Cloning and functional analysis of the K+ transporter, PhaHAK2, from salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant reed plants.

We isolated PhaHAK2 cDNAs from salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive reed plants. PhaHAK2 belongs to group II by phylogenetic analysis, and was predicted to be a high-affinity plasma membrane K(+) transporter. Yeast transformed with the PhaHAK2-u from salt-sensitive reed plants (Phragmites australis) had a decreased ability to take up K(+) in the presence of NaCl and showed a higher Na(+) permeability than yeast transformed with PhaHAK2-n or PhaHAK2-e from two salt-tolerant reed plants. These results suggest a possibility that the continuous K(+) uptake by PhaHAK2 and maintenance of high K(+)/Na(+) ratio under salt stress condition is one of the causes of the salt-tolerance in reed plants.