OsProT1 and OsProT3 Function to Mediate Proline- and γ-aminobutyric acid-specific Transport in Yeast and are Differentially Expressed in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Jin-Hong Lin,
Zhi-Jun Xu,
Jia-Shi Peng,
Jing Zhao,
Guo-Bin Zhang,
Jun Xie,
Zhen-Xie Yi,
Jian-Hua Zhang,
Ji-Ming Gong,
Neng-Hui Ye,
Shuan Meng
Affiliations
Jin-Hong Lin
Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops in China, College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University
Zhi-Jun Xu
Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops in China, College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University
Jia-Shi Peng
Key Laboratory of Ecological Remediation and Safe Utilization of Heavy Metal-Polluted Soils, College of Life Science, Hunan University of Science and Technology
Jing Zhao
Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops in China, College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University
Guo-Bin Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University
Jun Xie
Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops in China, College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University
Zhen-Xie Yi
Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops in China, College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University
Jian-Hua Zhang
Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University
Ji-Ming Gong
National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics and CAS center for excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Neng-Hui Ye
Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops in China, College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University
Shuan Meng
Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops in China, College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University
Abstract Background Proline (Pro) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) play important roles in plant development and stress tolerance. However, the molecular components responsible for the transport of these molecules in rice remain largely unknown. Results Here we identified OsProT1 and OsProT3 as functional transporters for Pro and GABA. Transient expression of eGFP-OsProTs in plant protoplasts revealed that both OsProT1 and OsProT3 are localized to the plasma membrane. Ectopic expression in a yeast mutant demonstrated that both OsProT1 and OsProT3 specifically mediate transport of Pro and GABA with affinity for Pro in the low affinity range. qRT-PCR analyses suggested that OsProT1 was preferentially expressed in leaf sheathes during vegetative growth, while OsProT3 exhibited relatively high expression levels in several tissues, including nodes, panicles and roots. Interestingly, both OsProT1 and OsProT3 were induced by cadmium stress in rice shoots. Conclusions Our results suggested that plasma membrane-localized OsProT1 and OsProT3 efficiently transport Pro and GABA when ectopically expressed in yeast and appear to be involved in various physiological processes, including adaption to cadmium stress in rice plants.