Identification of novel membrane transporters associated with potassium acquisition and homeostasis

Blake, Caroline (2004) Identification of novel membrane transporters associated with potassium acquisition and homeostasis. MSc(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Potassium has long been associated with many different cellular processes such as enzyme activation and osmoregulation. Because of its important role in cellular metabolism, K+ is maintained at high and stable concentrations in the cytoplasm in relation to varying K+ external conditions. This is achieved through synergistic low- and high-affinity mechanisms, which incorporate different ion channels/carriers and pumps located across different membranes within and across different tissues. As potassium homeostasis is a complex process, analysis at the single-gene level would make it virtually impossible to obtain a complete view of membrane transporter processes. This is why a microarray approach was adopted, in order to obtain a broader picture of K+ regulatory pathways. Whilst full genome chips are effective at gaining global expression profiles, we have narrowed the field to exclusively look at Arabidopsis Membrane Transporters through a customised AMT chip that contains probes for 1250 known and putative transporters. Expression changes of membrane transporters were investigated in response to abiotic stress, mimicked by addition of ABA to 2-week-old A.thaliana seedlings grown in potassium-rich or potassium-deplete conditions. Our preliminary results indicate that at least three types of transporters showed consistent but different expression patterns. These included members of the MATE family, a novel putative transporter with 7 predicted transmembrane spanning domains (7TMS) as well as the high-affinity transporter HAK5.

• Item Type: Thesis (MSc(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Additional Information: Adviser: Patrick Armengaud.
• Keywords: Physiology.
• Colleges/Schools: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
• Supervisor's Name: Supervisor, not known
• Date of Award: 2004
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2004-71346
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 10 May 2019 10:49
• Last Modified: 12 Aug 2021 15:10
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/71346