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Molecular mechanisms of potassium and sodium uptake in plants

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Abstract

Potassium (K+) is an essential nutrient and the most abundant cation in plants, whereas the closely related ion sodium (Na+) is toxic to most plants at high millimolar concentrations. K+ deficiency and Na+ toxicity are both major constraints to crop production worldwide. K+ counteracts Na+ stress, while Na+, in turn, can to a certain degree alleviate K+ deficiency. Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of K+ and Na+ transport is pivotal to the understanding – and eventually engineering – of plant K+ nutrition and Na+ sensitivity. Here we provide an overview on plant K+ transporters with particular emphasis on root K+ and Na+ uptake. Plant K+-permeable cation transporters comprise seven families: Shaker-type K+ channels, `two-pore' K+ channels, cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels, putative K+/H+ antiporters, KUP/HAK/KT transporters, HKT transporters, and LCT1. Candidate genes for Na+ transport are the KUP/HAK/KTs, HKTs, CNGCs, and LCT1. Expression in heterologous systems, localization in plants, and genetic disruption in plants will provide insight into the roles of transporter genes in K+ nutrition and Na+ toxicity.

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  1. Cell and Developmental Biology Section and Center for Molecular Genetics, Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA

    Pascal Mäser, Markus Gierth & Julian I. Schroeder

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  1. Pascal Mäser
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  2. Markus Gierth
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  3. Julian I. Schroeder
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Correspondence to Julian I. Schroeder.

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Mäser, P., Gierth, M. & Schroeder, J.I. Molecular mechanisms of potassium and sodium uptake in plants. Plant and Soil 247, 43–54 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021159130729

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