Differential expression of three BOR1 genes corresponding to different genomes in response to boron conditions in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Boron (B) is an essential micronutrient for plants. Efflux-type B transporters, BORs, have been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana and rice. Here we identified BOR1 genes encoding B efflux transporters, from the hexaploid genome of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). We cloned three genes closely related to OsBOR1 and named them TaBOR1.1, TaBOR1.2 and TaBOR1.3. All three TaBOR1s showed B efflux activities when expressed in tobacco BY-2 cells. TaBOR1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion proteins were expressed in Arabidopsis leaf cells localized in the plasma membrane. The transcript accumulation patterns of the three genes differ in terms of tissue specificity and B nutrition responses. In roots, transcripts for all three genes accumulated abundantly while in shoots, the TaBOR1.2 transcript is the most abundant, followed by those of TaBOR1.1 and TaBOR1.3. Accumulation of TaBOR1.1 transcript is up-regulated under B deficiency conditions in both roots and shoots. In contrast, TaBOR1.2 transcript accumulation significantly increased in roots under excess B conditions. TaBOR1.3 transcript accumulation was reduced under excess B. Taken together, these results demonstrated that TaBOR1s are the B efflux transporters in wheat and, interestingly, the genes on the A, B and D genomes have different expression patterns.