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Published on: August 22, 2014
HAK transporters from Physcomitrella patens and Yarrowia lipolytica mediate sodium uptake
Begoña Benito1, Blanca Garciadeblas, Alonso Rodriguez-Navarro
1Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Campus de Montegancedo, Carretera M-40, km 37.7, 28223-Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Spain. begona.benito@upm.es
Abstract:
The widespread presence of Na(+)-specific uptake systems across plants and fungi is a controversial topic. In this study, we identify two HAK genes, one in the moss Physcomitrella patens and the other in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, that encode Na(+)-specific transporters. Because HAK genes are numerous in plants and are duplicated in many fungi, our findings suggest that some HAK genes encode Na(+) transporters and that Na(+) might play physiological roles in plants and fungi more extensively than is currently thought.
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