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Isolation and characterization of a novel ammonium overly sensitive mutant, amos2, in Arabidopsis thaliana

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Abstract

Ammonium (NH4 +) toxicity is a significant agricultural problem globally, compromising crop growth and productivity in many areas. However, the molecular mechanisms of NH4 + toxicity are still poorly understood, in part due to a lack of valuable genetic resources. Here, a novel Arabidopsis mutant, amos2 (ammonium overly sensitive 2), displaying hypersensitivity to NH4 + in both shoots and roots, was isolated. The mutant exhibits the hallmarks of NH4 + toxicity at significantly elevated levels: severely suppressed shoot biomass, increased leaf chlorosis, and inhibition of lateral root formation. Amos2 hypersensitivity is associated with excessive NH4 + accumulation in shoots and a reduction in tissue potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), and magnesium (Mg2+). We show that the lesion is specific to the NH4 + ion, is independent of NH4 + metabolism, and can be partially rescued by elevated external K+. The amos2 lesion was mapped to a 16-cM interval on top of chromosome 1, where no similar mutation has been previously mapped. Our study identifies a novel locus controlling cation homeostasis under NH4 + stress and provides a tool for the future identification of critical genes involved in the development of NH4 + toxicity.

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Abbreviations

Col:

Colombia ecotype

GM:

Growth medium

Ler:

Landsberg erecta ecotype

Mes:

2-Morpholinoethanesulfonic acid

TAIR:

The Arabidopsis information resource

WT:

Wild type

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr. Jianru Zuo, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for kind provision of Arabidopsis seeds mutagenized with T-DNA transformation, Dr. Zuhua He, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for technical support in gene mapping. This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2007CB109303), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30771285), and the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, Discovery Grant 217277-2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.71 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Guangjie Li, Gangqiang Dong, Baohai Li, Qing Li & Weiming Shi

  2. Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100081, China

    Guangjie Li & Gangqiang Dong

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada

    Herbert J. Kronzucker

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  1. Guangjie Li
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  2. Gangqiang Dong
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  3. Baohai Li
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  4. Qing Li
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  6. Weiming Shi
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Correspondence to Weiming Shi.

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Li, G., Dong, G., Li, B. et al. Isolation and characterization of a novel ammonium overly sensitive mutant, amos2, in Arabidopsis thaliana . Planta 235, 239–252 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-011-1504-y

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