ABSTRACT
Nitrite-specific plasma membrane transporters have been described in bacteria, algae and fungi, but there is no evidence of a nitrite-specific plasma membrane transporter in higher plants. We have used 13NO2(-) to characterize nitrite influx into roots of Arabidopsis thaliana. Hydroponically grown Arabidopsis mutants, defective in high-affinity nitrate transport, were used to distinguish between nitrate and nitrite uptake by means of the short-lived tracers 13NO2(-) and 13NO3(-). This approach allowed us to characterize a nitrite-specific transporter. The Atnar2.1-2 mutant, lacking a functional high-affinity nitrate transport system, is capable of nitrite influx that is constitutive and thermodynamically active. The corresponding fluxes conform to a rectangular hyperbola, exhibiting saturation at concentrations above 200 µM (Km = 185 µM and Vmax = 1.89 µmol g(-1) FW h(-1)). Nitrite influx via the putative nitrite transporter is not subject to competitive inhibition by nitrate but is downregulated after 6 h exposure to ammonium. These results signify the existence of a nitrite-specific transporter in Arabidopsis. This transporter enables Atnar2.1-2 mutants, which are incapable of sustained growth on low nitrate, to maintain significant growth on low nitrite. In wild-type plants, this nitrite flux may increase nitrogen acquisition and also participate in the induction of genes specifically induced by nitrite.
