KC1 — Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris

Summary

BvKC1 (BVRB_2G043240) on sugar beet chromosome 2 encodes a protein with domains including KAT/AKT, KHA_dom, and ankyrin repeats, and is annotated with outward rectifier potassium channel activity, potassium channel activity, and ion transporter activity. The gene is associated with regulation of membrane potential, monoatomic ion homeostasis, regulation of K+ transport, and upregulation of stomatal opening. It has been linked to numerous agronomically relevant traits including yield, sucrose content, water use efficiency, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, root mass density, leaf number, days to flowering, vegetative growth time, and responses to water stress, alkali soil, aluminum, cadmium, and powdery mildew. Associations also include potassium translocation, stomatal opening, reactive oxygen species response, and programmed cell death. The encoded protein localizes to the monoatomic ion channel complex, vesicle, cell plate, and pollen tube tip. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to guard cell ion flux, stomatal closure, seed germination, and jasmonic acid biosynthesis.