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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #94007
Title: ANT1, AN AROMATIC AND NEUTRAL AMINO ACID TRANSPORTER

Author
item CHEN, LISCHEN - PLANT BIOLOGY UOFI URBANA
item Ortiz Lopez, Adriana
item JUNG, ALLEN - PLANT BIOLOGY UOFI URBANA
item Bush, Daniel

Submitted to: Plant Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: We report here the cloning and characterization of a new amino acid transporter identified in the Arabidopsis EST-cDNA library by functional complementation in yeast. Analysis of the transport properties of the expressed protein showed that it is a high affinity transporter for aromatic and neutral amino acids, as well as arginine. The cDNA is 1.6 kb in length with an open reading frame that codes for a protein containing 432 amino acids and a calculated molecular mass of 50 kDa. Hydropathy analysis showed that ANT1 is an integral membrane protein with 11 putative membrane spanning domains. This transporter has homology to AUX1 (a putative auxin transporter), and to the E. coli tryptophan (Mtr and TnaB/TryP) and tyrosine (TyrP) permeases. ANT1 transports both IAA and 2,4-D at high rates, but acid trapping in controls complicates interpretation of the results. Tissue specific northern analysis showed that this transporter is expressed at low levels in all tissues. Whole mount in situ hybridization further localized this transporter to the surface of roots and leaves in young seedlings, and in stomata. ANT1 belongs to a new class of amino acid transporter that may also play a role in auxin transport.