EN
Acquisition of inorganic phosphate (Pi) by plant roots is performed by phosphate transporters (PTs) located at the cytoplasmic membranes of epidermal cells and root hairs. A Triticum aestivum PT gene denoted as TaPT2 was functionally characterized in this study. TaPT2 is highly similar to TtPT2 and HvPT2, two PHT1 family genes in T. aestivum/Thinopyrum intermedium and barley, respectively. TaPT2 is 1,802 bp long at the cDNA level; it encodes a 525-amino acid polypeptide with a molecular weight of 57.5 kDa and an isoelectric point of 8.65. TaPT2 contains 12 conserved membrane-spanning domains and is transported to the cytosolic membrane after endoplasmic reticulum sorting. Functional complement analysis revealed that TaPT2 endowed Pi transporter activities in a yeast mutant that is defective in Pi uptake, with highaffinity Pi acquisition. TaPT2 transcripts were specifically detected in the roots. The transcripts were upregulated under Pi deprivation and downregulated under Pi sufficiency. These results suggest that TaPT2 expression is associated with external Pi concentration. Transgene analysis revealed that TaPT2 overexpression or knockdown did not regulate plant dry mass production, Pi acquisition, and photosynthetic capacity under Pi sufficiency. Under Pi deprivation, TaPT2 overexpression increased plant dry mass accumulation, total P content per plant, and photosynthetic efficiencies, whereas TaPT2 downregulation reduced plant dry mass, accumulative P amount, and photosynthetic parameters. These results collectively suggest that TaPT2 is a high-affinity PHT1 member that has important functions in mediating plant Pi uptake under Pi deprivation. TaPT2 can serve as a useful gene resource for the improvement of phosphorus use efficiency in cereals under Pi deprivation.