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Published on: March 13, 2014
Nitrite transport to the chloroplast in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: molecular evidence for a regulated process
Aurora Galván1, Jesús Rexach, Vicente Mariscal
1Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Córdoba. Campus de Rabanales, Edif. 'Severo Ochoa', 14071-Córdoba, Spain.
Abstract:
Nitrite transport to the chloroplast is not a well documented process in spite of being a central step in the nitrate assimilation pathway. The lack of molecular evidence, as well as the easy diffusion of nitrite through biological membranes, have made this physiological process difficult to understand in plant nutrition. The aim of this review is to illustrate that nitrite transport to the chloroplast is a regulated step, intimately related to the efficiency of nitrate utilization. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the Nar1;1 gene has been shown to have this role in nitrate assimilation. NAR1;1 corresponds to a plastidic membrane transporter protein related to the bacterial formate/nitrite transporters. At least four Nar1 genes might exist in Chlamydomonas. The existence of orthologous Nar1 genes in plants is discussed.
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