Urea uptake and assimilation by the epiphytic tank bromeliad Vriesea gigantea

Author(s)

Camila Aguetoni Cambuí

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Biociências (IBIOC/SB)
• Defense date: 2009-08-20

Examining board members

Helenice Mercier; Marcos Pereira Marinho Aidar; Fanly Fungyi Chow Ho; Maria Magdalena Rossi; Ladaslav Sodek

• Advisor: Helenice Mercier; Marília Gaspar
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany
• Indexed in: Banco de Dados Bibliográficos da USP-DEDALUS; Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações - USP
• Location: Universidade de São Paulo. Biblioteca do Instituto de Biociências; D-1368

Abstract

Although the growth conditions in epiphytic habitats are unfavourable for plant growth due to water and nutrient limitations, a great diversity of bromeliads successfully occupy this environment. These plants have evolved a variety of morphological, anatomical and physiological adaptations allowing them a highly efficient use of available resources. The main objective of the present work was to elucidate the strategies of the epiphytic tank bromeliad Vriesea gigantea to utilize urea, a nitrogen source generally considered to be uncommon for most terrestrial plants. Although in natural environments urea is frequently excreted by amphibians that are associated with the tank of these plants, the availability of this nitrogen source is nevertheless short-lived and unpredictable. Two complete cDNA sequences encoding plasma membrane and tonoplast aquaporin proteins, which are potentially involved in urea transport, were isolated from leaf tissues of Vriesea gigantea: VgPIP1,5 and VgTIP2, respectively. Both genes were mainly expressed in the leaf bases and were not affected by light conditions. Moreover, the expression of these aquaporins was stimulated in the presence of urea in the culture medium, while no effect was observed with ammonium and nitrate as nitrogen source. Urea assimilation is thought to be strongly dependent on precedent hydrolysis of urea to NH4+ and CO2 mediated by urease. Both products of this reaction were quickly assimilated and incorporated into amino acids (mainly via GDH, GS/GOGAT and subsequent transaminases) and carbon skeletons. On the contrary, the direct incorporation of urea via a reverse reaction of arginase could not be confirmed due to the methodological limitation of analyzing double-labelled (13C-,15N-) arginine. However, there is strong evidence suggesting that arginase or other alternative assimilation pathways may be involved in urea assimilation. Despite the importance of urease in the cytosolic hydrolysis of urea, the present work demonstrates for the first time that this enzyme is present in both, membrane and cell wall fractions of V. gigantea. Consequently, besides the capacity of this plant to excrete urease into the tank water, the close association of this enzyme to urea uptake regions could further increase the rate and efficiency of urea assimilation by plant cells. Although urea is characterized as an occasional and only short-lived nutrient source, which is furthermore subject to intense interspecific competition, urea can be considered to be a preferential nitrogen source for Vriesea gigantea. One reason for the preferential use of urea could be the advantage of simultaneously gaining carbon and nitrogen, two limiting resources in the natural habitat of epiphytic bromeliads. (AU)