Research Progress of Ammonium Transporter in Rice Plants

Plant taken up from the soil have two inorganic forms, ammonium ion (NH 4 + ) and nitrate ion (NO 3 - ), but rice grows in flooded paddy fields and takes up ammonium as the preferred nitrogen (N) source. Ammonium uptake is predominantly mediated by ammonium transporters in the plasm membrane. Ammonium transporter genes (AMTs) have been cloned and identified in many organisms.So far, total 12 AMT proteins identified in rice, containing 10~11 transmembrane domains, except OsAMT4 and OsAMT5.2. In this review, we summarized the gene expression and regulation of ammonium transporters under different nitrogen conditions. Effective NH 4 + uptake can provide a favorable protection for improving of agricultural production.