SbMATE

Gene Details:

Sugarcane plants constitutively overexpressing the Sorghum bicolor MATE gene (SbMATE) showed improved tolerance to Al when compared to non-transgenic (NT) plants, characterized by sustained root growth and exclusion of aluminum from the root apex based on the result obtained with hematoxylin staining.
SbMATE is an Al3+ activated transport protein that confers Al tolerance to sorghum.
In sorghum, a membrane transporter gene belonging to the multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family was identified and characterized as an Al-activated citrate transporter gene responsible for the Al-tolerance in this crop, and the overexpression of SbMATE conferred tolerance in Arabidopsis plants.
Incomplete transfer of accessory loci influencing SbMATE expression underlies genetic background effects for aluminum tolerance in sorghum.
Finally, we report on the extensive occurrence of alternative splicing for SbMATE, which may be an important component regulating SbMATE expression in sorghum by means of the nonsense-mediated RNA decay pathway.
The results demonstrated that sugarcane plants overexpressing SbMATE exudated citrate to the rhizosphere and presented sustained root growth in the presence of Al, confirming the tolerance of the transgenic plants.