Members of rice plasma membrane intrinsic proteins subfamily are involved in arsenite permeability and tolerance in plants

• Published in: Transgenic research Vol. 21; no. 6; pp. 1265 - 1277
• Main Authors: Mosa, Kareem A, Kumar, Kundan, Chhikara, Sudesh, Mcdermott, Joseph, Liu, Zijuan, Musante, Craig, White, Jason C, Dhankher, Om Parkash
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer-Verlag 01.12.2012; Springer Netherlands; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal Genetics and Genomics; Animals; Aquaporins; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arsenic; Arsenite; Arsenites - pharmacology; Biofuels; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Transport; Biomass; biomass production; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedical Engineering/Biotechnology; Biotechnology; Blotting, Western; Cell Membrane - metabolism; Crop production; Crops; Data processing; Detoxification; Drug Tolerance; exposure duration; Food chains; Fuel technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gene expression regulation; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; genes; Genetic Engineering; Genetic technics; Homology; Life Sciences; Membrane permeability; Membrane Proteins - genetics; Membrane Proteins - metabolism; Membranes; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Molecular Medicine; Multigene Family; Oocytes; Oocytes - cytology; Oocytes - drug effects; Oocytes - metabolism; Original Paper; Oryza - drug effects; Oryza - genetics; Oryza - metabolism; Oryza sativa; Permeability; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plants, Genetically Modified - drug effects; Plants, Genetically Modified - genetics; Plants, Genetically Modified - metabolism; plasma membrane; Plasma membranes; Proteins; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; rice; RNA, Messenger - genetics; Roots; Seeds - chemistry; Seeds - drug effects; Seeds - metabolism; Shoots; Soil contamination; Soil pollution; Teratogens - pharmacology; Transgenic animals and transgenic plants; Transgenic plants; Transgenics; transporters; uptake mechanisms; Xenopus laevis; Xenopus laevis - metabolism; yeasts; Arsenite transport; Aquaporins; Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins; Rice; Monocotyledones; Arabidopsis; Xenopus laevis; Amphibia; Tolerance; Salientia; Permeability; Protein; Arsenites; Oryza sativa; Vertebrata; Cruciferae; Gramineae; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Plasma membrane; Spermatophyta; Transport; Aquaporin
• ISSN: 0962-8819; 1573-9368
• DOI: 10.1007/s11248-012-9600-8

Rice accumulates high level of arsenic (As) in its edible parts and thus plays an important role in the transfer of As into the food chain. However, the mechanisms of As uptake and its detoxification in rice are not well understood. Recently, members of the Nodulin 26-like intrinsic protein (NIP) subfamily of plant aquaporins were shown to transport arsenite in rice and Arabidopsis. Here we report that members of the rice plasma membrane intrinsic protein (PIP) subfamily are also involved in As tolerance and transport. Based on the homology search with the mammalian AQP9 and yeast Fps1 arsenite transporters, we identified and cloned five rice PIP gene subfamily members. qRT-PCR analysis of PIPs in rice root and shoot tissues revealed a significant down regulation of transcripts encoding OsPIP1;2, OsPIP1;3, OsPIP2;4, OsPIP2;6, and OsPIP2;7 in response to arsenite treatment. Heterologous expression of OsPIP2;4, OsPIP2;6, and OsPIP2;7 in Xenopus laevis oocytes significantly increased the uptake of arsenite. Overexpression of OsPIP2;4, OsPIP2;6, and OsPIP2;7 in Arabidopsis yielded enhanced arsenite tolerance and higher biomass accumulation. Further, these transgenic plants showed no significant accumulation of As in shoot and root tissues in long term uptake assays. Whereas, short duration exposure to arsenite caused both active influx and efflux of As in the roots. The data suggests a bidirectional arsenite permeability of rice PIPs in plants. These rice PIPs genes will be highly useful for engineering important food and biofuel crops for enhanced crop productivity on contaminated soils without increasing the accumulation of toxic As in the biomass or edible tissues.