High-affinity manganese uptake by the metal transporter NRAMP1 is essential for Arabidopsis growth in low manganese conditions.
In contrast with many other essential metals, the mechanisms of Mn acquisition in higher eukaryotes are seldom studied and poorly understood. We show here that Arabidopsis thaliana relies on a high-affinity uptake system to acquire Mn from the soil in conditions of low Mn availability and that this activity is catalyzed by the divalent metal transporter NRAMP1 (for Natural Resistance Associated Macrophage Protein 1). The nramp1-1 loss-of-function mutant grows poorly, contains less Mn than the wild type, and fails to take up Mn in conditions of Mn limitation, thus demonstrating that NRAMP1 is the major high-affinity Mn transporter in Arabidopsis. Based on confocal microscopy observation of an NRAMP1-green fluorescent protein fusion, we established that NRAMP1 is localized to the plasma membrane. Consistent with its function in Mn acquisition from the soil, NRAMP1 expression is restricted to the root and stimulated by Mn deficiency. Finally, we show that NRAMP1 restores the capacity of the iron-regulated transporter1 mutant to take up iron and cobalt, indicating that NRAMP1 has a broad selectivity in vivo. The role of transporters of the NRAMP family is well established in higher eukaryotes for iron but has been controversial for Mn. This study demonstrates that NRAMP1 is a physiological manganese transporter in Arabidopsis.
Laboratoire de Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5004, Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Plantes, F-34730 Montpellier cedex 2, France.
Rémy
R
Cailliatte
Adam
A
Schikora
Jean-François
JF
Briat
Stéphane
S
Mari
Catherine
C
Curie
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003035:Cobalt / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D008345:Manganese / Q000378:metabolism*; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D009154:Mutation; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D000099173:Natural Resistance-associated Macrophage Protein 1
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D003035:Cobalt; D007501:Iron; D008345:Manganese; D000099173:Natural Resistance-associated Macrophage Protein 1; C099651:IRT1 protein, Arabidopsis