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Little is known about the molecular and regulatory mechanisms of long-distance nitrate transport in higher plants. NRT1.5 is one of the 53 Arabidopsis thaliana nitrate transporter NRT1 (Peptide Transporter PTR) genes, of which two members, NRT1.1 (CHL1 for Chlorate resistant 1) and NRT1.2, have been shown to be involved in nitrate uptake. Functional analysis of cRNA-injected Xenopus laevis oocytes showed that NRT1.5 is a low-affinity, pH-dependent bidirectional nitrate transporter. Subcellular localization in plant protoplasts and in planta promoter-b-glucuronidase analysis, as well as in situ hybridization, showed that NRT1.5 is located in the plasma membrane and is expressed in root pericycle cells close to the xylem. Knockdown or knockout mutations of NRT1.5 reduced the amount of nitrate transported from the root to the shoot, suggesting that NRT1.5 participates in root xylem loading of nitrate. However, root-to-shoot nitrate transport was not completely eliminated in the NRT1.5 knockout mutant, and reduction of NRT1.5 in the nrt1.1 background did not affect rootto-shoot nitrate transport. These data suggest that, in addition to that involving NRT1.5, another mechanism is responsible for xylem loading of nitrate. Further analyses of the nrt1.5 mutants revealed a regulatory loop between nitrate and potassium at the xylem transport step. INTRODUCTIONNitrate and ammonium ions are the two major nitrogen sources for higher plants. Due to its toxicity, ammonium is preferentially assimilated in the root and then transported in an organic form to the aerial parts. By contrast, nitrate can be assimilated into ammonium and then amino acids in the root or shoot. Partitioning of nitrate assimilation between the root and shoot depends on the plant species, external nitrate concentration, temperature, and light intensity (reviewed in Smirnoff and Stewart, 1985). If there is sufficient light, nitrate assimilation in the leaf has a lower energy cost than in the root. However, some disadvantages of leaf nitrate assimilation include (1) if light is limited, nitrate assimilation and carbon dioxide fixation will compete directly for the reductants and ATP generated by photosynthetic electron transport (Canvin and Atkins, 1974), and (2) hydroxyl ions generated in the leaf need to be neutralized by the synthesis of organic acids (in the root, the pH balance may possibly be maintained by reducing proton excretion or increasing bicarbonate excretion). Due to these factors, the partition of nitrate assimilation between the root and shoot shows both seasonal and diurnal fluctuations, allowing the plant to sustain maximal growth. In turn, the partition of nitrate assimilation depends on the partition of nitrate between the root and shoot.To transport nitrate to the aerial parts of the plant, nitrate has to be loaded into the xylem vessels of the root vascular stele. In Arabidopsis thaliana roots, four layers of cells are found surrounding the xylem, these being the epidermis, cortex, endodermis, and pericycle (in the order external to ...

Several quantitative trait locus analyses have suggested that grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency are well correlated with nitrate storage capacity and efficient remobilization. This study of the Arabidopsis thaliana nitrate transporter NRT1.7 provides new insights into nitrate remobilization. Immunoblots, quantitative RT-PCR, b-glucuronidase reporter analysis, and immunolocalization indicated that NRT1.7 is expressed in the phloem of the leaf minor vein and that its expression levels increase coincidentally with the source strength of the leaf. In nrt1.7 mutants, more nitrate was present in the older leaves, less 15 NO 3 2 spotted on old leaves was remobilized into N-demanding tissues, and less nitrate was detected in the phloem exudates of old leaves. These data indicate that NRT1.7 is responsible for phloem loading of nitrate in the source leaf to allow nitrate transport out of older leaves and into younger leaves. Interestingly, nrt1.7 mutants showed growth retardation when external nitrogen was depleted. We conclude that (1) nitrate itself, in addition to organic forms of nitrogen, is remobilized, (2) nitrate remobilization is important to sustain vigorous growth during nitrogen deficiency, and (3) sourceto-sink remobilization of nitrate is mediated by phloem.

Abiotic stresses, including drought and salinity, trigger a complex osmotic-stress and abscisic acid (ABA) signal transduction network. The core ABA signalling components are snf1related protein kinase2s (SnRK2s), which are activated by ABA-triggered inhibition of type-2C protein-phosphatases (PP2Cs). SnRK2 kinases are also activated by a rapid, largely unknown, ABA-independent osmotic-stress signalling pathway. Here, through a combination of a redundancy-circumventing genetic screen and biochemical analyses, we have identified functionally-redundant MAPKK-kinases (M3Ks) that are necessary for activation of SnRK2 kinases. These M3Ks phosphorylate a specific SnRK2/OST1 site, which is indispensable for ABA-induced reactivation of PP2C-dephosphorylated SnRK2 kinases. ABA-triggered SnRK2 activation, transcription factor phosphorylation and SLAC1 activation require these M3Ks in vitro and in plants. M3K triple knockout plants show reduced ABA sensitivity and strongly impaired rapid osmotic-stress-induced SnRK2 activation. These findings demonstrate that this M3K clade is required for ABA-and osmotic-stress-activation of SnRK2 kinases, enabling robust ABA and osmotic stress signal transduction.