The intracellular transport of transporters: membrane trafficking of mineral transporters.

For mineral nutrients to be used by plants, they must be taken up from soil solutions into root cells and then transported to shoots. Mineral nutrient transporters play a central role in this process, and their expression and accumulation are known to be strictly regulated in response to change in nutrient conditions. Roots are cylindrically shaped organs with various types of cells. For the nutrients to move from soil solution toward the xylem they have to be transported across various types of cells. Nutrient condition-dependent accumulation and polar distributions of transporters in plant cells are established by membrane trafficking systems. The present article provides an overview of current findings regarding the membrane trafficking of mineral nutrient transporters and a discussion of future perspectives in this field of research.