Function, transport, and regulation of amino acids:What is missing in rice?

• 作者: Nan Guo Shunan Zhang Mingji Gu Guohua Xu
• 来源期刊: 作物学报（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2021,（3）
• 所属期刊栏目: Reviews
• 页码范围: 530-542
• 页数: 13页
• 语种: 英文

摘要

Amino acids are essential plant compounds serving as the building blocks of proteins, the predominant forms of nitrogen (N) distribution, and signaling molecules. Plant amino acids derive from root acquisi-tion, nitrate reduction, and ammonium assimilation. Many amino acid transporters (AATs) mediating transfer processes of amino acids have been functionally characterized in Arabidopsis, whereas the func-tion and regulation of the vast majority of AATs in rice (Oryza sativa L.) and other crops remain unknown. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of amino acids in the rhizosphere and in meta-bolism. We describe their function as signal molecules and in regulating plant architecture, flowering time, and defense against abiotic stress and pathogen attack. AATs not only function in root acquisition and translocation of amino acids from source to sink organs, regulating N uptake and use efficiency, but also as transporters of non-amino acid substrates or as amino acid sensors. Several AAT genes show nat-ural variations in their promoter and coding regions that are associated with altered uptake rate of amino acids, grain N content, and tiller number. Development of an amino acid transfer model in plants will advance the manipulation of AATs for improving rice architecture, grain yield and quality, and N-use efficiency.