Isolation and expression analysis of phosphate transporter genes from Eucalyptus camaldulensis

Abstract

Five distinct genomic DNA fragments (EcPT1, EcPT2, EcPT3, EcPT4 and EcPT5) encoding phosphate transporters were isolated from Eucalyptus camaldulensis. EcPT2 and EcPT3 were exclusively expressed in the root, but were not enhanced by phosphate deprivation. The transcript level of EcPT2 was much higher than that of EcPT3. The EcPT2 is present as a single copy gene in Eucalyptus genome, and phylogenetic analysis and deduced amino acid sequence revealed that EcPT2 can be classified into the Pht1 family, a high-affinity phosphate transporter. These results suggest that EcPT2 functions in phosphate transport in root tissues not only under low-phosphate conditions as with typical Pht1 family members, but also under high-phosphate conditions. Copyright © 2006 The Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology.