Nitrate uptake along the maize primary root: an integrated physiological and molecular approach

The spatial variability of the nitrate (NO3 -) uptake along the maize primary root axis was investigated at physiological and molecular levels. Net NO3 - uptake rate (NNUR) and its kinetic parameters, together with the gene expression of a high-affinity NO3 - transporter (NRT2.1), were evaluated. The activity and the expression of plasma membrane H+-ATPase (PM H+-ATPase), key enzyme in plant nutrition, were also analysed. The NNUR showed a heterogeneous spatial pattern along the root, where the regions closer to the root tip early exhibited higher capacity to absorb NO3 - than the basal regions, because of a higher maximum NNUR and faster induction of the inducible high-affinity transport system (iHATS), the presence of the high-affinity transport system (HATS) also at external NO3 - concentrations >100 mM and an improved NO3 - transport because of lower Km values. ZmNRT2.1 transcript abundances were not spatially correlated with NNUR, suggesting that post-translational effects or NAR2 protein co-expression could be involved. By contrast, PM H+-ATPase displayed a similar spatial–temporal pattern as that of nitrate uptake, resulting in higher activity in the root tip than in the basal regions. Increased activities of the enzyme after nitrate supply resulted in enhanced expression of MAH3 and MAH4, PM H+-ATPase subfamily II genes, while MAH1 was not expressed.