Abstract
Yellow Stripe-Like (YSL) proteins belong to the oligopeptide transporter family and have been implicated in metal transport and homeostasis in different plant species. Here, we functionally characterized a rice (Oryza sativa) YSL member, OsYSL6. Knockout of OsYSL6 resulted in decreased growth of both roots and shoots only in the high-manganese (Mn) condition. There was no difference in the concentration of total Mn and other essential metals between the wild-type rice and the knockout line, but the knockout line showed a higher Mn concentration in the leaf apoplastic solution and a lower Mn concentration in the symplastic solution than wild-type rice. OsYSL6 was constitutively expressed in both the shoots and roots, and the expression level was not affected by either deficiency or toxicity of various metals. Furthermore, the expression level increased with leaf age. Analysis with OsYSL6 promoter-green fluorescent protein transgenic rice revealed that OsYSL6 was expressed in all cells of both the roots and shoots. Heterogolous expression of OsYSL6 in yeast showed transport activity for the Mn-nicotianamine complex but not for the Mn-mugineic acid complex. Taken together, our results suggest that OsYSL6 is a Mn-nicotianamine transporter that is required for the detoxification of excess Mn in rice.