AtAMT1 gene expression and NH4 uptake in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana: evidence for regulation by root glutamine levels

Abstract

The mechanisms involved in regulating high-affinity ammonium (NH4+) uptake and the expression of the AtAMT1 gene encoding a putative high-affinity NH4+ transporter were investigated in the roots of Arabidopsis thaliana. Under conditions of steady-state nitrogen (N) supply, transcript levels of the AtAMT1 gene and Vmax values for high-affinity 13NH4+ influx were inversely correlated with levels of N provision. Following re-supply of NH4NO3 to N-starved plants, AtAMT1 mRNA levels and 13NH4+ influx declined rapidly but remained high when the conversion of NH4+ to glutamine (Gln) was blocked with methionine sulfoximine (MSX). This result demonstrates that end products of NH4+ assimilation, rathe..