Molecular identification of the first crop urea transporter OsDUR3 in rice (Oryza sativd)

摘要

Urea is a major form of nitrogen (N) fertiliser applied to agricultural systems. However, due to various N loss processes, the use efficiency of urea-based N fertilisers is globally low. Therefore, understanding of urea acquisition pathways would be an important step in improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crops. To date, mechanisms of urea transport in crops are not known. Recently, we identified and sequenced a rice full-length cDNA containing a putative open reading frame (named here as OsDURS) that is homologous to the urea/H~+ symporter AtDURS. Introduction of the OsDURS into a yeast mutant (AdurS) restored growth of the mutant on 2 mM urea medium. Complementation of the mutant by OsDURS was pH- and Na~+-sensitive. Moreover, we found that OsDUR3 transcripts were detected in rice roots, suggesting a possible physiological role of OsDURS in urea-N acquisition in rice.