Boron-Toxicity Tolerance in Barley Arising from Efflux Transporter Amplification

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 318; no. 5855; pp. 1446 - 1449
• Main Authors: Sutton, Tim, Baumann, Ute, Hayes, Julie, Collins, Nicholas C., Shi, Bu-Jun, Schnurbusch, Thorsten, Hay, Alison, Mayo, Gwenda, Pallotta, Margaret, Tester, Mark, Langridge, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 30-11-2007; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Adaptation to environment and cultivation conditions; Agricultural biotechnology; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Amino Acid Sequence; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Barley; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Transport; Boron; Boron - metabolism; Boron - toxicity; Boron Compounds - metabolism; Boron Compounds - toxicity; Chromosome Mapping; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on plants and fungi; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene expression; Genes; Genes, Plant; Genetic loci; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; Genotype & phenotype; Hordeum - drug effects; Hordeum - genetics; Hordeum - metabolism; Hordeum vulgare; Leaf blade; Membrane Transport Proteins - chemistry; Membrane Transport Proteins - genetics; Membrane Transport Proteins - metabolism; Messenger RNA; Molecular Sequence Data; Plant Lectins - genetics; Plant Lectins - metabolism; Plant Proteins - chemistry; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plant Roots - genetics; Plant Roots - metabolism; Plants; Proteins; Quantitative Trait Loci; Rice; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - growth & development; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - metabolism; Soil contamination; Toxicology; Transcription, Genetic; Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims; Yeasts; Agronomic character; Monocotyledones; Hordeum vulgare; Toxicity; Tolerance; Ion transport; Inorganic element; Genetic determinism; Boron; Phytotoxicity; Gramineae; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Biological accumulation
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1146853

Both limiting and toxic soil concentrations of the essential micronutrient boron represent major limitations to crop production worldwide. We identified Bot1, a BOR1 ortholog, as the gene responsible for the superior boron-toxicity tolerance of the Algerian barley landrace Sahara 3771 (Sahara). Bot1 was located at the tolerance locus by high-resolution mapping. Compared to intolerant genotypes, Sahara contains about four times as many Bot1 gene copies, produces substantially more Bot1 transcript, and encodes a Bot1 protein with a higher capacity to provide tolerance in yeast. Bot1 transcript levels identified in barley tissues are consistent with a role in limiting the net entry of boron into the root and in the disposal of boron from leaves via hydathode guttation.