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Magnesium transporters and their role in Al tolerance in plants

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Abstract

Magnesium (Mg) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth, which has diverse biological functions. However, little is known about the transport system of this nutrient in plants. In the genome of plants such as rice and Arabidopsis, there are homologues of bacterial Mg transporters (CorA) and some of them have been functionally characterized, but the physiological role of these transporters are poorly understood. On the other hand, Mg is able to alleviate Al toxicity in a number of plant species, but the mechanisms underlying this alleviation are not well understood. Recently, this alleviation has been associated with a Mg transporter in rice. In this paper, we present our opinions on Mg transporters, which are required for uptake, translocation, distribution and storage in plants. Possible mechanisms for Mg-mediated alleviation of Al toxicity are also discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The research was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (No. 22119002 to JFM) and by a grant from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (Genomics for Agricultural Innovation, IPG-0006 to JFM).

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  1. Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University, Chuo 2-20-1, Kurashiki, Japan

    Zhi Chang Chen & Jian Feng Ma

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  1. Zhi Chang Chen
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Correspondence to Jian Feng Ma.

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Responsible Editor: Ismail Cakmak.

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Chen, Z.C., Ma, J.F. Magnesium transporters and their role in Al tolerance in plants. Plant Soil 368, 51–56 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1433-y

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