Low-affinity Sulfate Transporter Research Articles

SULTR2;1 Adjusts the Bolting Timing by Transporting Sulfate from Rosette Leaves to the Primary Stem.

Sulfur (S) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and metabolism. SULTR2;1 is a low-affinity sulfate transporter facilitating the long-distance transport of sulfate in Arabidopsis. The physiological function of SULTR2;1 in the plant life cycle still needs to be determined. Therefore, we analyzed the sulfate transport, S-containing metabolite accumulation and plant growth using Arabidopsis SULTR2;1 disruption lines, sultr2;1-1 and sultr2;1-2, from seedling to mature growth stages to clarify the metabolic and physiological roles of SULTR2;1. We observed that sulfate distribution to the stems was affected in sultr2;1 mutants, resulting in decreased levels of sulfate, cysteine, glutathione (GSH) and total S in the stems, flowers and siliques; however, the GSH levels increased in the rosette leaves. This suggested the essential role of SULTR2;1 in sulfate transport from rosette leaves to the primary stem. In addition, sultr2;1 mutants unexpectedly bolted earlier than the wild-type without affecting the plant biomass. Correlation between GSH levels in rosette leaves and the bolting timing suggested that the rosette leaf GSH levels or limited sulfate transport to the early stem can trigger bolting. Overall, this study demonstrated the critical roles of SULTR2;1 in maintaining the S metabolite levels in the aerial part and transitioning from the vegetative to the reproductive growth phase.

Molecular regulation of aluminum resistance and sulfur nutrition during root growth

Aluminum toxicity and sulfate deprivation both regulate microRNA395 expression, repressing its low-affinity sulfate transporter ( SULTR2;1 ) target. Sulfate deprivation also induces the high-affinity sulfate transporter gene ( SULTR12 ), allowing enhanced sulfate uptake. Few studies about the relationships between sulfate, a plant nutrient, and aluminum, a toxic ion, are available; hence, the molecular and physiological processes underpinning this interaction are poorly understood. The Al-sulfate interaction occurs in acidic soils, whereby relatively high concentrations of trivalent toxic aluminum (Al3+) may hamper root growth, limiting uptake of nutrients, including sulfur (S). On the other side, Al3+ may be detoxified by complexation with sulfate in the acid soil solution as well as in the root-cell vacuoles. In this review, we focus on recent insights into the mechanisms governing plant responses to Al toxicity and its relationship with sulfur nutrition, emphasizing the role of phytohormones, microRNAs, and ion transporters in higher plants. It is known that Al3+ disturbs gene expression and enzymes involved in biosynthesis of S-containing cysteine in root cells. On the other hand, Al3+ may induce ethylene biosynthesis, enhance reactive oxygen species production, alter phytohormone transport, trigger root growth inhibition and promote sulfate uptake under S deficiency. MicroRNA395, regulated by both Al toxicity and sulfate deprivation, represses its low-affinity Sulfate Transporter 2;1 (SULTR2;1) target. In addition, sulfate deprivation induces High Affinity Sulfate Transporters (HAST; SULTR1;2), improving sulfate uptake from low-sulfate soil solutions. Identification of new microRNAs and cloning of their target genes are necessary for a better understanding of the role of molecular regulation of plant resistance to Al stress and sulfate deprivation.

MiR398 and miR395 are involved in response to SO2 stress in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a common air pollutant that has adverse effects on plants. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA that play critical roles in plant development and stress response. In this study, we found that two miRNAs, miR398 and miR395, were differentially expressed in Arabidopsis shoots under SO2 stress. The expression of miR398 was down-regulated, and the transcript levels of its target genes, Cu/Zn superoxide dismutases (CSD1 and CSD2), were increased during SO2 exposure. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), one of the major antioxidant enzymes, was enhanced with the increase in the CSD transcript level, suggesting an important role of miR398 in response to SO2-induced oxidative stress. Meanwhile, the expression of miR395 was increased, and the transcript levels of its target genes, ATP sulfurylases (APS3 and APS4) and a low-affinity sulfate transporter (SULTR2;1), were decreased in Arabidopsis shoots, showing that miR395 played important roles in the regulation of sulfate assimilation and translocation during SO2 exposure. The content of glutathione (GSH), an important sulfur-containing antioxidant, was enhanced with the changes in sulfur metabolism in Arabidopsis shoots under SO2 stress. These results showed that both miR398 and miR395 were involved in protecting plants from oxidative damage during SO2 exposure. Many stress-responsive cis-elements were found in the promoter regions of MIR398 and MIR395, suggesting that these miRNAs might respond to various environmental conditions, including SO2 stress. Overall, our study provides an insight into the regulatory roles of miRNAs in response to SO2 stress in plants, and highlights the molecular mechanisms of plant adaptation to environmental stress.

Heterologous expression of a rice miR395 gene in Nicotiana tabacum impairs sulfate homeostasis.

Sulfur participates in many important mechanisms and pathways of plant development. The most common source of sulfur in soil –SO42−– is absorbed into root tissue and distributed into aerial part through vasculature system, where it is reduced into sulfite and finally sulfide within the subcellular organs such as chloroplasts and mitochondria and used for cysteine and methionine biosynthesis. MicroRNAs are involved in many regulation pathways by repressing the expression of their target genes. MiR395 family in Arabidopsis thaliana has been reported to be an important regulator involved in sulfate transport and assimilation, and a high-affinity sulphate transporter and three ATP sulfurylases (ATPS) were the target genes of AthmiR395 (Arabidopsis thaliana miR395). We have cloned a miR395 gene from rice (Oryza sativa) and studied its function in plant nutritional response. Our results indicated that in rice, transcript level of OsamiR395 (Oryza sativa miR395) increased under sulfate deficiency conditions, and the two predicted target genes of miR395 were down-regulated under the same conditions. Overexpression of OsamiR395h in tobacco impaired its sulfate homeostasis, and sulfate distribution was also slightly impacted among leaves of different ages. One sulfate transporter (SULTR) gene NtaSULTR2 was identified to be the target of miR395 in Nicotiana tobacum, which belongs to low affinity sulfate transporter group. Both miR395 and NtaSULTR2 respond to sulfate starvation in tobacco.

Sulfur-Responsive Elements in the 3'-Nontranscribed Intergenic Region Are Essential for the Induction of SULFATE TRANSPORTER 2;1 Gene Expression in Arabidopsis Roots under Sulfur Deficiency.

Under sulfur deficiency (-S), plants induce expression of the sulfate transport systems in roots to increase uptake and root-to-shoot transport of sulfate. The low-affinity sulfate transporter SULTR2;1 is predominantly expressed in xylem parenchyma and pericycle cells in Arabidopsis thaliana roots under -S. The mechanisms underlying -S-inducible expression of SULTR2;1 in roots have remained unclear, despite the possible significance of SULTR2;1 for acclimation to low-sulfur conditions. In this investigation, examination of deletions and base substitutions in the 3'-intergenic region of SULTR2;1 revealed novel sulfur-responsive elements, SURE21A (5'-CAATGTATC-3') and SURE21B (5'-CTAGTAC-3'), located downstream of the SULTR2;1 3'-untranslated region. SURE21A and SULTR21B effectively induced reporter gene expression from fusion constructs under -S in combination with minimal promoters or promoters not inducible by -S, suggesting their versatility in controlling transcription. T-DNA insertions near SURE21A and SULTR21B abolished -S-inducible expression of SULTR2;1 in roots and reduced the uptake and root-to-shoot transport of sulfate. In addition, these mutations partially suppressed SULTR2;1 expression in shoots, without changing its -S-responsive expression. These findings indicate that SULTR2;1 contributes to the increase in uptake and internal translocation of sulfate driven by gene expression induced under the control of sulfur-responsive elements in the 3'-nontranscribed intergenic region of SULTR2;1.

To control and to be controlled: understanding the Arabidopsis SLIM1 function in sulfur deficiency through comprehensive investigation of the EIL protein family.

Sulfur limitation 1 (SLIM1), a member of the EIN3-like (EIL) family of transcription factors in Arabidopsis, is the regulator of many sulfur deficiency responsive genes. Among the five other proteins of the family, three regulate ethylene (ET) responses and two have unassigned functions. Contrary to the well-defined ET signaling, the pathway leading from sensing sulfate status to the activation of its acquisition via SLIM1 is completely unknown. SLIM1 binds to the 20 nt-long specific UPE-box sequence; however, it also recognizes the shorter TEIL sequence, unique for the whole EIL family. SLIM1 takes part in the upregulation and downregulation of various sulfur metabolism genes, but also it controls the degradation of glucosinolates under sulfur deficient conditions. Besides facilitating the increased flux through the sulfate assimilation pathway, SLIM1 induces microRNA395, specifically targeting ATP sulfurylases and a low-affinity sulfate transporter, SULTR2;1, thus affecting sulfate translocation to the shoot. Here, we briefly review the identification, structural characteristics, and molecular function of SLIM1 from the perspective of the whole EIL protein family.

Redox signaling mediates the expression of a sulfate‐deprivation‐inducible microRNA395 in Arabidopsis

MicroRNA395 (miR395) is a conserved miRNA that targets a low-affinity sulfate transporter (AST68) and three ATP sulfurylases (APS1, APS3 and APS4) in higher plants. In this study, At2g28780 was confirmed as another target of miR395 in Arabidopsis. Interestingly, several dicots contained genes homologous to At2g28780 and a cognate miR395 complementary site but possess a gradient of mismatches at the target site. It is well established that miR395 is induced during S deprivation in Arabidopsis; however, the signaling pathways that mediate this regulation are unknown. Several findings in the present study demonstrate that redox signaling plays an important role in induction of miR395 during S deprivation. These include the following results: (i) glutathione (GSH) supplementation suppressed miR395 induction in S-deprived plants (ii) miR395 is induced in Arabidopsis seedlings exposed to Arsenate or Cu(2+) , which induces oxidative stress (iii), S deprivation-induced oxidative stress, and (iv) compromised induction of miR395 during S deprivation in cad2 mutant (deficient in GSH biosynthesis) that is defective in glutaredoxin-dependent redox signaling and ntra/ntrb (defective in thioredoxin reductases a and b) double mutants that are defective in thioredoxin-dependent redox signaling. Collectively, these findings strongly support the involvement of redox signaling in inducing the expression of miR395 during S deprivation in Arabidopsis.

Iron deprivation results in a rapid but not sustained increase of the expression of genes involved in iron metabolism and sulfate uptake in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings

Characterization of the relationship between sulfur and iron in both Strategy I and Strategy II plants, has proven that low sulfur availability often limits plant capability to cope with iron shortage. Here it was investigated whether the adaptation to iron deficiency in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants was associated with an increased root sulfate uptake and translocation capacity, and modified dynamics of total sulfur and thiols accumulation between roots and shoots. Most of the tomato sulfate transporter genes belonging to Groups 1, 2, and 4 were significantly upregulated in iron-deficient roots, as it commonly occurs under S-deficient conditions. The upregulation of the two high affinity sulfate transporter genes, SlST1.1 and SlST1.2, by iron deprivation clearly suggests an increased root capability to take up sulfate. Furthermore, the upregulation of the two low affinity sulfate transporter genes SlST2.1 and SlST4.1 in iron-deficient roots, accompanied by a substantial accumulation of total sulfur and thiols in shoots of iron-starved plants, likely supports an increased root-to-shoot translocation of sulfate. Results suggest that tomato plants exposed to iron-deficiency are able to change sulfur metabolic balance mimicking sulfur starvation responses to meet the increased demand for methionine and its derivatives, allowing them to cope with this stress.

Interplay of SLIM1 and miR395 in the regulation of sulfate assimilation in Arabidopsis

MicroRNAs play a key role in the control of plant development and response to adverse environmental conditions. For example, microRNA395 (miR395), which targets three out of four isoforms of ATP sulfurylase, the first enzyme of sulfate assimilation, as well as a low-affinity sulfate transporter, SULTR2;1, is strongly induced by sulfate deficiency. However, other components of sulfate assimilation are induced by sulfate starvation, so that the role of miR395 is counterintuitive. Here, we describe the regulation of miR395 and its targets by sulfate starvation. We show that miR395 is important for the increased translocation of sulfate to the shoots during sulfate starvation. MiR395 together with the SULFUR LIMITATION 1 transcription factor maintain optimal levels of ATP sulfurylase transcripts to enable increased flux through the sulfate assimilation pathway in sulfate-deficient plants. Reduced expression of ATP sulfurylase (ATPS) alone affects both sulfate translocation and flux, but SULTR2;1 is important for the full rate of sulfate translocation to the shoots. Thus, miR395 is an integral part of the regulatory circuit controlling plant sulfate assimilation with a complex mechanism of action.

Interactions between Chromium and Sulfur Metabolism inBrassica juncea

The effects of chromate on sulfate uptake and assimilation were investigated in the accumulator Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. Seven-day-old plants were grown for 2 d under the following combination of sulfate and chromate concentration: (i) no sulfate and no chromate (-S), (ii) no sulfate and 0.2 mmol L(-1) chromate (-S +Cr), (iii) 1 mmol L(-1) sulfate and no chromate (+S), or (iv) 1 mmol L(-1) sulfate and 0.2 mmol L(-1) chromate (+S +Cr). Despite the toxic effects exerted by chromate as indicated by altered level of reducing sugars and proteins in leaves, the growth of B. juncea was only weakly reduced by chromate, and no variation in chlorophyll a and b was measured, regardless of S availability. Chromium (Cr) was stored more in roots than in leaves, and the maximum Cr accumulation was measured in -S +Cr plants. The significant decrease of the sulfate uptake rates observed in Cr-treated plants was accompanied by a repression of the root low-affinity sulfate transporter (BjST1), suggesting that the transport of chromate in B. juncea may involve sulfate carriers. Once absorbed, chromate induced genes involved in sulfate assimilation (ATP-sulfurylase: atps6; APS-reductase: apsr2; Glutathione synthethase: gsh2) and accumulation of cysteine and glutathione, which may suggest that these reduced S compounds play a role in Cr tolerance. Together, our findings indicate that when phytoremediation technologies are used to recover Cr-contaminated areas, the concentration of sulfate in the plant growth medium must be considered because it may influence the ability of plants to accumulate and tolerate Cr.

Expression of Brassica napus L. gamma-Glutamylcysteine Synthetase and Low-and High-Affinity Sulfate Transporters in Response to Excess Cadmium

: In both the roots and leaves of Brassica napus L. cv. Youyan No. 8 under treatment with 30 μmol/L Cd, massive production of non-protein thiols (NPT; mainly containing glutathione (GSH) and phytochelatins (PCs)) was induced, together with an increase in γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-ECS) mRNA transcripts. Because γ-ECS is the key enzyme catalyzing the first step in GSH biosynthesis, which, in turn, is converted to PCs, the Cd-induced increase in γ-ECS expression may be responsible for the observed increase in the production of NPT. Using a quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) approach, the expression of genes encoding a putative low-affinity sulfate transporter (LAST) and a putative high-affinity sulfate transporter (HAST) was determined at the transcriptional level. The RT-PCR analysis of relative transcript amounts indicates that the LAST gene in B. napus leaves showed a constitutive expression, which was hardly affected by Cd treatment. However, treatment with 30 μmol/L Cd for 2 or 3 d induced a marked increase in the expression of LAST in roots. Transcriptional expression of the HAST gene occurred in roots, but not in leaves. The expression of HAST only in the roots suggests that it has a specific function in sulfate uptake from soil and that the putative LAST may be responsible for the transport of sulfate from the roots to the shoots, as well as for the uptake of sulfate from soil. These results indicate that changes in transcriptional expression for sulfate transporters were required for the increased demand for sulfate during Cd stress. (Managing editor: Li-Hui ZHAO)

Root-to-Shoot Transport of Sulfate in Arabidopsis. Evidence for the Role of SULTR3;5 as a Component of Low-Affinity Sulfate Transport System in the Root Vasculature

Xylem transport of sulfate regulates distribution of sulfur in vascular plants. Here, we describe SULTR3;5 as an essential component of the sulfate transport system that facilitates the root-to-shoot transport of sulfate in the vasculature. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), SULTR3;5 was colocalized with the SULTR2;1 low-affinity sulfate transporter in xylem parenchyma and pericycle cells in roots. In a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) expression system, sulfate uptake was hardly detectable with SULTR3;5 expression alone; however, cells coexpressing both SULTR3;5 and SULTR2;1 showed substantial uptake activity that was considerably higher than with SULTR2;1 expression alone. The V(max) value of sulfate uptake activity with SULTR3;5-SULTR2;1 coexpression was approximately 3 times higher than with SULTR2;1 alone. In Arabidopsis, the root-to-shoot transport of sulfate was restricted in the sultr3;5 mutants, under conditions of high SULTR2;1 expression in the roots after sulfur limitation. These results suggested that SULTR3;5 is constitutively expressed in the root vasculature, but its function to reinforce the capacity of the SULTR2;1 low-affinity transporter is only essential when SULTR2;1 mRNA is induced by sulfur limitation. Consequently, coexpression of SULTR3;5 and SULTR2;1 provides maximum capacity of sulfate transport activity, which facilitates retrieval of apoplastic sulfate to the xylem parenchyma cells in the vasculature of Arabidopsis roots and may contribute to the root-to-shoot transport of sulfate.

Cloning sulfur assimilation genes of Brassica juncea L.: cadmium differentially affects the expression of a putative low-affinity sulfate transporter and isoforms of ATP sulfurylase and APS reductase.

The heavy-metal accumulator Brassica juncea L. is a high-biomass crop able to extract heavy-metal ions from the soil, a substantial part being translocated from root to shoot. Previous work has shown that Cd accumulation is accompanied by massive formation of phytochelatins (PCs). Rapid de novo synthesis of PCs in roots and leaves requires an increased synthesis of the tripeptide glutathione (GSH), which in turn depends on increased sulfur assimilation. Therefore. we have cloned cDNAs for three enzymes involved in sulfur assimilation, i.e. a putative low-affinity sulfate transporter (LAST) and two isoforms each for ATP sulfurylase (ATPS) and APS reductase (APSR). As degradation of glucosinolates might provide an additional sulfur source under stress, we also cloned a myrosinase (MYR). RNA blot analysis of transcript amounts indicated that upon Cd exposure (25 microM) the expression of ATPS and APSR in roots and leaves of 6-week-old Brassica juncea plants was strongly increased, whereas the expression of MYR was unaffected. LAST transcripts were significantly reduced in the root but remained unchanged in the leaves. Concomitant with Cd induction of ATPS and APSR mRNAs, cysteine concentrations in roots and leaves increased by 81% and 25%, respectively, whereas GSH concentrations decreased in roots and leaves by 39% and 48%, respectively. In agreement with our previous report on Cd induction of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase in B. juncea, the results indicate coordinate changes of expression for several sulfur assimilation enzymes in response to an increased demand for cysteine during PC synthesis.

Isolation and characterization of a cDNA encoding a sulfate transporter from Arabidopsis thaliana

A cDNA encoding a sulfate transporter was isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana. The isolated clone contained an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 658 amino acids, exhibiting the highest similarity (62%) with the sequence of the low-affinity sulfate transporter of a tropical legume Stylosanthes hamata. Northern blot analysis indicated the constitutive accumulation of a 2.6 kb length transcript in leaves and roots of seedlings. We also propose that A. thaliana contains three sulfate transporter genes which are expressed as 3.0, 2.7 and 2.6 kb length transcripts, respectively, in an organ-specific manner.