HMA1 — Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris

Summary

BvHMA1 (BVRB_5G100480) on sugar beet chromosome 5 encodes a P-type ATPase with heavy-metal-associated domains and annotated copper, zinc and cadmium transporter activities, as well as histone methylase activity. The gene is associated with detoxification of copper, zinc and cadmium ions, copper ion homeostasis and transport, proton export, and response to toxic substances. It has been linked to traits including copper sensitivity, drought tolerance, bacterial disease response, leaf senescence, flowering time, germination rate, root morphology, stomatal opening, and nitrate uptake. Localisation evidence connects the product to the vacuolar membrane, chloroplast thylakoid membrane and envelope, chromatin, and the endomembrane system. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to copper transport to chloroplasts, photosensitivity under high light, and the water-water cycle of photosynthesis.