title: Vigna subterraneaammonium transporter gene (VsAMT1): Some bioinformatics insights.
abstract: Ammonium transporters (AMTs) play a role in the uptake of ammonium, the form in which nitrogen is preferentially absorbed by plants.Vigna subterranea(VsAMT1) andSolanum tuberosum(StAMT1) AMT1s were characterized using molecular biology and bioinformatics methods. AMT1-specific primers were designed and used to amplify the AMT1 internal regions. Nucleotide sequencing, alignment and phylogenetic analysis assignedVsAMT1andStAMT1to the AMT1 family. The deduced amino acid sequences showed that VsAMT1 is 92% and 89% similar toPhaseolus vulgarisPvAMT1.1 andGlycine maxAMT1 respectively, while StAMT1 is 92% similar toSolanum lycopersicumLeAMT1.1, and correspond to the 5th-10th trans-membrane domains. Residues VsAMT1 D23 and StAMT1 D15 are predicted to be essential for ammonium transport, while mutations of VsAMT1 W1A-L and S87A and StAMT1 S76A may further enhance ammonium transport. In addition to nitrogen uptake from the roots, VsAMT1 may also contribute to interactions with rhizobia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agriculture, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Holy Oke Building, Huis Meiring, Wellington Campus, Wellington 7655, Western Cape, South Africa.
authors.forename: Adewole T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Adetunji
authors.affiliation: Department of Agriculture, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Holy Oke Building, Huis Meiring, Wellington Campus, Wellington 7655, Western Cape, South Africa.
authors.forename: Francis B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Lewu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Consumer Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, P. O. Box 652, Cape Town 8000, South Africa.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mundembe
keywords: Ammonium transporter 1; Bambara groundnut; Vigna subterranean