Nitrite transport to the chloroplast in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: molecular evidence for a regulated process.
Nitrite transport to the chloroplast is not a well documented process in spite of being a central step in the nitrate assimilation pathway. The lack of molecular evidence, as well as the easy diffusion of nitrite through biological membranes, have made this physiological process difficult to understand in plant nutrition. The aim of this review is to illustrate that nitrite transport to the chloroplast is a regulated step, intimately related to the efficiency of nitrate utilization. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the Nar1;1 gene has been shown to have this role in nitrate assimilation. NAR1;1 corresponds to a plastidic membrane transporter protein related to the bacterial formate/nitrite transporters. At least four Nar1 genes might exist in Chlamydomonas. The existence of orthologous Nar1 genes in plants is discussed.
Galván
Aurora
A
Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Córdoba. Campus de Rabanales, Edif. 'Severo Ochoa', 14071-Córdoba, Spain.
Rexach
Jesús
J
Mariscal
Vicente
V
Fernández
Emilio
E
D020418:Algal Proteins; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D027321:Anion Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001692:Biological Transport; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D020418:Algal Proteins; D027321:Anion Transport Proteins; D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D010940:Plant Proteins