title: Molecular mechanisms of ammonium transport and accumulation in plants.
abstract: The integral membrane proteins of the ammonium transporter (AMT/Rh) family provide the major route for shuttling ammonium (NH(4)(+)/NH(3)) across bacterial, archaeal, fungal and plant membranes. These proteins are distantly related to the Rh (rhesus) glycoproteins, which are absent in higher plants, but are present in many species, including bacteria and mammals. It appears that the large nitrogen requirement of plants resulted in unique strategies to acquire, capture and/or release ammonium. The biological function of plant ammonium transporters will be discussed and compared to other AMT/Rh proteins.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Molekularbiologie der Pflanzen (ZMBP), Pflanzenphysiologie, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 1, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. uwe.ludewig@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ludewig
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Neuhäuser
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dynowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017343:Genes, Plant; D006801:Humans; D017136:Ion Transport; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D013045:Species Specificity; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; C498523:RHAG protein, human; C088952:ammonium transporters, plant