A high-affinity ammonium transporter from the mycorrhizal ascomycete Tuber borchii |
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Authors: | Montanini Barbara Moretto Nadia Soragni Elisabetta Percudani Riccardo Ottonello Simone |
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Affiliation: | Dipartimento di Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare, Università di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, I-43100 Parma, Italy. |
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Abstract: | An ammonium transporter cDNA, named TbAMT1, was isolated from the ectomycorrhizal ascomycetous truffle Tuber borchii. The polypeptide encoded by TbAMT1 (52 kDa) functionally complements ammonium uptake-defective yeast mutants and shares sequence similarity with previously characterized ammonium transporters from Saccharomyces (Mep) and Arabidopsis (AtAMT1). Structural characteristics common to the Mep/Amt family and peculiar features of the Tuber transporter have been evidenced by a detailed topological model of the TbAMT1 protein, which predicts 11 transmembrane helices with an N terminus(OUT)/C terminus(IN) orientation. As revealed by uptake/competition experiments conducted in yeast, TbAMT1 is a high-affinity transporter with an apparent K(m) for ammonium of 2 microM. The TbAMT1 mRNA was very slowly, yet specifically upregulated in nitrogen-deprived T. borchii mycelia. Instead, a much faster return to basal expression levels was observed upon resupplementation of either ammonium or nitrate, which thus appear to be utilized as equally effective nitrogen sources by Tuber mycelia. |
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