Proline is one of the most important and widespread osmolyte which functions in adaptation to adverse environmental stresses in many organisms. Also it is an important carbon and nitrogen resource in higher plants. Metabolism of proline has been elucidated in many plant species. However, transport of proline was poorly characterized although transport system plays an important role in proline distribution in different tissues. We isolated one full_length cDNA encoding proline transporter from the typical halophyte: Atriplex hortensis L. through cDNA library screening and 5′_RACE. The deduced amino acid sequence had eleven transmembrane domains, showed 60%-69% similarities to other ProTs and the gene was designated AhProT1. In the phylogenetic tree, higher plants' ProTs, e.g. AhProT1, showed more similar to ProP from microorganisms than ProT from mammalians. AhProT1 gene was transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana under 35S promoter. In MS medium containing [U_ 14 C] proline, AhProT1 + plants were able to accumulate much more radiolabeled proline in the roots than control plants. In MS medium containing different concentrations of NaCl, AhProT1 + plants could endure 200 mmol/L NaCl and keep development and biomass increase with proline supply, whereas control plants died back at 150 mmol/L NaCl.
