JXB Advance Access originally published online on November 13, 2006
Journal of Experimental Botany 2006 57(15):4235-4243; doi:10.1093/jxb/erl201
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RESEARCH PAPER |
Overexpression of an Arabidopsis magnesium transport gene, AtMGT1, in Nicotiana benthamiana confers Al tolerance

1Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Crop Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Biotechnology Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
2Department of Plant Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: peiyan3{at}swu.edu.cn
Aluminium (Al) toxicity is the most important limiting factor for crop production in acid soil environments worldwide. In some plant species, application of magnesium (Mg2+) can alleviate Al toxicity. However, it remains unknown whether overexpression of magnesium transport proteins can improve Al tolerance. Here, the role of AtMGT1, a member of the Arabidopsis magnesium transport family involved in Mg2+ transport, played in Al tolerance in higher plants was investigated. Expression of 35S::AtMGT1 led to various phenotypic alterations in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Transgenic plants harbouring 35S::AtMGT1 exhibited tolerance to Mg2+ deficiency. Element assay showed that the contents of Mg, Mn, and Fe in 35S::AtMGT1 plants increased compared with wild-type plants. Root growth experiment revealed that 100 µM AlCl3 caused a reduction in root elongation by 47% in transgenic lines, whereas root growth in wild-type plants was inhibited completely. Upon Al treatment, representative transgenic lines also showed a much lower callose deposition, an indicator of increased Al tolerance, than wild-type plants. Taken together, the results have demonstrated that overexpression of ATMGT1 encoding a magnesium transport protein can improve tolerance to Al in higher plants.
Key words: Aluminium toxicity, AtMGT1, magnesium, Nicotiana benthamiana
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