ARS | Publication request: Aluminum-activated citrate and malate transporters from the MATE and ALMT families function independently to confer Arabidopsis aluminum tolerance

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: September 10, 2008
Publication Date: May 14, 2009
Citation: Liu, J., Magalhaes, J., Shaff, J., Kochian, L.V. 2009. Aluminum-activated citrate and malate transporters from the MATE and ALMT families function independently to confer Arabidopsis aluminum tolerance. Meeting Proceedings. 57(3):389-399.

Technical Abstract: Aluminum (Al) activated root malate and citrate exudation play an important role in Al tolerance in many plant species. AtALMT1, an Al-activated malate transporter, is a major contributor to Arabidopsis Al tolerance. Here, we demonstrate that a second, unrelated gene, AtMATE, encodes an Arabidopsis Al-activated citrate transporter. AtMATE is expressed primarily in roots and is induced by Al. A loss-of-function AtMATE mutant line lacks Al-activated root citrate exudation. An AtALMT1-AtMATE double mutant lacks both Al-activated root malate and citrate exudation and exhibits greater Al sensitivity than the single AtALMT1 mutant. Therefore, we report here that both AtALMT1 and AtMATE are needed for the full spectrum of Arabidopsis Al tolerance, with AtMATE making a significant although smaller contribution to Arabidopsis Al tolerance.