Integrative Biology Journals
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J Integr Plant Biol. ›› 2025, Vol. 67 ›› Issue (2): 311-326.DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13811

• Molecular Physiology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Vacuolar phosphate efflux transporter ZmVPEs mediate phosphate homeostasis and remobilization in maize leaves

Zhenhui Guo1, Chaonan Zhang1, Hongyu Zhao2, Yu Liu3, Xiyao Chen1, Hanshu Zhao1, Limei Chen4, Wenyuan Ruan5, Yifang Chen4, Lixing Yuan1, Keke Yi5, Lei Xu5* and Jingbo Zhang1*   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
    2. Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    3. College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
    4. State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Biological Sciences, Center for Crop Functional Genomics and Molecular Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
    5. State Key Laboratory of Efficient Utilization of Arid and Semi‐arid Arable Land in Northern China, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
    *Correspondences: Lei Xu (xulei@caas.cn); Jingbo Zhang (jingbozhang@cau.edu.cn, Prof. Zhang is responsible for the distribution of all materials associated with this article)
  • Received:2024-05-29 Accepted:2024-11-06 Online:2024-12-02 Published:2025-02-01
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFF1000501 and 2022YFD1900704), National Natural Science Foundation of China (32070306, 32172667, and U23A20178), the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund (2023RC015), the 2115 Talent Development Program of China Agricultural University, and the Central Public‐Interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund (Y2022QC14).

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Abstract: Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development. Vacuoles play a crucial role in inorganic phosphate (Pi) storage and remobilization in plants. However, the physiological function of vacuolar phosphate efflux transporters in plant Pi remobilization remains obscure. Here, we identified three ZmVPE genes (ZmVPE1, ZmVPE2a, ZmVPE2b) by combining them with transcriptome and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses, showing a relatively higher expression in older leaves than in younger leaves in maize. Moreover, the expression of the ZmVPEs was triggered by Pi deficiency and abscisic acid. ZmVPEs were localized to the vacuolar membrane and responsible for vacuolar Pi efflux. Compared with the wild-type, Pi remobilization from older to younger leaves was enhanced in ZmVPE-overexpression lines. zmvpe2a mutants displayed an increase in the total P and Pi concentrations in older leaves, but a decrease in younger leaves. In rice, Pi remobilization was impaired in the osvpe1osvpe2 double mutant and enhanced in OsVPE-overexpression plants, suggesting conserved functions of VPEs in modulating Pi homeostasis and remobilization in crop plants. Taken together, our findings revealed a novel mechanism underlying Pi remobilization from older to younger leaves mediated by plant vacuolar Pi efflux transporters, facilitating the development of Pi-efficient crop plants.

Key words: leaves, maize, phosphate remobilization, vacuolar phosphate efflux, ZmVPEs

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