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Sulfur Metabolism in Higher Plants - Fundamental, Environmental and Agricultural Aspects pp 3–12Cite as

Sulfate Transport in Plants: A Personal Perspective

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Part of the book series: Proceedings of the International Plant Sulfur Workshop ((PIPSW))

Abstract

Early key research milestones for sulfate transport in plants include the first description of kinetics of sulfate uptake into plant roots (Leggett and Epstein, Plant Physiol 31:222–226, 1956), nutritionally regulated sulfate uptake into plants (Clarkson et al., J Exp Bot 34:1463–1483, 1983), and the first gene for a plant sulfate transporter (Smith et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 92:9373–9377, 1995a). Since then a well-described gene family encoding putative sulfate transporters has been characterized in multiple species, initially most notably in Arabidopsis but subsequently for a number of other models or important crops (examples: Brassica, wheat, rice, poplar and Medicago, see Buchner et al., Genome 47:526–534, 2004a; Buchner et al., Plant Physiol 136:3396–3408, 2004b; Buchner et al., Mol Plant 3:374–389, 2010; Kumar et al., Plant Signal Behav 10:e990843, 2015; Dürr et al., Plant Mol Biol 72:499–517, 2010; Gao et al., Planta 239:79–96, 2014). Regulation of expression has been well documented and this regulation is both a useful marker of sulfur-nutritional status and a model for the elucidation of control pathways. The complexity of the gene family in relation to functional, regulatory and spatial distribution indicates an apparent whole plant management system for sulfur, coordinated with growth and demand and interacting with nutrient availability. In addition to sulfate, there is direct involvement of this transporter family in the uptake and accumulation of both selenate and molybdate, with clear consequences for nutritional quality. Is the story now complete almost 60 years since the first transport description and 20 years since the first sulfate transporter gene isolation, and a plethora of research projects and publications? Do we know how sulfur is acquired and appropriately distributed within the plant? Do we know the critical signals that control these processes? Are we even sure that these processes are coordinated? This review documents research progress and assesses to what extent the key questions have been addressed.

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Acknowledgements

Rothamsted Research receives support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) of the UK as part of the 20:20 Wheat project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Biology and Crop Science Department, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK

    Malcolm J. Hawkesford

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  1. Malcolm J. Hawkesford
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Correspondence to Malcolm J. Hawkesford .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Physiology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Luit J. De Kok

  2. Plant Biology and Crop Science Department, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

    Malcolm J. Hawkesford

  3. Institute for Crop and Soil Science, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) Institute for Crop and Soil Science, Braunschweig, Germany

    Silvia H. Haneklaus

  4. Crop and Soil Science, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Braunschweig, Germany

    Ewald Schnug

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Hawkesford, M.J. (2017). Sulfate Transport in Plants: A Personal Perspective. In: De Kok, L., Hawkesford, M., Haneklaus, S., Schnug, E. (eds) Sulfur Metabolism in Higher Plants - Fundamental, Environmental and Agricultural Aspects. Proceedings of the International Plant Sulfur Workshop. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56526-2_1

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