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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Frederick, Maryland » Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #422981
Research Project: Discovery and Development of Microbial-Based Biological Control Agents for Use Against Invasive Weeds in the United States

Location: Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research

Title: SbHMA5 is a P1B-type Cu ATPase involved in Cu homeostasis by interacting with metallochaperones SbATX1 and SbFRN3

Author
item Tadesse, Dimiru
item Tancos, Matthew
item TADEGE, MILLION - Oklahoma State University

Submitted to: BMC Plant Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2025
Publication Date: 12/21/2025
Citation: Tadesse, D.T., Tancos, M.A., Tadege, M. 2025. SbHMA5 is a P1B-type Cu ATPase involved in Cu homeostasis by interacting with metallochaperones SbATX1 and SbFRN3. BMC Plant Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2025.112956.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2025.112956

Interpretive Summary: Poor plant nutrition is one of the major causes of reduced plant growth, increased susceptibility to diseases, and low crop yield. Macro and micronutrients make up the major components of plant nutrition, but excess micronutrients are highly toxic to plants. In this research, we identified and characterized a copper transporter protein in sorghum that is critical for the regulation of copper levels in plant cells. These results will improve sorghum breeding and lead to the development of desirable sorghum varieties that can grow in diverse environments.

Technical Abstract: Copper (Cu) is required by prokaryotes and eukaryotes for fundamental life processes including photosynthesis, respiration and neurotransmission but excess Cu is toxic causing severe problems ranging from weak plant growth to Wilson’s disease in humans. Copper homeostasis was shown to be tightly regulated by P1B-type ATPase in yeast and other model organisms but the molecular mechanism by which sorghum plants maintain this delicate balance of Cu homeostasis remains poorly understood. We identified 31 genome wide paralogs of P1B-type metal transporters in Sorghum bicolor. From the identified sorghum paralogs of P1B-type ATPases, we complemented the yeast ccc2 mutant with SbHMA5. We showed that SbHMA5 encodes a P1B- type Cu ATPase homologous to OsHMA5 and AtHMA5. The SbHMA5 transcript is detected in most sorghum tissues and induced by CuSO4 treatment. The protein is predominantly localized in the plasma membrane and physically interacts with Cu chaperones SbATX1 and SbFRN3. Our results together show that SbHMA5 is an efflux carrier involved in Cu homeostasis required for sorghum growth and development.