title: Regulation of Na(+) fluxes in plants.
abstract: When exposed to salt, every plant takes up Na(+) from the environment. Once in the symplast, Na(+) is distributed within cells and between different tissues and organs. There it can help to lower the cellular water potential but also exert potentially toxic effects. Control of Na(+) fluxes is therefore crucial and indeed, research shows that the divergence between salt tolerant and salt sensitive plants is not due to a variation in transporter types but rather originates in the control of uptake and internal Na(+) fluxes. A number of regulatory mechanisms has been identified based on signaling of Ca(2+), cyclic nucleotides, reactive oxygen species, hormones, or on transcriptional and post translational changes of gene and protein expression. This review will give an overview of intra- and intercellular movement of Na(+) in plants and will summarize our current ideas of how these fluxes are controlled and regulated in the early stages of salt stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York York, UK.
authors.forename: Frans J M
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Maathuis
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York York, UK.
authors.forename: Izhar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York York, UK.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Patishtan
keywords: CBL; CIPK; calcium; cyclic nucleotides; flux; salinity; signaling; sodium