Plant Physiol. (1998) 118: 219-226
Characterization of Zinc Uptake, Binding, and Translocation in
Intact Seedlings of Bread and Durum Wheat Cultivars
Jonathan J. Hart*,
Wendell A. Norvell,
Ross M. Welch,
Lori A. Sullivan1, and
Leon V. Kochian
Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Laboratory, United States Department of
Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca,
New York 14853
 |
ABSTRACT |
Durum wheat (Triticum
turgidum L. var durum) cultivars exhibit lower
Zn efficiency than comparable bread wheat (Triticum
aestivum L.) cultivars. To understand the physiological
mechanism(s) that confers Zn efficiency, this study used
65Zn to investigate ionic Zn2+ root uptake,
binding, and translocation to shoots in seedlings of bread and durum
wheat cultivars. Time-dependent Zn2+ accumulation during 90 min was greater in roots of the bread wheat cultivar. Zn2+
cell wall binding was not different in the two cultivars. In each
cultivar, concentration-dependent Zn2+ influx was
characterized by a smooth, saturating curve, suggesting a
carrier-mediated uptake system. At very low solution Zn2+
activities, Zn2+ uptake rates were higher in the bread
wheat cultivar. As a result, the Michaelis constant for
Zn2+ uptake was lower in the bread wheat cultivar (2.3 µM) than in the durum wheat cultivar (3.9 µM). Low temperature decreased the rate of
Zn2+ influx, suggesting that metabolism plays a role in
Zn2+ uptake. Ca inhibited Zn2+ uptake equally
in both cultivars. Translocation of Zn to shoots was greater in the
bread wheat cultivar, reflecting the higher root uptake rates. The
study suggests that lower root Zn2+ uptake rates may
contribute to reduced Zn efficiency in durum wheat varieties under
Zn-limiting conditions.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
Soils that contain insufficient levels of the essential plant
micronutrient Zn are common throughout the world. As a result, Zn
deficiency is a widespread problem in crop plants, especially cereals
(Graham et al., 1992
). The importance of plant foods as sources of Zn,
particularly in the marginal diets of developing countries, is well
established (Welch, 1993
). The development of crop plants that are
efficient Zn accumulators is therefore a potentially important
endeavor. In addition to its effects on nutrition, Zn deficiency in
crops is relevant to other areas of human health. Another consequence
of Zn-deficient soils is the tendency for plants grown in such soils to
accumulate heavy metals. For example, in the Great Plains region of
North America, where soil Zn levels are low and naturally occurring Cd
is present, durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var
durum) grains accumulate Cd to relatively high
concentrations (Wolnik et al., 1983
). The presence of Cd in food
represents a potential human health hazard and, in response,
international trade standards have been proposed to limit the levels of
Cd in exported grain (Codex Alimentarius Commission, 1993
).
Thus, there is a need to understand the physiological processes that
control acquisition of Zn from soil solution by roots and mobilization
of Zn within plants.
It has been demonstrated in recent years that crop plants vary in their
ability to take up Zn, particularly when its availability to roots is
limited. Zn efficiency, defined as the ability of a plant to grow and
yield well in Zn-deficient soils, varies among wheat cultivars (Graham
and Rengel, 1993
). In field trials, durum wheat cultivars have been
shown to be consistently less Zn efficient than bread wheat
(Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars (Graham et al., 1992
).
Similarly, durum wheat varieties were reported to be less Zn efficient
than bread wheat varieties when grown in chelate-buffered hydroponic
nutrient culture (Rengel and Graham, 1995a
).
The physiological mechanism(s) that confers Zn efficiency has not been
identified. Processes that could influence the ability of a plant to
tolerate limited amounts of available Zn include higher root uptake,
more efficient utilization of Zn, and enhanced Zn translocation within
the plant. Cakmak et al. (1994)
showed that a Zn-inefficient durum
wheat cultivar exhibited Zn-deficiency symptoms earlier and more
intensely than a Zn-efficient bread wheat cultivar even though the Zn
tissue concentrations were similar in both lines, suggesting
differential utilization of Zn in the two cultivars. Rates of Zn
translocation to shoots were shown to vary among sorghum cultivars,
although correlations with Zn efficiency were not established (Ramani
and Kannan, 1985
). Root uptake kinetics have been reported to vary
between rice cultivars having different Zn requirements, with
high-Zn-requiring cultivars exhibiting consistently higher root uptake
rates (Bowen, 1986
). In contrast, a correlation between Zn efficiency
and rates of root Zn uptake in bread and durum wheat cultivars could
not be demonstrated (Rengel and Graham, 1995b
).
In grasses Zn influx into the root symplasm has been hypothesized to
occur as the free Zn2+ ion (Halvorson and
Lindsay, 1977
), as well as in the form of Zn complexes with nonprotein
amino acids known as phytosiderophores (Tagaki et al., 1984
) or
phytometallophores (Welch, 1993
). Concentration-dependent uptake of
free Zn2+ ions has been shown to be saturable in
several species, including maize (Mullins and Sommers, 1986
), barley
(Veltrup, 1978
), and wheat (Chaudhry and Loneragan, 1972
), suggesting
that ionic uptake in grasses occurs via a carrier-mediated system.
However, several of these studies have been criticized on the basis
that excessively high (and physiologically unrealistic)
Zn2+ concentrations were used (Kochian, 1993
).
This study was undertaken to examine unidirectional
Zn2+ influx and translocation to shoots in
Zn-efficient bread wheat lines and Zn-inefficient durum wheat lines.
Experiments were performed in the absence of added phytometallophores
and results are presumed to represent influx of ionic
Zn2+. Zn activities in the nanomolar range were
used to more closely mimic free Zn2+ levels
occurring naturally in soil solution. The results presented here
indicate that a Zn-efficient bread wheat cultivar maintained higher
rates of Zn uptake than a Zn-inefficient durum wheat cultivar, particularly at low (and physiologically relevant) solution
Zn2+ activities.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Seedling Growth
Seeds of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var
durum cv Renville) and bread wheat (Triticum
aestivum L. cv Grandin) were germinated and planted in hydroponic
medium as described elsewhere (Hart et al., 1998
). Seeds were
germinated on moistened filter paper after surface sterilization and
then were transferred to a hydroponic system consisting of
mesh-bottomed black polyethylene film cups positioned above a solution
in light-sealed, black 5-L polyethylene pots fitted with aeration
tubes. Growth solutions consisted of a complete nutrient solution,
including a chelate buffer to control the activities of metal
micronutrients at levels adequate for normal growth (Norvell and Welch,
1993
). Seedlings in pots were placed in a growth chamber with a photon
flux density of 400 to 500 µmol m
2
s
1 and day/night temperature of 20°C/15°C
(16/8 h).
Uptake Experiments
Roots of intact 8-d-old bread wheat or 10-d-old durum wheat
seedlings were removed from nutrient solution, immersed for 2 min in
deionized water, and then placed for 30 min in modified uptake solution
(2 mM Mes-Tris [pH 6.0], 0.2 mM
CaSO4, 12.5 µM H3BO3 [to help maintain
membrane integrity], and 0.15 nM
ZnSO4 [to continue the approximate level of free
Zn2+ to which roots had been exposed in nutrient
solution]). Roots were then transferred to wells (two roots per well)
of a custom-built uptake apparatus described previously (Hart et al.,
1993
). Wells were filled with 60 mL of aerated uptake solution
containing 5 mM Mes-Tris (pH 6.0), 0.2 mM
CaSO4, and 12.5 µM
HBO3. After 45 min, wells were emptied and
refilled with fresh uptake solution. Experiments were then initiated by
addition of 0.012 to 1.8 µCi of
65ZnCl2 (NEN) plus
nonradiolabeled ZnSO4 as needed to achieve the desired Zn2+ concentration.
In experiments measuring uptake from solutions containing free
Zn2+ activities of less than 300 nM, EDTA was
included in the uptake solution and free Zn2+
activities were calculated using the speciation program GEOCHEM-PC (Parker et al., 1994
). In experiments measuring uptake at 2°C, uptake
wells were packed in ice. To measure Zn2+ binding
to root cell walls, roots were treated to disrupt and remove cellular
contents. This was achieved by immersing roots in methanol:chloroform
(2:1, v/v) for 3 d, followed by a rinse for 2 d in deionized
water. Roots subjected to this treatment have been reported to yield a
morphologically intact, lipid-free root cell wall preparation (DiTomaso
et al., 1992
). Unless noted otherwise, all experiments used a 20-min
uptake period.
For pulse-labeled translocation experiments, seedlings were removed
from wells following the 20-min uptake period in
65Zn2+ and transferred to
1-L flasks containing nonradiolabeled ZnSO4 in
uptake solution. For continuously radiolabeled translocation experiments, seedlings were placed in 1-L flasks containing 4 µM 65Zn2+.
The uptake solution was replaced with fresh uptake solution containing
4 µM 65Zn2+
after each harvest of a subset of the seedlings at specific time points. In all experiments, desorption was initiated at the end of the
uptake period by replacing uptake solution with a 2°C desorption solution that contained 5 mM Mes-Tris (pH 6.0), 5 mM CaSO4, 12.5 µM
H3BO3, and 100 µM ZnSO4. In translocation
experiments, seedlings were transferred from flasks to uptake wells for
desorption. After 15 min of desorption (with a change of desorption
solution midway through the desorption period), seedlings were removed
from uptake wells and placed on damp paper towels to remove excess
solution from roots. Roots were excised, weighed, and analyzed for
65Zn in an Auto-Gamma 5530 gamma counter
(Packard, Meriden, CT).
 |
RESULTS |
Time-dependent Zn2+ accumulation in desorbed
roots of bread and durum wheat varieties was linear for at least 90 min
(Fig. 1). During this period, roots were
immersed in a solution containing 4 µM Zn2+,
and roots of the durum wheat cultivar accumulated less
Zn2+ than roots of the bread wheat cultivar.
Regression lines through the data points had
r2 values for bread and durum varieties of
0.984 and 0.987, respectively, and intercepted the y axis
slightly above the origin. The amount of Zn2+
desorbed from roots of both wheat lines was dependent on the activity
of Zn2+ in the uptake solution (Fig.
2). In the durum cultivar, after 60 min,
approximately 60% of Zn2+ was desorbed from
roots that had accumulated 65Zn from a solution
containing 4 µM Zn2+, whereas about
15% was removed from roots that had absorbed
65Zn from a 66 nM
Zn2+ solution. Desorption was rapid in both
cases, with 76% and 60% of the total Zn2+,
which was removed after 60 min of desorption, dissociating from roots
within the first 2.5 min after incubation in 4 µM and 66 nM Zn2+, respectively. Results were
similar for the bread wheat variety (not shown). In both wheat
varieties the percentage of Zn2+ desorbed from
roots increased as the activity of Zn2+ to which
roots were exposed increased (Table I).

View larger version (19K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
| Figure 1.
Time course of 65Zn2+
accumulation in bread and durum wheat seedlings. Roots were incubated
in a solution containing 4 µM
65ZnSO4 and desorbed in a solution containing
100 µM nonradiolabeled Zn. Data points and bars represent
means and SE values of four replicates. Error bars do not
extend outside some data points. fr wt, Fresh weight.
|
|

View larger version (19K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
| Figure 2.
Desorption of 65Zn2+ from
intact durum wheat roots after a 20-min uptake period in solutions
containing 66 nM or 4 µM ZnSO4.
Data points and bars represent means and SE values of four
replicates. fr wt, Fresh weight.
|
|
View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Table I.
65Zn accumulation in intact wheat roots
with and without desorption
Roots were immersed for 20 min in solutions containing varying
activities of 65ZnSO4. Desorption solution
contained 5 mM Mes-Tris (pH 6.0), 5 mM
CaSO4, 12.5 µM H3BO3,
and 100 µM ZnSO4. Desorption time was 15 min
(two consecutive 7.5-min periods). Undesorbed roots were quickly rinsed
twice with deionized water before harvesting. Accumulation data
represent means and SE values of four replications.
|
|
Concentration-dependent uptake kinetics for both wheat varieties were
characterized by nonsaturating curves that became linear at
Zn2+ activities greater than 20 µM
(Fig. 3). These curves could be graphically dissected into saturable and linear components. Kinetic constants for the saturable components were derived by fitting a
hyperbolic curve to the calculated saturable data points. Both Km and Vmax
values were higher in the durum than in the bread wheat cultivar. At
low Zn2+ activities, Zn2+
uptake rates were higher in the bread wheat variety (Fig.
4).

View larger version (27K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
| Figure 3.
Concentration-dependent uptake of
65Zn2+ in intact bread and durum wheat roots.
The data in each panel are from two separate experiments (Zn
activities: 0.1-300 nM and 0.5-80 µM).
Filled symbols depict total uptake. Dotted lines represent linear
components derived from regression lines through the five highest
concentration data points. Open symbols represent saturable components
derived by subtracting the linear component from the total-uptake
points. Data points and bars represent means and SE values
of four replicates. Error bars do not extend outside some data points.
fr wt, Fresh weight.
|
|

View larger version (20K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
| Figure 4.
Concentration-dependent uptake of
65Zn2+ in intact bread and durum wheat roots.
Uptake solutions contained 250 nM EDTA and varying
concentrations of 65ZnSO4 (50-800
nM). Zn2+ activities shown on the
x axis were calculated using the speciation program
GEOCHEM-PC. Data points and bars represent means and SE
values of four replicates. Error bars do not extend outside some data
points. Inset, Low Zn2+ activity data points plotted on
expanded axes. fr wt, Fresh weight.
|
|
Zn2+ uptake in both varieties was dramatically
inhibited when roots were subjected to cold temperature or treated to
remove cellular contents (Fig. 5).
Zn2+ uptake in intact roots at 2°C was
inhibited 70% to 85% in the bread wheat cultivar (Fig. 5) and 80% to
85% in the durum wheat cultivar (not shown) compared with uptake at
23°C. Methanol:chloroform-treated roots showed 70% to 80% (bread)
and 60% to 80% (durum) reduction in uptake at 23°C compared with
intact roots. At 2°C, Zn2+ uptake in
methanol:chloroform-treated roots was reduced further in both varieties
to about 85% inhibition. Zn2+ influx in both
wheat varieties was also inhibited by Ca (Fig. 6). Increasing Ca activity caused greater
inhibition of Zn2+ uptake, with a similar
response in both cultivars.

View larger version (22K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
| Figure 5.
Concentration-dependent uptake of
65Zn2+ at 23°C and 2°C in intact bread
wheat roots and in bread wheat roots treated to remove cellular
contents. The dotted line represents the linear component (Lin. comp.)
derived from Figure 3A. Data points and bars represent means and
SE values of four replicates. Error bars do not extend
outside some data points. Meth/chl, Methanol:chloroform treated; fr wt,
Fresh weight.
|
|

View larger version (18K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
| Figure 6.
Uptake of 65Zn2+ in roots
of bread and durum wheat seedlings. Uptake solutions contained 2 µM 65ZnSO4 and varying
concentrations of Ca. Data points and bars represent means and
SE values of four replicates. Error bars do not extend
outside some data points. fr wt, Fresh weight.
|
|
In seedlings with roots exposed to
65Zn2+ at three
concentrations for 20 min and then transferred to solutions containing
similar concentrations of unlabeled Zn2+,
translocation of Zn2+ to shoots was time and
concentration dependent in both wheat varieties (Fig.
7). Shoot Zn2+
concentration increased in both varieties during a 12-h period, with
the greatest shoot concentrations measured in seedlings exposed to an
uptake solution containing 4 µM
Zn2+. When seedling roots were exposed
continuously to 4 µM
65Zn2+, shoot
Zn2+ levels increased linearly for at least
24 h (Fig. 8). The bread wheat
cultivar accumulated approximately twice as much
Zn2+ as the durum wheat cultivar (Fig. 8). The
partitioning of absorbed Zn within the plant (measured as shoot:root
65Zn ratio) was similar in both varieties (Table
II).

View larger version (23K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
| Figure 7.
Time-dependent translocation of 65Zn
from roots to shoots in intact seedlings of bread (A) and durum (B)
wheat cultivars. Roots were immersed for 20 min in solutions containing
different activities of 65Zn2+, and then
transferred to solutions containing similar concentrations of
nonradiolabeled ZnSO4. Data points and bars represent means
and SE values of three replicates. Error bars do not extend
outside some data points. fr wt, Fresh weight.
|
|

View larger version (16K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
| Figure 8.
Time-dependent shoot translocation of
65Zn in intact seedlings of bread and durum wheat
cultivars. Roots were immersed continuously in solutions containing 4 µM 65ZnSO4. Data points represent
means and SE values of four replicates. Error bars do not
extend outside some data points. fr wt, Fresh weight.
|
|
View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
|
Table II.
65Zn partitioning in intact wheat
seedlings
Roots were immersed in a solution containing 4 µM
65ZnSO4, 2 mM Mes-Tris (pH 6.0),
0.2 mM CaSO4, and 12.5 µM
H3BO3. After the given uptake period, roots
were desorbed for 15 min in a 2°C solution containing 5 mM Mes-Tris (pH 6.0), 5 mM CaSO4,
12.5 µM H3BO3, and 100 µM ZnSO4. Shoot:root concentration data
represent means and SE values (in parentheses) of four
replications.
|
|
 |
DISCUSSION |
Zn2+ Binding
Several lines of evidence indicate that a limited amount of
nonexchangeable Zn2+ binding to wheat root cell
walls occurred in these experiments. The regression lines drawn through
the data points in Figure 1 intersect the y axis slightly
above the origin, indicating a relatively small quantity of rapidly
bound Zn2+ that was not removed from roots in our
15-min desorption regimen. The data in Figure 2 show that most of the
freely dissociable Zn2+ was removed from roots
during the first 5 min of desorption and is likely to have come from
the cell wall free space. This interpretation is consistent with the
efflux data of Santa Maria and Cogliatti (1988)
, who measured a
half-life of about 4 min for Zn2+ release from
the wheat root cell wall free space. In addition, the larger amounts of
Zn that were desorbed from roots exposed to higher
Zn2+ activities (Fig. 2; Table I) suggest a
proportional release of Zn2+ from the cell wall
free space and a limited degree of strong binding to cell wall or
membrane components.
The linear kinetic component for Zn2+ influx
(Fig. 3), which predominates at high Zn2+
activity in the uptake solution, can be interpreted as representing nonspecific Zn2+ binding to cell wall components
that remains after desorption. Evidence for divalent cation binding to
root cell walls that resists desorption when exposed to high cation
concentration has been observed previously (DiTomaso et al., 1992
;
Hart et al., 1992
; Lasat et al., 1996
). As a means of estimating
Zn2+ binding to wheat root cell walls, uptake was
measured in intact roots exposed to low temperatures during the uptake
period. Low temperature has been shown to inhibit uptake of
Zn2+ in barley (Schmid et al., 1965
) and
sugarcane (Bowen, 1969
).
The greatly reduced Zn2+ uptake in bread wheat
roots under low-temperature conditions (Fig. 5) agrees with those
earlier results. Furthermore, the plot of Zn2+
uptake under cold conditions displays a predominantly linear quality
that is consistent with the linear components in Figure 3. For purposes
of comparison, the linear component from Figure 3A has been replotted
in Figure 5. The larger amount of root-associated Zn2+ in the low-temperature uptake experiment
compared with the replotted linear component probably represents a low
level of Zn2+ uptake under cold conditions in
addition to nonspecific Zn2+ binding. The
slightly saturable nature of the low-temperature uptake plot supports
this interpretation.
Association of Zn2+ with roots treated to remove
cellular contents must consist of nonspecific
Zn2+ binding, and the plots in Figure 5 show much
lower amounts of Zn2+ associated with roots
subjected to this treatment. The higher amounts of
Zn2+ binding in methanol:chloroform-treated roots
compared with the replotted linear component (Fig. 5) may reflect
greater accessibility to interior cell wall-binding sites exposed by
the removal of the root symplasm. In addition, analysis of
methanol:chloroform-treated roots (data not shown) revealed the
presence of residual protein, which also could have contributed to
higher levels of Zn2+ binding. Furthermore, the
fresh weights of methanol:chloroform-treated roots were about 25%
lower than those of intact roots because of the absence of intact
cells, and this would lead to an overestimation of
Zn2+ binding calculated on a per weight basis.
Taken together, the evidence from experiments with intact roots
subjected to low temperature, as well as that from
methanol:chloroform-treated roots, supports the interpretation that the
linear components in Figure 3 represent nonspecific binding of
Zn2+ to apoplasmic binding sites. As a
consequence, the saturable components likely represent metabolically
coupled transport of Zn2+ across the plasma
membrane via a Zn2+ (or divalent cation)
transporter.
The low level of cell wall binding seen in wheat roots in this work
contrasts with the pronounced binding in barley roots reported
previously (Schmid et al., 1965
; Veltrup, 1978
). The cause of this
difference may be related to differences in root exposure to
Zn2+ before the start of uptake experiments. In
this work roots were grown in full nutrient solution containing
Zn2+ (albeit at a low activity), whereas in the
cited work, roots were grown without added Zn2+, either in
low-salt medium (Schmid et al., 1965
) or in nutrient solution (Veltrup,
1978
). It is possible that in our experiments, growth in the presence
of Zn2+ saturated
Zn2+-binding sites in root cell walls and
resulted in little additional binding of
65Zn2+ in uptake
experiments. Conversely, in the cited papers, Zn-deficient roots may
have had binding sites with high affinity for
Zn2+ occupied by Ca or other cations,
which quickly exchanged with added Zn2+.
Zn2+ Uptake
The difference in Zn2+ levels measured in
intact roots and Zn2+ associated with
methanol:chloroform-treated roots or intact roots incubated at low
temperature (Fig. 5) must represent Zn2+ taken up
across the root plasma membrane. This interpretation is supported by
the results shown in Figure 7, which demonstrate that in seedlings
pulse loaded for the same 20 min period used in root uptake
experiments, 65Zn2+
appeared in shoots within 3 h of root exposure. Because the path of Zn2+ movement from root surface to shoot
includes a symplasmic component (because of apoplastic blockage by the
endodermis), translocation to shoots is indicative of
Zn2+ movement across root cell plasma membranes.
Moreover, the linear time course of accumulation in both cultivars
(Fig. 1) shows that symplasmic Zn2+ uptake is
unidirectional for at least 90 min. Similar patterns of time-dependent
root accumulation of Zn2+ have been reported for
barley (Schmid et al., 1965
; Veltrup, 1978
; Bowen, 1981
), rice (Bowen,
1986
), and wheat (Santa Maria and Cogliatti, 1988
), and were
interpreted as resulting from cellular uptake of
Zn2+.
The saturating curves for Zn2+
concentration-dependent uptake kinetics in both varieties (Fig. 3) is
consistent with a carrier-mediated Zn2+ uptake
system. Evidence for carrier-mediated Zn2+
transport has been reported in a variety of biological systems, including mammalian (Tacnet et al., 1990
; Bobilya et al., 1992
), fungal
(Gadd et al., 1987
; White and Gadd, 1987
), and plant systems (Veltrup,
1978
; Mullins and Sommers, 1986
; Lasat et al., 1996
). In the bread and
durum wheat lines measured here, Km values
ranged between 2.3 and 3.9 µM (Fig. 3). Similar
Km values were reported for Zn uptake in
roots of other gramineous crop plants, including barley (Veltrup,
1978
), maize (Mullins and Sommers, 1986
), and wheat (Chaudhry and
Loneragan, 1972
), as well as for fungal (White and Gadd, 1987
; Budd,
1988
; Sabie and Gadd, 1990
) and animal (Bobilya et al., 1992
) cells.
The similar kinetic parameters for Zn2+ uptake
among a wide variety of life-forms suggests conserved transport systems
for Zn2+ or a common adaptation to similar ambient levels
of this essential micronutrient.
The very low Zn2+ activities shown in Figure 4 were
achieved by the use of the metal chelate buffer, EDTA. The chemical
speciation program GEOCHEM PC was used to predict the free
Zn2+ activities in the presence of varying total
Zn2+ concentrations (50-800 nM) and
a single EDTA concentration (250 nM). Experimental evidence
from our laboratory clearly shows that in short-term experiments, Zn is
taken up by wheat roots predominantly in the form of the free
Zn2+ ion, and not as the Zn-EDTA complex (data
not presented). Therefore, the free Zn2+
activities in the uptake solution in Figure 4 represent good estimates
of the true free Zn2+ activities in solution in
these experiments.
The significantly lower rates of Zn2+ uptake at
low-solution Zn2+ activity in the durum wheat
variety (Fig. 4) suggest that the Zn2+ uptake system is
different from that in the bread wheat line. At higher
Zn2+ concentrations, kinetic differences between
the two wheat types were not as clearly resolved (Fig. 3). However,
higher Zn accumulation (Fig. 1) and translocation to shoots (Fig. 8)
over longer periods in the bread wheat cultivar were consistent with a
higher capacity for net Zn uptake in bread wheat. Furthermore, the
substantial difference in Zn2+ uptake rates
between bread and durum wheats at low Zn2+
activities (Fig. 4) suggests that Zn efficiency may be related to the
capacity for Zn2+ uptake from Zn-deficient soils.
Correlation between root Zn2+ uptake and Zn
efficiency has been reported previously in studies of whole-plant net
Zn2+ uptake rates in bread and durum wheat
cultivars grown in Zn-deficient soils (Graham et al., 1992
; Dong et
al., 1995
). Those studies showed lower Zn2+
uptake in Zn-inefficient durum wheat grown in long-term field and
greenhouse pot experiments. However, a solution culture study that used
chelate buffer to control Zn2+ activities at very low
levels failed to establish a correlation between Zn efficiency and
long-term (22 d) whole-plant net uptake rates (Rengel and Graham,
1995b
).
It is important to note that the Km values
for both cultivars (2.3-3.9 µM) are higher than the
soil-solution Zn2+ concentrations found in normal
soils (1 nM-1 µM; Welch, 1995
). In
Zn-deficient soils, where the Zn-efficiency trait is expressed most
clearly, Zn2+ activity in soil solution can be
much lower, reaching a low to subnanomolar concentration range
(Lindsay, 1991
), far below the Km values of
the bread and durum wheat cultivars studied here. This suggests that
short-term root uptake rates measured at Zn2+
concentrations much higher than those found in Zn-deficient soils may
not be good predictors of Zn efficiency. The large difference in
Zn2+ uptake rates of bread and durum cultivars
measured at very low solution Zn2+ activities
(Fig. 4) supports this view.
Responses of the Zn2+ transport system to certain
external factors appear to be similar in both bread and durum wheat
lines. Zn2+ uptake in both cultivars is inhibited
dramatically by low temperature (Fig. 5) and by Ca (Fig. 6). The large
inhibition of Zn2+ uptake at low temperature
suggests a metabolic requirement for Zn2+
transport. As discussed by Kochian (1993)
, uptake of
Zn2+ is likely to be a thermodynamically passive
process, driven by the inwardly directed negative membrane potential
across the plasmalemma, and low-temperature uptake inhibition is likely
to result indirectly from a reduction in the membrane potential.
Low-temperature-induced reduction in Zn2+ uptake
was reported previously for sugarcane leaves (Bowen, 1969
), barley
roots (Schmid et al., 1965
), and wheat roots (Chaudhry and Loneragan,
1972
). The dramatic inhibition of Zn2+ uptake by
Ca (Fig. 6) is also similar to findings from previous reports with rice
(Giordano et al., 1974
) and wheat seedlings (Chaudhry and Loneragan,
1972
). In the latter study, transformation of uptake data into
double-reciprocal plots revealed a noncompetitive interaction between
Zn2+ and Ca2+, which
suggested that Zn2+ and
Ca2+ do not share a common transport mechanism.
The parallel inhibitory response to low temperature and Ca in bread and
durum wheat cultivars in this study implies that there are similarities
in the Zn2+-transport systems of these two
cultivars.
Zn2+ Translocation
The appearance of
65Zn2+ in shoots within
3 h of root exposure (Figs. 7 and 8) indicates that
Zn2+ taken up by roots enters the vascular tissue
and is rapidly translocated to the shoot. Seedlings exposed to a 20-min
pulse of varying activities of radiolabeled Zn2+
and then placed in nonradiolabeled solutions containing the same Zn2+ activity showed Zn2+
movement to shoots at rates dependent on the root solution activity (Fig. 7). This result confirms that Zn2+ was
taken up symplasmically during the 20-min uptake period and was not
simply bound to the apoplasm.
In Figure 7, the decline in
65Zn2+ accumulation in
shoots with time should not be interpreted as saturation of shoots, but
rather as the result of decreasing
65Zn2+ specific activity
caused by the replacement of radiolabeled solution by a solution
containing nonradiolabeled Zn2+. When roots were
exposed continuously to solutions containing Zn2+ at constant specific
activity, translocation exhibited a linear time dependence for at least
24 h (Fig. 8). The larger amounts of Zn2+
translocated to shoots of bread wheat compared with durum wheat at a 4 µM Zn2+ root solution reflects the
greater root uptake rate in the bread wheat variety. However, the
similar shoot:root 65Zn ratios (Table II)
indicate that Zn partitioning was not different in the two varieties.
In summary, this work has provided evidence for carrier-mediated
Zn2+ influx into the root symplasm in both durum
and bread wheat varieties. It also demonstrates that
Zn2+ uptake rates are lower in a durum wheat
variety than in a bread wheat line, especially at low solution
Zn2+ activities. Furthermore, the data show that
Zn partitioning between root and shoot is similar in the two varieties.
These results suggest that the rate of Zn uptake may be an important
predictor of Zn efficiency. This information may be useful in breeding
durum wheat lines that are more efficient in extracting Zn from soil solution. Alternatively, agronomic practices may be devised that increase Zn uptake in durum wheat by increasing the levels of available
Zn in soils. Finally, the reduced Zn uptake rates in durum wheat
measured in these experiments suggest that an investigation of the role
of Zn-Cd interactions at the root surface may help in understanding Cd
accumulation in low-Zn soils.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
1
Present address: Goizueta Business School, Emory
University, Atlanta, GA 30322.
*
Corresponding author; e-mail jjh16{at}cornell.edu; fax
1-607-255-1132.
Received February 9, 1998;
accepted June 11, 1998.
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENT |
We thank the North Central Research Center (Minot, ND) for
generously supplying the seeds of cvs Grandin and Renville.
 |
LITERATURE CITED |
Bobilya DJ,
Briske-Anderson M,
Reeves PG
(1992)
Zinc transport into endothelial cells is a facilitated process.
J Cell Physiol
151:
1-7
[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
Bowen JE
(1969)
Absorption of copper, zinc and manganese by sugarcane leaf tissue.
Plant Physiol
44:
255-261
[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Bowen JE
(1981)
Kinetics of active uptake of boron, zinc, copper and manganese in barley and sugarcane.
J Plant Nutr
3:
215-223
Bowen JE
(1986)
Kinetics of zinc uptake by two rice cultivars.
Plant Soil
94:
99-107
Budd K
(1988)
A high-affinity system for the transport of zinc in Neocosmospora vasinfecta.
Exp Mycol
12:
195-202
Cakmak S,
Gulut KY,
Marschner H,
Graham RD
(1994)
Effect of zinc and iron deficiency on phytosiderophore release in wheat genotypes differing in zinc efficiency.
J Plant Nutr
17:
1-17
Chaudhry FM,
Loneragan JF
(1972)
Zinc absorption by wheat seedlings and the nature of its inhibition by alkaline earth cations.
J Exp Bot
23:
552-560
[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Codex Alimentarius Commission (1993) Risk assessment procedures
used by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, and its subsidiary and
advisory bodies. In Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme,
Rome, Twentieth Session, June 28-July 7, 1993. International
Conference Centre, Geneva, Switzerland, pp 1-21
DiTomaso JM,
Hart JJ,
Kochian LV
(1992)
Transport kinetics and metabolism of exogenously applied putrescine in roots of intact maize seedlings.
Plant Physiol
98:
611-620
[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Dong B,
Rengel Z,
Graham RD
(1995)
Effects of herbicide chlorsulfuron on growth and nutrient uptake parameters of wheat genotypes differing in Zn-efficiency.
Plant Soil
173:
275-282
Gadd GM,
White C,
Mowll JL
(1987)
FEMS Microbiol Ecol
45:
261-267
Giordano PM,
Noggle JC,
Mortvedt JJ
(1974)
Zinc uptake by rice, as affected by metabolic inhibitors and competing cations.
Plant Soil
41:
637-646
[CrossRef]
Graham RD,
Ascher JS,
Hynes SC
(1992)
Selecting zinc-efficient cereal genotypes for soils of low zinc status.
Plant Soil
146:
241-250
Graham RD,
Rengel Z
(1993)
Genotypic variation in zinc uptake and utilization by plants.
In
AD Robson,
eds, Zinc in Soils and Plants.
Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp 107-118
Halvorson AD,
Lindsay WL
(1977)
The critical Zn2+ concentration for corn and the nonabsorption of chelated zinc.
Soil Sci Soc Am J
41:
531-534
[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Hart JJ,
DiTomaso JM,
Linscott DL,
Kochian LV
(1992)
Characterization of the transport and cellular compartmentation of paraquat in roots of intact maize seedlings.
Pestic Biochem Physiol
43:
212-222
[CrossRef]
Hart JJ,
DiTomaso JM,
Linscott DL,
Kochian LV
(1993)
Investigations into the cation specificity and metabolic requirements for paraquat transport in roots of intact maize seedlings.
Pestic Biochem Physiol
45:
62-71
[CrossRef]
Hart JJ,
Welch RM,
Norvell WA,
Sullivan LA,
Kochian LV
(1998)
Characterization of cadmium binding, uptake, and translocation in intact seedlings of bread and durum wheat cultivars.
Plant Physiol
116:
1413-1420
[Abstract/Free Full Text]
Kochian LV
(1993)
Zinc absorption from hydroponic solutions by plant roots.
In
AD Robson,
eds, Zinc in Soils and Plants.
Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp 45-57
Lasat MM,
Baker AJM,
Kochian LV
(1996)
Physiological characterization of root Zn2+ absorption and translocation to shoots in Zn hyperaccumulator and nonaccumulator species of Thlaspi.
Plant Physiol
112:
1715-1722
[Abstract]
Lindsay WL (1991) Inorganic equilibria affecting micronutrients in
soils. In JJ Mortvedt, FR Cox, LM Shuman, RM Welch, eds,
Micronutrients in Agriculture, Ed 2. Soil Science Society of America,
Madison, WI, pp 89-112
Mullins GL,
Sommers LE
(1986)
Cadmium and zinc influx characteristics by intact corn (Zea mays L.) seedlings.
Plant Soil
96:
153-164
[CrossRef]
Norvell WA,
Welch RM
(1993)
Growth and nutrient uptake by barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Herta). Studies using an N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenedinitrilotriacetic acid-buffered nutrient solution technique.
Plant Physiol
101:
619-625
[Abstract]
Parker DR, Norvell WA, Chaney RL (1994) GEOCHEM-PC: a chemical
speciation program for IBM and compatible personal computers.
In RH Loeppert, AP Schwab, S Goldberg, eds, Chemical
Equilibrium and Reaction Models. Special publication No. 42. Soil
Science Society of America, Madison, WI, pp 253-269
Ramani S,
Kannan S
(1985)
An examination of zinc uptake patterns by cultivars of sorghum and maize: differences amongst hybrids and their parents.
J Plant Nutr
8:
1199-1210
Rengel Z,
Graham RD
(1995a)
Wheat genotypes differ in Zn efficiency when grown in chelate-buffered nutrient solution. I. Growth.
Plant Soil
176:
307-316
[CrossRef]
Rengel Z,
Graham RD
(1995b)
Wheat genotypes differ in Zn efficiency when grown in chelate-buffered nutrient solution. II. Nutrient uptake.
Plant Soil
176:
317-324
Sabie FT,
Gadd GM
(1990)
Effect of zinc on the yeast-mycelium transition of Candida albicans and examination of zinc uptake at different stages of growth.
Mycol Res
94:
952-958
Santa Maria GE,
Cogliatti DH
(1988)
Bidirectional Zn-fluxes and compartmentation in wheat seedling roots.
J Plant Physiol
132:
312-315
Schmid WE,
Hang HP,
Epstein E
(1965)
Absorption of zinc by excised barley roots.
Physiol Plant
18:
860-869
Tacnet F,
Watkins DW,
Ripoche P
(1990)
Studies of zinc transport into brush-border membrane vesicles isolated from pig small intestine.
Biochim Biophys Acta
1024:
323-330
[Medline]
Tagaki S,
Nomoto K,
Takemoto T
(1984)
Physiological aspect of mugineic acid, a possible phytosiderophore of graminaceous plants.
J Plant Nutr
7:
469-477
[ISI]
Veltrup W
(1978)
Characteristics of zinc uptake by barley roots.
Physiol Plant
42:
190-194
[CrossRef]
Welch RM
(1993)
Zinc concentrations and forms in plants for humans and animals.
In
AD Robson,
eds, Zinc in Soil and Plants.
Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp 183-195
Welch RM
(1995)
Micronutrient nutrition of plants.
Crit Rev Plant Sci
14:
49-82
White C,
Gadd GM
(1987)
The uptake and cellular distribution of zinc in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
J Gen Microbiol
133:
727-737
Wolnik KA,
Fricke FL,
Capar SG,
Braude GL,
Meyer MW,
Satzger RD,
Bonnin E
(1983)
Elements in major raw agricultural crops in the United States. 1. Cadmium and lead in lettuce, peanuts, potatoes, soybeans, sweet corn and wheat.
J Agric Food Chem
31:
1240-1244
[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]