Plant Nutrition: Root Transporters on the Move

Nutrient and water uptake from the soil is essential for plant growth and development. In the root, absorption and radial transport of nutrients and water toward the vascular tissues is achieved by a battery of specialized transporters and channels. Modulating the amount and the localization of these membrane transport proteins appears as a way to drive their activity and is essential to maintain nutrient homeostasis in plants. This control first involves the delivery of newly synthesized proteins to the plasma membrane by establishing check points along the secretory pathway, especially during the export from the endoplasmic reticulum. Plasma membrane-localized transport proteins are internalized through endocytosis followed by recycling to the cell surface or targeting to the vacuole for degradation, hence constituting another layer of control. These intricate mechanisms are often regulated by nutrient availability, stresses, and endogenous cues, allowing plants to rapidly adjust to their environment and adapt their development.