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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1995 Dec 19;92(26):12036–12040. doi: 10.1073/pnas.92.26.12036

Seed and vascular expression of a high-affinity transporter for cationic amino acids in Arabidopsis.

W B Frommer 1, S Hummel 1, M Unseld 1, O Ninnemann 1
PMCID: PMC40291  PMID: 8618839

Abstract

In most plants amino acids represent the major transport form for organic nitrogen. A sensitive selection system in yeast mutants has allowed identification of a previously unidentified amino acid transporter in Arabidopsis. AAT1 encodes a hydrophobic membrane protein with 14 membrane-spanning regions and shares homologies with the ecotropic murine leukemia virus receptor, a bifunctional protein serving also as a cationic amino acid transporter in mammals. When expressed in yeast, AAT1 mediates high-affinity transport of basic amino acids, but to a lower extent also recognizes acidic and neutral amino acids. AAT1-mediated histidine transport is sensitive to protonophores and occurs against a concentration gradient, indicating that AAT1 may function as a proton symporter. AAT1 is specifically expressed in major veins of leaves and roots and in various floral tissues--i.e., and developing seeds.

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Selected References

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