In collaboration with Dr. K. Mysore’s group at the Noble Research Institute, we have characterized the first plant molybdate transporter responsible for Mo uptake by rhizobia-infected cells. The protein MOT1.3 from Medicago truncatula is a plasma membrane transporter than can introduce molybdate into the cytosol of the cell. Mutation of the encoding gene results in molybddate-dependent reduction of nitrogenase activity, the main Mo-dependent enzyme in the nodule. This work is published in New Phytologist.
