In Arabidopsis the NRT2.1 gene encodes a main component of the root high-affinity nitrate uptake system (HATS). Its regulation has been thoroughly studied showing a strong correlation between NRT2.1 expression and HATS activity. Despite its central role in plant nutrition, nothing is known concerning localization and regulation of NRT2.1 at the protein level. By combining a green fluorescent protein fusion strategy and an immunological approach, we show that NRT2.1 is mainly localized in the plasma membrane of root cortical and epidermal cells, and that several forms of the protein seems to co-exist in cell membranes (the monomer and at least one higher molecular weight complex). The monomer is the most abundant form of NRT2.1, and seems to be the one involved in NO 3 ؊ transport. It strictly requires the NAR2.1 protein to be expressed and addressed at the plasma membrane. No rapid changes in NRT2.1 abundance were observed in response to light, sucrose, or nitrogen treatments that strongly affect both NRT2.1 mRNA level and HATS activity. This suggests the occurrence of posttranslational regulatory mechanisms. One such mechanism could correspond to the cleavage of NRT2.1 C terminus, which results in the presence of both intact and truncated proteins in the plasma membrane.The NRT2.1 gene of Arabidopsis thaliana is part of a small multigene family comprising 7 members, which with the exception of NRT2.7, are predominantly expressed in the roots (1, 2). NRT2 genes are found in a large variety of organisms (fungi, certain yeasts, green algae, and plants) and belong to the nitrate nitrite porter family of transporter genes (3).It is generally assumed that NRT2 genes encode high-affinity nitrate (NO 3 Ϫ ) or nitrite transporters (4 -11), and that in higher plants, they play a key role in the root high-affinity transport system (HATS), 3 which ensures uptake of NO 3 Ϫ from the soil solution (3,(12)(13)(14). In all plant species investigated to date, the NO 3 Ϫ HATS displays a saturable activity, with a V max generally reached for NO 3 Ϫ concentrations comprised between 0.2 and 0.5 mM (3,12,14). Although the functional characterization of almost all higher plant NRT2 transporters remains to be done, it is now well documented that NRT2.1 is a major component of the HATS in A. thaliana as shown by the fact that (i) of the seven NRT2 members, only NRT2.1 transcript abundance showed significant correlation (r 2 ϭ 0.74) with HATS activity (2, 11) and (ii) several mutants disrupted for the NRT2.1 gene (15, 16) or for both NRT2.1-NRT2.2 genes (17, 18) have lost up to 75% of the high-affinity NO 3 Ϫ uptake activity. As a consequence, growth of these mutants is severely impaired at low NO 3 Ϫ concentration (15,19,20), but not at high NO 3 Ϫ concentration when low-affinity transporters, most probably those of the NRT1 family (3,12,14), are active.Despite its firmly established role in root NO 3 Ϫ uptake, several aspects of NRT2.1 function remain enigmatic. First, unlike the Aspergillus nidulans or Chlorella sorokiniana NRT2 trans...