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O s NIP 3;1, a rice boric acid channel, regulates boron distribution and is essential for growth under boron‐deficient conditions
Author(s) -
Hanaoka Hideki,
Uraguchi Shimpei,
Takano Junpei,
Tanaka Mayuki,
Fujiwara Toru
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1111/tpj.12511
Subject(s) - nip , boric acid , boron , chemistry , biochemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , composite material
Summary Boron is an essential micronutrient for higher plants. Boron deficiency is an important agricultural issue because it results in loss of yield quality and/or quantity in cereals and other crops. To understand boron transport mechanisms in cereals, we characterized O s NIP 3;1 , a member of the major intrinsic protein family in rice ( O ryza sativa L .), because O s NIP 3;1 is the most similar rice gene to the A rabidopsis thaliana boric acid channel genes A t NIP 5;1 and A t NIP 6;1 . Yeast cells expressing O s NIP 3;1 imported more boric acid than control cells. GFP ‐tagged O s NIP 3;1 expressed in tobacco BY 2 cells was localized to the plasma membrane. The accumulation of O s NIP 3;1 transcript increased fivefold in roots within 6 h of the onset of boron starvation, but not in shoots. P romoter– GUS analysis suggested that O s NIP 3;1 is expressed mainly in exodermal cells and steles in roots, as well as in cells around the vascular bundles in leaf sheaths and pericycle cells around the xylem in leaf blades. The growth of O s NIP 3;1 RNA i plants was impaired under boron limitation. These results indicate that O s NIP 3;1 functions as a boric acid channel, and is required for acclimation to boron limitation. Boron distribution among shoot tissues was altered in O s NIP 3;1 knockdown plants, especially under boron‐deficient conditions. This result demonstrates that O s NIP 3;1 regulates boron distribution among shoot tissues, and that the correct boron distribution is crucial for plant growth.