RIKEN Plant Science Center Joint Laboratory, Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan.
Int Rev Cell Mol Biol. 2010;281:129-59. doi: 10.1016/S1937-6448(10)81004-4.
Plants as autotrophic organisms have a set of transporters and enzymes that mediate uptake and assimilation of inorganic sulfate and subsequent metabolic conversion to organic sulfur compounds. Studies in higher plants indicate the individual components of sulfate transport systems and enzymes for sulfate assimilation are consisted of multiple isoforms. Among these isoforms, several essential components are shown to have specific biochemical properties and localize in specific cellular and subcellular compartments. This chapter will describe the functions and regulation of sulfate transport systems and assimilatory enzymes, particularly focusing on the sulfate transporter gene family of a model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana. Recent findings provided evidence that the regulatory pathways are highly organized to balance the uptake, storage, and assimilation of sulfate in plants. In addition to the physiological and biochemical functions diversified among the isoforms of sulfate transporters, regulatory elements in transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms were suggested to play significant roles in coordinating the assimilatory functions to adapt with varying sulfur nutritional status that fluctuates in the environment.
植物作为自养生物，拥有一套转运蛋白和酶，用于介导无机硫酸盐的摄取和同化，以及随后的代谢转化为有机硫化合物。高等植物的研究表明，硫酸盐转运系统和硫酸盐同化酶的各个组成部分由多个同工型组成。在这些同工型中，有几个必需的组成部分具有特定的生化特性，并定位于特定的细胞和亚细胞隔室中。本章将描述硫酸盐转运系统和同化酶的功能和调节，特别是重点介绍模式植物拟南芥的硫酸盐转运体基因家族。最近的发现提供了证据，表明调节途径高度组织化，以平衡植物中硫酸盐的摄取、储存和同化。除了硫酸盐转运体同工型之间的生理和生化功能多样化外，转录和转录后机制中的调节元件被认为在协调同化功能方面发挥了重要作用，以适应环境中不断变化的硫营养状况。
