A mutant strain Arabidopsis thaliana that lacks vacuolar membrane zinc transporter MTP1 revealed the latent tolerance to excessive zinc.

A mutant line of Arabidopsis thaliana that lacks a vacuolar membrane Zn(2+)/H(+) antiporter MTP1 is sensitive to zinc. We examined the physiological changes in this loss-of-function mutant under high-Zn conditions to gain an understanding of the mechanism of adaptation to Zn stress. When grown in excessive Zn and observed using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, wild-type roots were found to accumulate Zn in vacuolar-like organelles but mutant roots did not. The Zn content of mutant roots, determined by chemical analysis, was one-third that of wild-type roots grown in high-Zn medium. Severe inhibition of root growth was observed in mtp1-1 seedlings in 500 muM ZnSO(4). Suppression of cell division and elongation by excessive Zn was reversible and the cells resumed growth in normal medium. In mutant roots, a marked formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) appeared in the meristematic zone, where the MTP1 gene was highly expressed. Zn treatment enhanced the expression of several genes involved in Zn tolerance: namely, the plasma membrane Zn(2+)-export ATPase, HMA4, and plasma and vacuolar membrane proton pumps. CuZn-superoxide dismutases, involved in the detoxification of ROS, were also induced. The expression of plasma membrane Zn-uptake transporter, ZIP1, was suppressed. The up- or down-regulation of these genes might confer the resistance to Zn toxicity. These results indicate an essential role of MTP1 in detoxification of excessive Zn and provide novel information on the latent adaptation mechanism to Zn stress, which is hidden by MTP1.