Overexpression of a Plasma Membrane H(+)-ATPase Gene OSA1 Stimulates the Uptake of Primary Macronutrients in Rice Roots

Plasma membrane (PM) H(+)-ATPase is a master enzyme involved in various plant physiological processes, such as stomatal movements in leaves and nutrient uptake and transport in roots. Overexpression of Oryza sativa PM H(+)-ATPase 1 (OSA1) has been known to increase NH(4)(+) uptake in rice roots. Although electrophysiological and pharmacological experiments have shown that the transport of many substances is dependent on the proton motive force provided by PM H(+)-ATPase, the exact role of PM H(+)-ATPase on the uptake of nutrients in plant roots, especially for the primary macronutrients N, P, and K, is still largely unknown. Here, we used OSA1 overexpression lines (OSA1-oxs) and gene-knockout osa1 mutants to investigate the effect of modulation of PM H(+)-ATPase on the absorption of N, P, and K nutrients through the use of a nutrient-exhaustive method and noninvasive microtest technology (NMT) in rice roots. Our results showed that under different concentrations of P and K, the uptake rates of P and K were enhanced in OSA1-oxs; by contrast, the uptake rates of P and K were significantly reduced in roots of osa1 mutants when compared with wild-type. In addition, the net influx rates of NH(4)(+) and K(+), as well as the efflux rate of H(+), were enhanced in OSA1-oxs and suppressed in osa1 mutants under low concentration conditions. In summary, this study indicated that overexpression of OSA1 stimulated the uptake rate of N, P, and K and promoted flux rates of cations (i.e., H(+), NH(4)(+), and K(+)) in rice roots. These results may provide a novel insight into improving the coordinated utilization of macronutrients in crop plants.