Uptake of sulfate from the environment is critical for sulfur metabolism as it controls the quantity of sulfur to be distributed through the metabolic pathways. Similar to the uptake systems for other nutrient ions, transport of sulfate can be resolved into high- and low-affinity phases. Sulfur limitation stimulates the high-affinity sulfate transport system that essentially facilitates the uptake of sulfate in roots. Apparently, the induction of sulfate uptake by sulfur limitation is driven by demands of sulfur. Recent molecular biological studies have unveiled some important aspects behind the regulatory cascades of plant sulfur response and sulfate assimilation. In this review, we describe the regulatory steps controlling sulfate uptake and assimilatory metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana, and further discuss on the networks of metabolic and hormonal regulation based on recent findings that deal with transcriptome and metabolome data analyses.
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Takahashi, H., Saito, K. (2008). Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics for Identification of Regulatory Networks of Plant Sulfate Uptake and Assimilatory Metabolism. In: Hell, R., Dahl, C., Knaff, D., Leustek, T. (eds) Sulfur Metabolism in Phototrophic Organisms. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, vol 27. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6863-8_8
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