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Boron deficiency decreases plasmalemma H+-ATPase expression and nitrate uptake, and promotes ammonium assimilation into asparagine in tobacco roots

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Abstract

The effects of short-term boron deficiency on several aspects (growth, biomass allocation, metabolite concentrations, gene expression, enzyme activities) related with nitrate assimilation were studied in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants in order to know the early changes caused by this mineral deficiency. For this purpose, plants were grown hydroponically in a nutrient solution supplemented with 10 μM boron and then transferred to a boron-free medium for 1–5 days. Nitrate concentration decreased in both leaves and roots under boron deficiency, which was not observed in control plants. This correlated with the lower net nitrate uptake rate found in boron-deficient plants when compared to boron-sufficient ones. Results suggest that boron deficiency decreases net nitrate uptake by declining the activity of nitrate transporters rather than affecting their transcript levels. This is supported by a drop in the levels of root PMA2 transcript during the boron deficient treatment, which could lead to a decrease in the plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity necessary to get protons out of cell for the cotransport with nitrate inwards. In addition, boron deficiency led to an increase in root Asn content and a decline in glutamine synthetase activity when compared to control plants, which suggest that this mineral deficiency may promote ammonium assimilation via asparagine synthetase in tobacco roots.

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Abbreviations

DW:

Dry weight

GS:

Glutamine synthetase

NIA :

Nitrate reductase structural gene

NR:

Nitrate reductase

NRT1 and NRT2 :

Nitrate transport genes

PMA2 :

Plasmalemma H+-ATPase gene

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Acknowledgments

Research supported by D.G.I. (BOS2003-01837) and Junta de Andalucía (CVI 266), Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fisiología, Anatomía y Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013, Sevilla, Spain

    Juan J. Camacho-Cristóbal & Agustín González-Fontes

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  1. Juan J. Camacho-Cristóbal
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  2. Agustín González-Fontes
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Correspondence to Agustín González-Fontes.

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Camacho-Cristóbal, J.J., González-Fontes, A. Boron deficiency decreases plasmalemma H+-ATPase expression and nitrate uptake, and promotes ammonium assimilation into asparagine in tobacco roots. Planta 226, 443–451 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-007-0494-2

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