[Ca(2+)]cyt-associated protein kinase (CAP) gene 1 is a receptor-like kinase that belongs to CrRLK1L (Catharanthus roseus Receptor like kinase) subfamily. CAP1 has been identified as a novel modulator of NH4(+) in the tonoplast, which regulates root hair growth by maintaining the cytoplasmic Ca(2+) gradients. Different expression pattern of tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP2;3) in the CAP1 knock out mutant and wild type on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium suggested that CAP1 influences transport activity to regulate the compartmentalization of NH4(+) into vacuole. Lower expression level of Oxidative Signal-Inducible1(OXI1) in the cap1-1 root and the abnormal reactive oxygen species (ROS) gradient in root hair of cap1-1 on MS medium indicated that ROS signaling involve in CAP1-regulated root hair growth. Wild-type-like ROS distribution pattern in the cap1-1 root hair can be reestablished in seedlings grown on NH4(+) deficient medium, which indicated that CAP1 functions as a sensor for NH4(+) signaling in maintaining tip-focused ROS gradient in root hairs polar growth.
Keywords: CAP1; CrRLK1L; ROS; Root hair; ammonium sensing.