-containing oxidoreductases include nitrate reductase, sulphite oxidase, xanthine dehydrogenase, and aldehyde oxidase. These are involved in nitrate assimilation, sulphite detoxification, purine metabolism or the synthesis of abscisic acid, auxin and glucosinolates in plants. To understand the effects of Mo deficiency and a mutation in a molybdate transporter, MOT1, on nitrogen and sulphur metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana, transcript and metabolite profiling of the mutant lacking MOT1 was conducted in the presence or absence of Mo. Transcriptome analysis revealed that Mo deficiency had impacts on genes involved in metabolisms, transport, stress responses, and signal transductions. The transcript level of a nitrate reductase NR1 was highly induced under Mo deficiency in mot1-1. The metabolite profiles were analysed further by using gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and ultra high performance liquid chromatography. The levels of amino acids, sugars, organic acids, and purine metabolites were altered significantly in the Mo-deficient plants. These results are the first investigation of the global effect of Mo nutrition and MOT1 on plant gene expressions and metabolism.

Summary Lysine decarboxylase converts l‐lysine to cadaverine as a branching point for the biosynthesis of plant Lys‐derived alkaloids. Although cadaverine contributes towards the biosynthesis of Lys‐derived alkaloids, its catabolism, including metabolic intermediates and the enzymes involved, is not known. Here, we generated transgenic Arabidopsis lines by expressing an exogenous lysine/ornithine decarboxylase gene from Lupinus angustifolius (La‐L/ODC) and identified cadaverine‐derived metabolites as the products of the emerged biosynthetic pathway. Through untargeted metabolic profiling, we observed the upregulation of polyamine metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and the biosynthesis of several Lys‐derived alkaloids in the transgenic lines. Moreover, we found several cadaverine‐derived metabolites specifically detected in the transgenic lines compared with the non‐transformed control. Among these, three specific metabolites were identified and confirmed as 5‐aminopentanal, 5‐aminopentanoate and δ‐valerolactam. Cadaverine catabolism in a representative transgenic line (DC29) was traced by feeding stable isotope‐labeled [α‐15N]‐ or [ε‐15N]‐l‐lysine. Our results show similar 15N incorporation ratios from both isotopomers for the specific metabolite features identified, indicating that these metabolites were synthesized via the symmetric structure of cadaverine. We propose biosynthetic pathways for the metabolites on the basis of metabolite chemistry and enzymes known or identified through catalyzing specific biochemical reactions in this study. Our study shows that this pool of enzymes with promiscuous activities is the driving force for metabolite diversification in plants. Thus, this study not only provides valuable information for understanding the catabolic mechanism of cadaverine but also demonstrates that cadaverine accumulation is one of the factors to expand plant chemodiversity, which may lead to the emergence of Lys‐derived alkaloid biosynthesis.