Characterization of AMT-mediated high-affinity ammonium uptake in roots of maize (Zea mays L.)

High-affinity ammonium uptake in plant roots is mainly mediated by AMT1-type ammonium transporters, and their regulation varies depending on the plant species. In this study we aimed at characterizing AMT-mediated ammonium transport in maize, for which ammonium-based fertilizer is an important nitrogen (N) source. Two ammonium transporter genes, ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3, were isolated from a maize root-specific cDNA library by functional complementation of an ammonium uptake-defective yeast mutant. Ectopic expression of both genes in an ammonium uptake-defective Arabidopsis mutant conferred high-affinity ammonium uptake capacities in roots with substrate affinities of 48 and 33 μM for ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3, respectively. In situ hybridization revealed co-localization of both ZmAMT genes on the rhizodermis, suggesting an involvement in capturing ammonium from the rhizosphere. In N-deficient maize roots, influx increased significantly while ZmAMT expression did not. Ammonium resupply to N-deficient or nitrate-pre-cultured roots, however, rapidly enhanced both influx and ZmAMT transcript levels, revealing a substrate-inducible regulation of ammonium uptake. In conclusion, the two rhizodermis-localized transporters ZmAMT1;1a and ZmAMT1;3 are most probably the major components in the high-affinity transport system in maize roots. A particular regulatory feature is their persistent induction by ammonium rather than an up-regulation under N deficiency.