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Zanin L, Tomasi N, Casagrande D, Danuso F, Buoso S, Zamboni A, Varanini Z, Pinton R, Blanchini F. A mechanistic mathematical model for describing and predicting the dynamics of high-affinity nitrate intake into roots of maize and other plant species. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2023; 175:e14021. [PMID: 37882311 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
A fully mechanistic dynamical model for plant nitrate uptake is presented. Based on physiological and regulatory pathways and based on physical laws, we form a dynamic system mathematically described by seven differential equations. The model evidences the presence of a short-term positive feedback on the high-affinity nitrate uptake, triggered by the presence of nitrate around the roots, which induces its intaking. In the long run, this positive feedback is overridden by two long-term negative feedback loops which drastically reduces the nitrate uptake capacity. These two negative feedbacks are due to the generation of ammonium and amino acids, respectively, and inhibit the synthesis and the activity of high-affinity nitrate transporters. This model faithfully predicts the typical spiking behavior of the nitrate uptake, in which an initial strong increase of nitrate absorption capacity is followed by a drop, which regulates the absorption down to the initial value. The model outcome was compared with experimental data and they fit quite nicely. The model predicts that after the initial exposure of the roots with nitrate, the absorption of the anion strongly increases and that, on the contrary, the intensity of the absorption is limited in presence of ammonium around the roots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Zanin
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Nicola Tomasi
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Daniele Casagrande
- Dipartimento Politecnico di Ingegneria e Architettura, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Francesco Danuso
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Sara Buoso
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Anita Zamboni
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Zeno Varanini
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Roberto Pinton
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Franco Blanchini
- Dipartimento di Matematica, Informatica e Fisica, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
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Li K, Chen L, Shi W, Hu C, Sha Y, Feng G, Wang E, Chen W, Sui X, Mi G. Impacts of maize hybrids with different nitrogen use efficiency on root-associated microbiota based on distinct rhizosphere soil metabolites. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:473-492. [PMID: 36451600 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Plant genotypes shape root-associated microbiota that affect plant nutrient acquisition and productivity. It is unclear how maize hybrids modify root-associated microbiota and their functions and relationship with nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by regulating rhizosphere soil metabolites. Here, two N-efficient (NE) (ZD958, DMY3) and two N-inefficient (NIE) maize hybrids (YD9953, LY99) were used to investigate this issue under low N (60 kg N ha-1 , LN) and high N (180 kg N ha-1 , HN) field conditions. NE hybrids had higher yield than NIE hybrids under LN but not HN. NE and NIE hybrids recruited only distinct root-associated bacterial microbiota in LN. The bacterial network stability was stronger in NE than NIE hybrids. Compared with NIE hybrids, NE hybrids recruited more bacterial taxa that have been described as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and less related to denitrification and N competition; this resulted in low N2 O emission and high rhizosphere NO3 - -N accumulation. NE and NIE hybrids had distinct rhizosphere soil metabolite patterns, and their specific metabolites were closely related to microbiota and specific genera under LN. Our findings reveal the relationships among plant NUE, rhizosphere soil metabolites, root-associated microbiota, and soil nutrient cycling, and this information is informative for breeding NE crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keke Li
- Key Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - La Chen
- Key Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjun Shi
- Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Conghui Hu
- Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Ye Sha
- Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Guozhong Feng
- College of Resources and Environmental Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Soil Resource Sustainable Utilization for Jilin Province Commodity Grain Bases, Changchun, China
| | - Entao Wang
- Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biologicas, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Xinhua Sui
- Key Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Guohua Mi
- Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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Tian T, Wang J, Wang H, Cui J, Shi X, Song J, Li W, Zhong M, Qiu Y, Xu T. Nitrogen application alleviates salt stress by enhancing osmotic balance, ROS scavenging, and photosynthesis of rapeseed seedlings ( Brassica napus). PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2022; 17:2081419. [PMID: 35621189 PMCID: PMC9154800 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2022.2081419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen application could alleviate salt stress on crops, but the specific physiological mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, in this study, a pot experiment was conducted to explore the effects of different application rates of nitrogen (0, 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45 g·kg-1) on the growth parameters, osmotic adjustment, reactive oxygen species scavenging, and photosynthesis of rapeseed seedlings planted in the soils with different concentrations of sodium chloride (1.5, 3.5, 5.5, and 7.5 g·kg-1). The results showed that nitrogen could alleviate the inhibition of salt on rapeseed growth, and improve the antioxidant enzyme activities and the contents of non-enzymatic substances, K+, soluble protein (SP), soluble sugar (SS), and proline. Besides, there was a significant correlation between the indexes of active oxygen scavenging system, osmoregulation system, and photosynthesis. Therefore, applying appropriate amount of nitrogen can promote the growth and development of rapeseed seedlings under salt stress, accelerate the scavenging of reactive oxygen species, maintain osmotic balance, and promote photosynthesis. This study will improve our understanding on the mechanism by which nitrogen application alleviates salt stress to crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Tian
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecological Agriculture of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Jingang Wang
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecological Agriculture of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Haijiang Wang
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecological Agriculture of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Jing Cui
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecological Agriculture of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Xiaoyan Shi
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecological Agriculture of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Jianghui Song
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecological Agriculture of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Weidi Li
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecological Agriculture of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Mingtao Zhong
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecological Agriculture of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yue Qiu
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecological Agriculture of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
| | - Ting Xu
- College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
- The Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecological Agriculture of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, China
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Rogato A, Valkov VT, Chiurazzi M. LjNRT2.3 plays a hierarchical role in the control of high affinity transport system for root nitrate acquisition in Lotus japonicus. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1042513. [PMID: 36438153 PMCID: PMC9687105 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1042513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate is a key mineral nutrient required for plant growth and development. Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to respond to changes of nutritional availability in the surrounding environment and the optimization of root nitrate acquisition under nitrogen starvation is crucial to cope with unfavoured condition of growth. In this study we present a general description of the regulatory transcriptional and spatial profile of expression of the Lotus japonicus nitrate transporter NRT2 family. Furthermore, we report a phenotypic characterization of two independent Ljnrt2.3 knock out mutants indicating the involvement of the LjNRT2.3 gene in the root nitrate acquisition and lateral root elongation pathways occurring in response to N starvation conditions. We also report an epistatic relationship between LjNRT2.3 and LjNRT2.1 suggesting a combined mode of action of these two genes in order to optimize the Lotus response to a prolonged N starvation.
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Tantray AY, Hazzazi Y, Ahmad A. Physiological, Agronomical, and Proteomic Studies Reveal Crucial Players in Rice Nitrogen Use Efficiency under Low Nitrogen Supply. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:6410. [PMID: 35742855 PMCID: PMC9224494 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers to enhance rice productivity has become a significant source of nitrogen (N) pollution and reduced sustainable agriculture. However, little information about the physiology of different growth stages, agronomic traits, and associated genetic bases of N use efficiency (NUE) are available at low-N supply. Two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars were grown with optimum N (120 kg ha-1) and low N (60 kg ha-1) supply. Six growth stages were analyzed to measure the growth and physiological traits, as well as the differential proteomic profiles, of the rice cultivars. Cultivar Panvel outclassed Nagina 22 at low-N supply and exhibited improved growth and physiology at most of the growth stages and agronomic efficiency due to higher N uptake and utilization at low-N supply. On average, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, plant biomass, leaf N content, and grain yield were decreased in cultivar Nagina 22 than Panvel was 8%, 11%, 21%, 19%, and 22%, respectively, under low-N supply. Furthermore, proteome analyses revealed that many proteins were upregulated and downregulated at the different growth stages under low-N supply. These proteins are associated with N and carbon metabolism and other physiological processes. This supports the genotypic differences in photosynthesis, N assimilation, energy stabilization, and rice-protein yield. Our study suggests that enhancing NUE at low-N supply demands distinct modifications in N metabolism and physiological assimilation. The NUE may be regulated by key identified differentially expressed proteins. These proteins might be the targets for improving crop NUE at low-N supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aadil Yousuf Tantray
- Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, Uttar Pradesh, India;
| | - Yehia Hazzazi
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK;
- Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
| | - Altaf Ahmad
- Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, Uttar Pradesh, India;
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Kaur S, Shamshad M, Jindal S, Kaur A, Singh S, sharma A, Kaur S. RNA-Seq-Based Transcriptomics Study to Investigate the Genes Governing Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Indian Wheat Cultivars. Front Genet 2022; 13:853910. [PMID: 35432475 PMCID: PMC9009086 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.853910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
High NUE (nitrogen use efficiency) has great practical significance for sustainable crop production. Wheat is one of the main cultivated crops worldwide for human food and nutrition. However, wheat grain productivity is dependent upon cultivars with high NUE in addition to the application of nitrogen fertilizers. In order to understand the molecular mechanisms exhibiting a high NUE response, a comparative transcriptomics study was carried out through RNA-seq analysis to investigate the gene expression that regulates NUE, in root and shoot tissue of N-efficient (PBW677) and N-inefficient (703) cultivars under optimum and nitrogen (N) stress. Differentially expressed gene analysis revealed a total of 2,406 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) present in both the contrasting cultivars under N stress. The efficient genotype PBW677 had considerably more abundant DEGs with 1,653 (903 roots +750 shoots) compared to inefficient cultivar PBW703 with 753 (96 roots +657 shoots). Gene ontology enrichment and pathway analysis of these DEGs suggested that the two cultivars differed in terms of adaptive mechanism. Gene enrichment analysis revealed that among the upregulated and downregulated genes the overrepresented and underrepresented gene categories belonged to biological processes like DNA binding, response to abiotic stimulus, photosynthesis, carbon fixation, carbohydrate metabolic process, nitrogen compound metabolic process, nitrate transport, and translation in cultivar PBW677, while the enriched biological processes were nucleosome assembly, chromatin remodeling, DNA packaging, lipid transport, sulfur compound metabolic process, protein modifications, and protein folding and refolding in N inefficient cultivar PBW703. We found several transcription factors (MYB, WRKY, RING finger protein, zinc finger protein, transporters, NRT1, amino acid transporters, sugar), protein kinases, and genes involved in N absorption, transportation, and assimilation to be highly expressed in high NUE cultivar PBW677. In our study, we report 13 potential candidate genes which showed alternate gene expression in the two contrasting cultivars under study. These genes could serve as potential targets for future breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarabjit Kaur
- School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
| | - M. Shamshad
- Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
| | - Suruchi Jindal
- School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
| | - Amandeep Kaur
- School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
| | - Satinder Singh
- Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
| | - Achla sharma
- Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
- *Correspondence: Achla sharma, ; Satinder Kaur,
| | - Satinder Kaur
- School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
- *Correspondence: Achla sharma, ; Satinder Kaur,
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Singh P, Kumar K, Jha AK, Yadava P, Pal M, Rakshit S, Singh I. Global gene expression profiling under nitrogen stress identifies key genes involved in nitrogen stress adaptation in maize (Zea mays L.). Sci Rep 2022; 12:4211. [PMID: 35273237 PMCID: PMC8913646 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07709-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Maize is a heavy consumer of fertilizer nitrogen (N) which not only results in the high cost of cultivation but may also lead to environmental pollution. Therefore, there is a need to develop N-use efficient genotypes, a prerequisite for which is a greater understanding of N-deficiency stress adaptation. In this study, comparative transcriptome analysis was performed using leaf and root tissues from contrasting inbred lines, viz., DMI 56 (tolerant to N stress) and DMI 81 (susceptible to N stress) to delineate the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under low-N stress. The contrasting lines were grown hydroponically in modified Hoagland solution having either sufficient- or deficient-N, followed by high-throughput RNA-sequencing. A total of 8 sequencing libraries were prepared and 88–97% of the sequenced raw reads were mapped to the reference B73 maize genome. Genes with a p value ≤ 0.05 and fold change of ≥ 2.0 or ≤ − 2 were considered as DEGs in various combinations performed between susceptible and tolerant genotypes. DEGs were further classified into different functional categories and pathways according to their putative functions. Gene Ontology based annotation of these DEGs identified three different functional categories: biological processes, molecular function, and cellular component. The KEGG and Mapman based analysis revealed that most of the DEGs fall into various metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, signal transduction, amino acid metabolism, N-assimilation and metabolism, and starch metabolism. Some of the key genes involved in N uptake (high-affinity nitrate transporter 2.2 and 2.5), N assimilation and metabolism (glutamine synthetase, asparagine synthetase), redox homeostasis (SOD, POX), and transcription factors (MYB36, AP2-EREBP) were found to be highly expressed in the tolerant genotype compared to susceptible one. The candidate genes identified in the present study might be playing a pivotal role in low-N stress adaptation in maize and hence could be useful in augmenting further research on N metabolism and development of N-deficiency tolerant maize cultivars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prabha Singh
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India.,Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India.,Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, 284003, India
| | - Krishan Kumar
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Abhishek Kumar Jha
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Pranjal Yadava
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Madan Pal
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Sujay Rakshit
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Ishwar Singh
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India.
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Wani SH, Vijayan R, Choudhary M, Kumar A, Zaid A, Singh V, Kumar P, Yasin JK. Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE): elucidated mechanisms, mapped genes and gene networks in maize ( Zea mays L.). PHYSIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF PLANTS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 27:2875-2891. [PMID: 35035142 PMCID: PMC8720126 DOI: 10.1007/s12298-021-01113-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Nitrogen, the vital primary plant growth nutrient at deficit soil conditions, drastically affects the growth and yield of a crop. Over the years, excess use of inorganic nitrogenous fertilizers resulted in pollution, eutrophication and thereby demanding the reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers. Being a C4 plant with fibrous root system and high NUE, maize can be deployed to be the best candidate for better N uptake and utilization in nitrogen deficient soils. The maize germplasm sources has enormous genetic variation for better nitrogen uptake contributing traits. Adoption of single cross maize hybrids as well as inherent property of high NUE has helped maize cultivars to achieve the highest growth rate among the cereals during last decade. Further, considering the high cost of nitrogenous fertilizers, adverse effects on soil health and environmental impact, maize improvement demands better utilization of existing genetic variation for NUE via introgression of novel allelic combinations in existing cultivars. Marker assisted breeding efforts need to be supplemented with introgression of genes/QTLs related to NUE in ruling varieties and thereby enhancing the overall productivity of maize in a sustainable manner. To achieve this, we need mapped genes and network of interacting genes and proteins to be elucidated. Identified genes may be used in screening ideal maize genotypes in terms of better physiological functionality exhibiting high NUE. Future genome editing may help in developing lines with increased productivity under low N conditions in an environment of optimum agronomic practices. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-021-01113-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shabir H. Wani
- Genetics and Plant Breeding, Mountain Research Centre For Field Crops, Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Khudwani Anantnag, J&K 192101 India
| | - Roshni Vijayan
- Regional Agricultural Research Station-Central Zone, Kerala Agricultural University, MelePattambi, Palakkad, Kerala 679306 India
| | | | - Anuj Kumar
- Centre for Agricultural Bioinformatics (CABin), ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012 India
| | - Abbu Zaid
- Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Section, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, 202002 India
| | - Vishal Singh
- Department of Plants, Soils and Climate, Utah State University, 4820 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322 USA
| | - Pardeep Kumar
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana, 141001 India
| | - Jeshima Khan Yasin
- Division of Genomic Resources, ICAR-National Bureau Plant Genetic Resources, PUSA Campus, New Delhi, 110012 India
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Williams ST, Vail S, Arcand MM. Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Parent vs. Hybrid Canola under Varying Nitrogen Availabilities. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:plants10112364. [PMID: 34834725 PMCID: PMC8623409 DOI: 10.3390/plants10112364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is essential for sustainable agriculture, especially in high-N-demanding crops such as canola (Brassica napus). While advancements in above-ground agronomic practices have improved NUE, research on soil and below-ground processes are limited. Plant NUE-and its components, N uptake efficiency (NUpE), and N utilization efficiency (NUtE)-can be further improved by exploring crop variety and soil N cycling. Canola parental genotypes (NAM-0 and NAM-17) and hybrids (H151857 and H151816) were grown on a dark brown chernozem in Saskatchewan, Canada. Soil and plant samples were collected at the 5-6 leaf stage and flowering, and seeds were collected at harvest maturity. Soil N cycling varied with phenotypic stage, with higher potential ammonium oxidation rates at the 5-6 leaf stage and higher urease activity at flowering. Seed N uptake was higher under higher urea-N rates, while the converse was true for NUE metrics. Hybrids had higher yield, seed N uptake, NUtE, and NUE, with higher NUE potentially owing to higher NUtE at flowering, which led to higher yield and seed N allocation. Soil N cycling and soil N concentrations correlated for improved canola NUE, revealing below-ground breeding targets. Future studies should consider multiple root characteristics, including rhizosphere microbial N cycling, root exudates, and root system architecture, to determine the below-ground dynamics of plant NUE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanay T. Williams
- Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Sally Vail
- Saskatoon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0X2, Canada;
| | - Melissa M. Arcand
- Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
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Meng X, Wang X, Zhang Z, Xiong S, Wei Y, Guo J, Zhang J, Wang L, Ma X, Tegeder M. Transcriptomic, proteomic, and physiological studies reveal key players in wheat nitrogen use efficiency under both high and low nitrogen supply. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2021; 72:4435-4456. [PMID: 33829261 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The effective use of available nitrogen (N) to improve crop grain yields provides an important strategy to reduce environmental N pollution and promote sustainable agriculture. However, little is known about the common genetic basis of N use efficiency (NUE) at varying N availability. Two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars were grown in the field with high, moderate, and low N supply. Cultivar Zhoumai 27 outperformed Aikang 58 independent of the N supply and showed improved growth, canopy leaf area index, flag leaf surface area, grain number, and yield, and enhanced NUE due to both higher N uptake and utilization efficiency. Further, transcriptome and proteome analyses were performed using flag leaves that provide assimilates for grain growth. The results showed that many genes or proteins that are up- or down-regulated under all N regimes are associated with N and carbon metabolism and transport. This was reinforced by cultivar differences in photosynthesis, assimilate phloem transport, and grain protein/starch yield. Overall, our study establishes that improving NUE at both high and low N supply requires distinct adjustments in leaf metabolism and assimilate partitioning. Identified key genes/proteins may individually or concurrently regulate NUE and are promising targets for maximizing crop NUE irrespective of the N supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodan Meng
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
- College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WAUSA
| | - Xiaochun Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
| | - Zhiyong Zhang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
- College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
| | - Shuping Xiong
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
- College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
| | - Yihao Wei
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
- College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
| | - Jianbiao Guo
- College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
| | - Jie Zhang
- College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
| | - Lulu Wang
- College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
| | - Xinming Ma
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
- College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, ZhengzhouChina
| | - Mechthild Tegeder
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WAUSA
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Mauceri A, Abenavoli MR, Toppino L, Panda S, Mercati F, Aci MM, Aharoni A, Sunseri F, Rotino GL, Lupini A. Transcriptomics reveal new insights into molecular regulation of nitrogen use efficiency in Solanum melongena. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2021; 72:4237-4253. [PMID: 33711100 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) is a complex trait of great interest in breeding programs because through its improvement, high crop yields can be maintained whilst N supply is reduced. In this study, we report a transcriptomic analysis of four NUE-contrasting eggplant (Solanum melongena) genotypes following short- and long-term exposure to low N, to identify key genes related to NUE in the roots and shoots. The differentially expressed genes in the high-NUE genotypes are involved in the light-harvesting complex and receptor, a ferredoxin-NADP reductase, a catalase and WRKY33. These genes were then used as bait for a co-expression gene network analysis in order to identify genes with the same trends in expression. This showed that up-regulation of WRKY33 triggered higher expression of a cluster of 21 genes and also of other genes, many of which were related to N-metabolism, that were able to improve both nitrogen uptake efficiency and nitrogen utilization efficiency, the two components of NUE. We also conducted an independent de novo experiment to validate the significantly higher expression of WRKY33 and its gene cluster in the high-NUE genotypes. Finally, examination of an Arabidopsis transgenic 35S::AtWRKY33 overexpression line showed that it had a bigger root system and was more efficient at taking up N from the soil, confirming the pivotal role of WRKY33 for NUE improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Mauceri
- Dipartimento Agraria, Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Loc. Feo di Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Maria Rosa Abenavoli
- Dipartimento Agraria, Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Loc. Feo di Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Laura Toppino
- CREA - Research Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Via Paullese 28, Montanaso Lombardo, Italy
| | - Sayantan Panda
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Francesco Mercati
- Istituto di Bioscienze e Biorisorse CNR - Consiglio Nazionale Ricerche, Corso Calatafimi 414, Palermo, Italy
| | - Meriem Miyassa Aci
- Dipartimento Agraria, Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Loc. Feo di Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Asaph Aharoni
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Francesco Sunseri
- Dipartimento Agraria, Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Loc. Feo di Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Leonardo Rotino
- CREA - Research Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Via Paullese 28, Montanaso Lombardo, Italy
| | - Antonio Lupini
- Dipartimento Agraria, Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Loc. Feo di Vito, Reggio Calabria, Italy
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12
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Liu R, Jia T, Cui B, Song J. The expression patterns and putative function of nitrate transporter 2.5 in plants. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2020; 15:1815980. [PMID: 32867594 PMCID: PMC7671049 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2020.1815980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate transporter 2.5 (NRT2.5) was originally characterized as the transporter for nitrogen (N) limitation. In Arabidopsis, NRT2.5 is expressed mainly under extremely low NO3- and N starvation conditions, and this must work in conjunction with NAR2.1. NRT2.5 is expressed both in the roots and leaves in Arabidopsis, poplars, tea trees and cassava. This is also expressed in the seeds of Arabidopsis and wheat. In wheat, NRT2.5 is expressed in the embryo and shell and plays a role in the accumulation of NO3- in the seeds. In maize, this is also expressed in silk, cobs and tassel husk leaves. In rice, OsNRT2.5 (also known as OsNRT2.3a) may help the species to remove NO3- from the roots to shoots. In addition, NRT2.5 may interact with TGA3, MYC1, LBD37, LBD38, TaNAC2 and other transcription factors and participate in the transmission of NO3- signals. The present review summarizes the functions of NRT2.5 in different plant species, which may help plant breeders and molecular biologists to improve crop yield. Abbreviations: NRT, Nitrate transporter; NUE, nitrogen use efficiency; PTR, peptide transporter; NPF, nitrate peptide transporter family; CLC, chloride channel; LAC1/SLAH, slow anion channel-associated 1 homolog 3; LATS, low-affinity transporter systems; HATS, high-affinity transport systems; NNP, nitrate-nitrite-porter; MFS, major facilitator superfamily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranran Liu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Research, College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, P.R. China
| | - Ting Jia
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Research, College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, P.R. China
| | - Bing Cui
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Research, College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, P.R. China
| | - Jie Song
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Research, College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, P.R. China
- CONTACT Jie Song Jinan250014, P.R. China
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13
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Tong J, Walk TC, Han P, Chen L, Shen X, Li Y, Gu C, Xie L, Hu X, Liao X, Qin L. Genome-wide identification and analysis of high-affinity nitrate transporter 2 (NRT2) family genes in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and their responses to various stresses. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2020; 20:464. [PMID: 33036562 PMCID: PMC7547492 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-020-02648-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND High-affinity nitrate transporter 2 (NRT2) genes have been implicated in nitrate absorption and remobilization under nitrogen (N) starvation stress in many plant species, yet little is known about this gene family respond to various stresses often occurs in the production of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). RESULTS This report details identification of 17 NRT2 gene family members in rapeseed, as well as, assessment of their expression profiles using RNA-seq analysis and qRT-PCR assays. In this study, all BnNRT2.1 members, BnNRT2.2a and BnNRT2.4a were specifically expressed in root tissues, while BnNRT2.7a and BnNRT2.7b were mainly expressed in aerial parts, including as the predominantly expressed NRT2 genes detected in seeds. This pattern of shoot NRT expression, along with homology to an Arabidopsis NRT expressed in seeds, strongly suggests that both BnNRT2.7 genes play roles in seed nitrate accumulation. Another rapeseed NRT, BnNRT2.5 s, exhibited intermediate expression, with transcripts detected in both shoot and root tissues. Functionality of BnNRT2s genes was further outlined by testing for adaptive responses in expression to exposure to a series of environmental stresses, including N, phosphorus (P) or potassium (K) deficiency, waterlogging and drought. In these tests, most NRT2 gene members were up-regulated by N starvation and restricted by the other stresses tested herein. In contrast to this overall trend, transcription of BnNRT2.1a was up-regulated under waterlogging and K deficiency stress, and BnNRT2.5 s was up-regulated in roots subjected to waterlogging. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of BnNRT2.7 s were enhanced under both waterlogging stress and P or K deficiency conditions. These results suggest that these three BnNRT2 genes might participate in crosstalk among different stress response pathways. CONCLUSIONS The results presented here outline a diverse set of NRT2 genes present in the rapeseed genome that collectively carry out specific functions throughout rapeseed development, while also responding not just to N deficiency, but also to several other stresses. Targeting of individual BnNRT2 members that coordinate rapeseed nitrate uptake and transport in response to cues from multiple stress response pathways could significantly expand the genetic resources available for improving rapeseed resistance to environmental stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiafeng Tong
- Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Oil Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China
| | | | - Peipei Han
- Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Oil Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China
- Institute of Agriculture Science in Jiangsu Coastal Area, Yancheng, 224002, P. R. China
| | - Liyu Chen
- Innovative Center of Molecular Genetics and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, P. R. China
| | - Xinjie Shen
- Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Oil Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China
| | - Yinshui Li
- Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Oil Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China
| | - Chiming Gu
- Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Oil Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China
| | - Lihua Xie
- Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Oil Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China
| | - Xiaojia Hu
- Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Oil Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China
| | - Xing Liao
- Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Oil Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China.
| | - Lu Qin
- Oil Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Oil Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China.
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14
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Joshi V, Joshi M, Penalosa A. Comparative analysis of tissue-specific transcriptomic responses to nitrogen stress in spinach (Spinacia oleracea). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232011. [PMID: 32374731 PMCID: PMC7202632 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is critical to the growth and productivity of crops. To understand the molecular mechanisms influenced by N stress, we used RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) to analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in root and leaf tissues of spinach. N stress negatively influenced photosynthesis, biomass accumulation, amino acid profiles, and partitioning of N across tissues. RNA-seq analysis revealed that N stress caused most transcriptomic changes in roots, identifying 1,346 DEGs. High-affinity nitrate transporters (NRT2.1, NRT2.5) and glutamine amidotransferase (GAT1) genes were strongly induced in roots in response to N deplete and replete conditions, respectively. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the functions associated with metabolic pathways and nutrient reservoir activity were enriched due to N stress. Whereas KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated the upregulation of DEGs associated with DNA replication, pyrimidine, and purine metabolism in the presence of high N in leaf tissue. A subset of transcription factors comprising bHLH, MYB, WRKY, and AP2/ERF family members was over-represented in both tissues in response to N perturbation. Interesting DEGs associated with N uptake, amino acid metabolism, hormonal pathway, carbon metabolism, along with transcription factors, were highlighted. The results provide valuable information about the underlying molecular processes in response to N stress in spinach and; could serve as a resource for functional analysis of candidate genes/pathways and enhancement of nitrogen use efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Joshi
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Uvalde, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Madhumita Joshi
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Uvalde, Texas, United States of America
| | - Arianne Penalosa
- College of Science, University of Texas, Arlington, Texas, United States of America
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15
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Ge M, Wang Y, Liu Y, Jiang L, He B, Ning L, Du H, Lv Y, Zhou L, Lin F, Zhang T, Liang S, Lu H, Zhao H. The NIN-like protein 5 (ZmNLP5) transcription factor is involved in modulating the nitrogen response in maize. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 102:353-368. [PMID: 31793100 PMCID: PMC7217196 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Maize exhibits marked growth and yield response to supplemental nitrogen (N). Here, we report the functional characterization of a maize NIN-like protein ZmNLP5 as a central hub in a molecular network associated with N metabolism. Predominantly expressed and accumulated in roots and vascular tissues, ZmNLP5 was shown to rapidly respond to nitrate treatment. Under limited N supply, compared with that of wild-type (WT) seedlings, the zmnlp5 mutant seedlings accumulated less nitrate and nitrite in the root tissues and ammonium in the shoot tissues. The zmnlp5 mutant plants accumulated less nitrogen than the WT plants in the ear leaves and seed kernels. Furthermore, the mutants carrying the transgenic ZmNLP5 cDNA fragment significantly increased the nitrate content in the root tissues compared with that of the zmnlp5 mutants. In the zmnlp5 mutant plants, loss of the ZmNLP5 function led to changes in expression for a significant number of genes involved in N signalling and metabolism. We further show that ZmNLP5 directly regulates the expression of nitrite reductase 1.1 (ZmNIR1.1) by binding to the nitrate-responsive cis-element at the 5' UTR of the gene. Interestingly, a natural loss-of-function allele of ZmNLP5 in Mo17 conferred less N accumulation in the ear leaves and seed kernels resembling that of the zmnlp5 mutant plants. Our findings show that ZmNLP5 is involved in mediating the plant response to N in maize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Ge
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Yuancong Wang
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Yuhe Liu
- Department of Crop SciencesUniversity of IllinoisUrbana‐ChampaignILUSA
| | - Lu Jiang
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Bing He
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Lihua Ning
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Hongyang Du
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Yuanda Lv
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Ling Zhou
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Feng Lin
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Tifu Zhang
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Shuaiqiang Liang
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Haiyan Lu
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
| | - Han Zhao
- Institute of Crop Germplasm and BiotechnologyProvincial Key Laboratory of AgrobiologyJiangsu Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanjing210014China
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16
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Du H, Ning L, He B, Wang Y, Ge M, Xu J, Zhao H. Cross-Species Root Transcriptional Network Analysis Highlights Conserved Modules in Response to Nitrate between Maize and Sorghum. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21041445. [PMID: 32093344 PMCID: PMC7073038 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21041445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants have evolved complex mechanisms to respond to the fluctuation of available nitrogen (N) in soil, but the genetic mechanisms underlying the N response in crops are not well-documented. In this study, we generated a time series of NO3−-mediated transcriptional profiles in roots of maize and sorghum, respectively. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we identified modules of co-expressed genes that related to NO3− treatments. A cross-species comparison revealed 22 conserved modules, of which four were related to hormone signaling, suggesting that hormones participate in the early nitrate response. Three other modules are composed of genes that are mainly upregulated by NO3− and involved in nitrogen and carbohydrate metabolism, including NRT, NIR, NIA, FNR, and G6PD2. Two G2-like transcription factors (ZmNIGT1 and SbNIGT1), induced by NO3− stimulation, were identified as hub transcription factors (TFs) in the modules. Transient assays demonstrated that ZmNIGT1 and SbNIGT1 are transcriptional repressors. We identified the target genes of ZmNIGT1 by DNA affinity-purification sequencing (DAP-Seq) and found that they were significantly enriched in catalytic activity, including carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrient metabolism. A set of ZmNIGT1 targets encode transcription factors (ERF, ARF, and AGL) that are involved in hormone signaling and root development. We propose that ZmNIGT1 and SbNIGT1 are negative regulators of nitrate responses that play an important role in optimizing nutrition metabolism and root morphogenesis. Together with conserved N responsive modules, our study indicated that, to encounter N variation in soil, maize and sorghum have evolved an NO3−-regulatory network containing a set of conserved modules and transcription factors.
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17
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Ravazzolo L, Trevisan S, Forestan C, Varotto S, Sut S, Dall’Acqua S, Malagoli M, Quaggiotti S. Nitrate and Ammonium Affect the Overall Maize Response to Nitrogen Availability by Triggering Specific and Common Transcriptional Signatures in Roots. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21020686. [PMID: 31968691 PMCID: PMC7013554 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21020686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is an essential macronutrient for crops. Plants have developed several responses to N fluctuations, thus optimizing the root architecture in response to N availability. Nitrate and ammonium are the main inorganic N forms taken up by plants, and act as both nutrients and signals, affecting gene expression and plant development. In this study, RNA-sequencing was applied to gain comprehensive information on the pathways underlying the response of maize root, pre-treated in an N-deprived solution, to the provision of nitrate or ammonium. The analysis of the transcriptome shows that nitrate and ammonium regulate overlapping and distinct pathways, thus leading to different responses. Ammonium activates the response to stress, while nitrate acts as a negative regulator of transmembrane transport. Both the N-source repress genes related to the cytoskeleton and reactive oxygen species detoxification. Moreover, the presence of ammonium induces the accumulation of anthocyanins, while also reducing biomass and chlorophyll and flavonoids accumulation. Furthermore, the later physiological effects of these nutrients were evaluated through the assessment of shoot and root growth, leaf pigment content and the amino acid concentrations in root and shoot, confirming the existence of common and distinct features in response to the two nitrogen forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Ravazzolo
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis—V.le dell’Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; (L.R.); (S.T.); (C.F.); (S.V.); (S.S.); (M.M.)
| | - Sara Trevisan
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis—V.le dell’Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; (L.R.); (S.T.); (C.F.); (S.V.); (S.S.); (M.M.)
| | - Cristian Forestan
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis—V.le dell’Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; (L.R.); (S.T.); (C.F.); (S.V.); (S.S.); (M.M.)
| | - Serena Varotto
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis—V.le dell’Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; (L.R.); (S.T.); (C.F.); (S.V.); (S.S.); (M.M.)
| | - Stefania Sut
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis—V.le dell’Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; (L.R.); (S.T.); (C.F.); (S.V.); (S.S.); (M.M.)
| | - Stefano Dall’Acqua
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova—Via Marzolo 5, 35121 Padova, Italy;
| | - Mario Malagoli
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis—V.le dell’Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; (L.R.); (S.T.); (C.F.); (S.V.); (S.S.); (M.M.)
| | - Silvia Quaggiotti
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis—V.le dell’Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; (L.R.); (S.T.); (C.F.); (S.V.); (S.S.); (M.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-049-8272913
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18
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Nitrogen Starvation Differentially Influences Transcriptional and Uptake Rate Profiles in Roots of Two Maize Inbred Lines with Different NUE. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20194856. [PMID: 31574923 PMCID: PMC6801476 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20194856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of crops is estimated to be less than 50%, with a strong impact on environment and economy. Genotype-dependent ability to cope with N shortage has been only partially explored in maize and, in this context, the comparison of molecular responses of lines with different NUE is of particular interest in order to dissect the key elements underlying NUE. Changes in root transcriptome and NH4+/NO3- uptake rates during growth (after 1 and 4 days) without N were studied in high (Lo5) and low (T250) NUE maize inbred lines. Results suggests that only a small set of transcripts were commonly modulated in both lines in response to N starvation. However, in both lines, transcripts linked to anthocyanin biosynthesis and lateral root formation were positively affected. On the contrary, those involved in root elongation were downregulated. The main differences between the two lines reside in the ability to modulate the transcripts involved in the transport, distribution and assimilation of mineral nutrients. With regard to N mineral forms, only the Lo5 line responded to N starvation by increasing the NH4+ fluxes as supported by the upregulation of a transcript putatively involved in its transport.
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19
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Meng S, Wang S, Quan J, Su W, Lian C, Wang D, Xia X, Yin W. Distinct Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism of Two Contrasting Poplar Species in Response to Different N Supply Levels. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E2302. [PMID: 30082610 PMCID: PMC6121361 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19082302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Poplars have evolved various strategies to optimize acclimation responses to environmental conditions. However, how poplars balance growth and nitrogen deficiency remains to be elucidated. In the present study, changes in root development, carbon and nitrogen physiology, and the transcript abundance of associated genes were investigated in slow-growing Populus simonii (Ps) and fast-growing Populus euramericana (Pe) saplings treated with low, medium, and high nitrogen supply. The slow-growing Ps showed a flourishing system, higher δ15N, accelerated C export, lower N uptake and assimilation, and less sensitive transcriptional regulation in response to low N supply. The slow-growing Ps also had greater resistance to N deficiency due to the transport of photosynthate to the roots and the stimulation of root development, which allows survival. To support its rapid metabolism and growth, compared with the slow-growing Ps, the fast-growing Pe showed greater root development, C/N uptake and assimilation capacity, and more responsive transcriptional regulation with greater N supply. These data suggest that poplars can differentially manage C/N metabolism and photosynthate allocation under different N supply conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Meng
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Shu Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Jine Quan
- College of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
| | - Wanlong Su
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Conglong Lian
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Dongli Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Xinli Xia
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Weilun Yin
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
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20
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Prinsi B, Espen L. Time-Course of Metabolic and Proteomic Responses to Different Nitrate/Ammonium Availabilities in Roots and Leaves of Maize. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19082202. [PMID: 30060519 PMCID: PMC6121299 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19082202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The availability of nitrate and ammonium significantly affects plant growth. Co-provision of both nutrients is generally the best nutritional condition, due to metabolic interactions not yet fully elucidated. In this study, maize grown in hydroponics was exposed to different nitrogen (N) availabilities, consisting of nitrate, ammonium and co-provision. Roots and leaves were analyzed after 6, 30, and 54 h by biochemical evaluations and proteomics. The ammonium-fed plants showed the lowest biomass accumulation and the lowest ratio of inorganic to organic N content, suggesting a metabolic need to assimilate ammonium that was not evident in plants grown in co-provision. The N sources differently affected the root proteome, inducing changes in abundance of proteins involved in N and carbon (C) metabolisms, cell water homeostasis, and cell wall metabolism. Notable among these changes was that some root enzymes, such as asparagine synthetase, phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase, and formate dehydrogenase showed a relevant upsurge only under the sole ammonium nutrition. However, the leaf proteome appeared mainly influenced by total N availability, showing changes in the abundance of several proteins involved in photosynthesis and in energy metabolism. Overall, the study provides novel information about the biochemical determinants involved in plant adaptation to different N mineral forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhakti Prinsi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy (DiSAA), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy.
| | - Luca Espen
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Production, Landscape, Agroenergy (DiSAA), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy.
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Li Y, Li J, Yan Y, Liu W, Zhang W, Gao L, Tian Y. Knock-Down of CsNRT2.1, a Cucumber Nitrate Transporter, Reduces Nitrate Uptake, Root length, and Lateral Root Number at Low External Nitrate Concentration. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:722. [PMID: 29911677 PMCID: PMC5992502 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is a macronutrient that plays a crucial role in plant growth and development. Nitrate ( NO 3 - ) is the most abundant N source in aerobic soils. Plants have evolved two adaptive mechanisms such as up-regulation of the high-affinity transport system (HATS) and alteration of the root system architecture (RSA), allowing them to cope with the temporal and spatial variation of NO 3 - . However, little information is available regarding the nitrate transporter in cucumber, one of the most important fruit vegetables in the world. In this study we isolated a nitrate transporter named CsNRT2.1 from cucumber. Analysis of the expression profile of the CsNRT2.1 showed that CsNRT2.1 is a high affinity nitrate transporter which mainly located in mature roots. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that CsNRT2.1 is a plasma membrane transporter. In N-starved CsNRT2.1 knock-down plants, both of the constitutive HATS (cHATS) and inducible HATS (iHATS) were impaired under low external NO 3 - concentration. Furthermore, the CsNRT2.1 knock-down plants showed reduced root length and lateral root numbers. Together, our results demonstrated that CsNRT2.1 played a dual role in regulating the HATS and RSA to acquire NO 3 - effectively under N limitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Juanqi Li
- College of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yan Yan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenqian Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenna Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Lihong Gao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Yongqiang Tian
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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22
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Goel P, Sharma NK, Bhuria M, Sharma V, Chauhan R, Pathania S, Swarnkar MK, Chawla V, Acharya V, Shankar R, Singh AK. Transcriptome and Co-Expression Network Analyses Identify Key Genes Regulating Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Brassica juncea L. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7451. [PMID: 29748645 PMCID: PMC5945678 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25826-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrate is the main source of inorganic nitrogen for plants, which also act as signaling molecule. Present study was aimed to understand nitrate regulatory mechanism in Brassica juncea cultivars, with contrasting nitrogen-use-efficiency (NUE) viz. Pusa Bold (PB, high-NUE) and Pusa Jai Kisan (PJK, low-NUE), employing RNA-seq approach. A total of 4031, 3874 and 3667 genes in PB and 2982, 2481 and 2843 genes in PJK were differentially expressed in response to early, low (0.25 mM KNO3), medium (2 mM KNO3) and high (4 mM KNO3) nitrate treatments, respectively, as compared to control (0 mM KNO3). Genes of N-uptake (NRT1.1, NRT1.8, and NRT2.1), assimilation (NR1, NR2, NiR, GS1.3, and Fd-GOGAT) and remobilization (GDH2, ASN2–3 and ALaT) were highly-upregulated in PB than in PJK in response to early nitrate treatments. We have also identified transcription factors and protein kinases that were rapidly induced in response to nitrate, suggesting their involvement in nitrate-mediated signaling. Co-expression network analysis revealed four nitrate specific modules in PB, enriched with GO terms like, “Phenylpropanoid pathway”, “Nitrogen compound metabolic process” and “Carbohydrate metabolism”. The network analysis also identified HUB transcription factors like mTERF, FHA, Orphan, bZip and FAR1, which may be the key regulators of nitrate-mediated response in B. juncea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parul Goel
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Nitesh Kumar Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Monika Bhuria
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Vishal Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Rohit Chauhan
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India
| | - Shivalika Pathania
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India
| | - Mohit Kumar Swarnkar
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India
| | - Vandna Chawla
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India
| | - Vishal Acharya
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India
| | - Ravi Shankar
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India. .,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, New Delhi, India.
| | - Anil Kumar Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, (HP), India. .,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, New Delhi, India. .,ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, PDU Campus, IINRG, Namkum, Ranchi, 834010, India.
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23
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Abstract
Nitrogen (N) fertilizer has a major influence on the yield and quality. Understanding and optimising the response of crop plants to nitrogen fertilizer usage is of central importance in enhancing food security and agricultural sustainability. In this study, the analysis of gene regulatory networks reveals multiple genes and biological processes in response to N. Two microarray studies have been used to infer components of the nitrogen-response network. Since they used different array technologies, a map linking the two probe sets to the maize B73 reference genome has been generated to allow comparison. Putative Arabidopsis homologues of maize genes were used to query the Biological General Repository for Interaction Datasets (BioGRID) network, which yielded the potential involvement of three transcription factors (TFs) (GLK5, MADS64 and bZIP108) and a Calcium-dependent protein kinase. An Artificial Neural Network was used to identify influential genes and retrieved bZIP108 and WRKY36 as significant TFs in both microarray studies, along with genes for Asparagine Synthetase, a dual-specific protein kinase and a protein phosphatase. The output from one study also suggested roles for microRNA (miRNA) 399b and Nin-like Protein 15 (NLP15). Co-expression-network analysis of TFs with closely related profiles to known Nitrate-responsive genes identified GLK5, GLK8 and NLP15 as candidate regulators of genes repressed under low Nitrogen conditions, while bZIP108 might play a role in gene activation.
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24
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Dechorgnat J, Francis KL, Dhugga KS, Rafalski JA, Tyerman SD, Kaiser BN. Root Ideotype Influences Nitrogen Transport and Assimilation in Maize. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:531. [PMID: 29740466 PMCID: PMC5928562 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Maize (Zea mays, L.) yield is strongly influenced by external nitrogen inputs and their availability in the soil solution. Overuse of nitrogen-fertilizers can have detrimental ecological consequences through increased nitrogen pollution of water and the release of the potent greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide. To improve yield and overall nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), a deeper understanding of nitrogen uptake and utilization is required. This study examines the performance of two contrasting maize inbred lines, B73 and F44. F44 was selected in Florida on predominantly sandy acidic soils subject to nitrate leaching while B73 was selected in Iowa on rich mollisol soils. Transcriptional, enzymatic and nitrogen transport analytical tools were used to identify differences in their N absorption and utilization capabilities. Our results show that B73 and F44 differ significantly in their genetic, enzymatic, and biochemical root nitrogen transport and assimilatory pathways. The phenotypes show a strong genetic relationship linked to nitrogen form, where B73 showed a greater capacity for ammonium transport and assimilation whereas F44 preferred nitrate. The contrasting phenotypes are typified by differences in root system architecture (RSA) developed in the presence of both nitrate and ammonium. F44 crown roots were longer, had a higher surface area and volume with a greater lateral root number and density than B73. In contrast, B73 roots (primary, seminal, and crown) were more abundant but lacked the defining features of the F44 crown roots. An F1 hybrid between B73 and F44 mirrored the B73 nitrogen specificity and root architecture phenotypes, indicating complete dominance of the B73 inbred. This study highlights the important link between RSA and nitrogen management and why both variables need to be tested together when defining NUE improvements in any selection program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Dechorgnat
- Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camden, NSW, Australia
| | - Karen L. Francis
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, Australia
| | | | - J. A. Rafalski
- Genetic Discovery Group, DuPont Crop Genetics Research, DuPont Experimental Station, Wilmington, DE, United States
| | - Stephen D. Tyerman
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, Australia
| | - Brent N. Kaiser
- Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camden, NSW, Australia
- *Correspondence: Brent N. Kaiser,
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25
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Zuluaga DL, De Paola D, Janni M, Curci PL, Sonnante G. Durum wheat miRNAs in response to nitrogen starvation at the grain filling stage. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183253. [PMID: 28813501 PMCID: PMC5558935 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Durum wheat highly depends on nitrogen for seed development and yield, and the obtainment of varieties with a better nitrogen use efficiency is crucial to reduce production costs and environmental pollution. In this study, sequencing of two small RNA libraries obtained from tissues of Ciccio and Svevo cultivars grown under nitrogen starvation conditions produced 84 novel, and 161 conserved miRNAs. Of these, 7 novel and 13 known miRNAs were newly identified in this work. Quantitative PCR analysis of selected miRNAs highlighted that the expression levels of some of them depends on the tissue and on the cultivar, Svevo being the most responsive to nitrogen starvation. A number of target genes were predicted to be involved in nitrogen metabolism. An inverse correlation for the qPCR expression data of miRNA/target pairs miR399b/PHO2, miR393c/AFB2, ttu-novel-61/CCAAT-TF was observed in specific tissues or cultivar. Especially, ttu-novel-61 was down-regulated and its target CCAAT-TF up-regulated in almost all tissues both in Svevo and in Ciccio. Moreover, CCAAT-TF was confirmed to be cleaved by ttu-novel-61 at the expected site. The discovery of miRNAs involved in the response to nitrogen stress represents an important step towards functional analyses, with the final aim to design strategies for improving nitrogen use efficiency in durum wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana L. Zuluaga
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Bari, Italy
| | - Domenico De Paola
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Bari, Italy
| | - Michela Janni
- Institute for Electronics and Magnetism, National Research Council (CNR), Parma, Italy
| | - Pasquale Luca Curci
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Bari, Italy
| | - Gabriella Sonnante
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Bari, Italy
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26
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Bellegarde F, Gojon A, Martin A. Signals and players in the transcriptional regulation of root responses by local and systemic N signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2017; 68:2553-2565. [PMID: 28369491 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erx062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
In natural environments, nitrogen (N) concentration in the soil fluctuates greatly and is often limiting for plant growth and development. The ability of plants to respond to changes in N availability is therefore essential for adaptation. The response of plants to N variations consists in particular of adjusting root N uptake systems and root architecture. To do so, plants integrate local sensing and signaling of external N availability with systemic sensing and signaling of their internal N status, in order to tune the functional and structural properties of the root system in accordance with the N demand for growth of the whole plant. Transcriptional regulation of gene expression is one of the most important processes plants use to adapt the properties of the root system in response to local and long-distance N pathways. This review focuses on the mechanisms that give rise to transcriptional responses in Arabidopsis roots under N fluctuations, with an emphasis on those associated with the regulation of nitrate uptake and transport systems. We discuss the putative long-distance signals triggering the gene expression responses, as well as the molecular players that locally induce transcriptional changes. We also highlight several observations revealing the importance of adopting an integrative approach in the regulation of N signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Bellegarde
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Plantes 'Claude Grignon', UMR CNRS/INRA/SupAgro/UM2, Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier cedex, France
| | - Alain Gojon
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Plantes 'Claude Grignon', UMR CNRS/INRA/SupAgro/UM2, Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier cedex, France
| | - Antoine Martin
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Plantes 'Claude Grignon', UMR CNRS/INRA/SupAgro/UM2, Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier cedex, France
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27
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Santi C, Zamboni A, Varanini Z, Pandolfini T. Growth Stimulatory Effects and Genome-Wide Transcriptional Changes Produced by Protein Hydrolysates in Maize Seedlings. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:433. [PMID: 28424716 PMCID: PMC5371660 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Protein hydrolysates are an emerging class of crop management products utilized for improving nutrient assimilation and mitigating crop stress. They generally consist of a mixture of peptides and free amino acids derived from the hydrolysis of plant or animal sources. The present work was aimed at studying the effects and the action mechanisms of a protein hydrolysate derived from animal residues on maize root growth and physiology in comparison with the effects induced by either free amino acids or inorganic N supply. The application of the protein hydrolysate caused a remarkable enhancement of root growth. In particular, in the protein hydrolysate-treated plants the length and surface area of lateral roots were about 7 and 1.5 times higher than in plants treated with inorganic N or free amino acids, respectively. The root growth promoting effect of the protein hydrolysate was associated with an increased root accumulation of K, Zn, Cu, and Mn when compared with inorganic N and amino acids treatments. A microarray analysis allowed to dissect the transcriptional changes induced by the different treatments demonstrating treatment-specific effects principally on cell wall organization, transport processes, stress responses and hormone metabolism.
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28
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Pii Y, Alessandrini M, Dall’Osto L, Guardini K, Prinsi B, Espen L, Zamboni A, Varanini Z. Time-Resolved Investigation of Molecular Components Involved in the Induction of [Formula: see text] High Affinity Transport System in Maize Roots. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:1657. [PMID: 27877183 PMCID: PMC5099785 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The induction, i.e., the rapid increase of nitrate ([Formula: see text]) uptake following the exposure of roots to the anion, was studied integrating physiological and molecular levels in maize roots. Responses to [Formula: see text] treatment were characterized in terms of changes in [Formula: see text] uptake rate and plasma membrane (PM) H+-ATPase activity and related to transcriptional and protein profiles of NRT2, NRT3, and PM H+-ATPase gene families. The behavior of transcripts and proteins of ZmNRT2s and ZmNRT3s suggested that the regulation of the activity of inducible high-affinity transport system (iHATS) is mainly based on the transcriptional/translational modulation of the accessory protein ZmNRT3.1A. Furthermore, ZmNRT2.1 and ZmNRT3.1A appear to be associated in a ∼150 kDa oligomer. The expression trend during the induction of the 11 identified PM H+-ATPase transcripts indicates that those mainly involved in the response to [Formula: see text] treatment are ZmHA2 and ZmHA4. Yet, partial correlation between the gene expression, protein levels and enzyme activity suggests an involvement of post-transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms of regulation. A non-denaturing Deriphat-PAGE approach allowed demonstrating for the first time that PM H+-ATPase can occur in vivo as hexameric complex together with the already described monomeric and dimeric forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youry Pii
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of BolzanoBolzano, Italy
| | | | - Luca Dall’Osto
- Department of Biotechnology, University of VeronaVerona, Italy
| | - Katia Guardini
- Department of Biotechnology, University of VeronaVerona, Italy
| | - Bhakti Prinsi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of MilanoMilano, Italy
| | - Luca Espen
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, University of MilanoMilano, Italy
| | - Anita Zamboni
- Department of Biotechnology, University of VeronaVerona, Italy
| | - Zeno Varanini
- Department of Biotechnology, University of VeronaVerona, Italy
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29
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Lupini A, Mercati F, Araniti F, Miller AJ, Sunseri F, Abenavoli MR. NAR2.1/NRT2.1 functional interaction with NO3(-) and H(+) fluxes in high-affinity nitrate transport in maize root regions. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2016; 102:107-114. [PMID: 26926793 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2016.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Spatial and temporal fluctuations in nitrate (NO3(-)) availability are very common in agricultural soils. Therefore, understanding the molecular and physiological mechanisms involved in regulating NO3(-) uptake in regions along the primary root is important for improving the NO3(-) uptake efficiency (NUpE) in crops. Different regions of maize primary root, named R1, R2 and R3, NO3(-) starved for 3 days, were exposed to 50 μM NO3(-). Electrophysiological measurements (membrane potential and H(+) and NO3(-) fluxes) and NPF6.3, NRT2.1, NAR2.1, MHA1, MHA3 and MHA4 gene expression analyses were carried out. The results confirmed variable spatial and temporal patterns in both NO3(-) and H(+) fluxes and gene expression along the primary maize root. A significant correlation (P = 0.0023) between nitrate influx and gene transcript levels was observed only when NAR2.1 and NRT2.1 co-expression were considered together, showing for the first time the NRT2.1/NAR2.1 functional interaction in nitrate uptake along the root axis. Taken together these results suggest differing roles among the primary root regions, in which the apical part seem to be involved to sensing and signaling in contrast with the basal root which appears to be implicate in nitrate acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Lupini
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Salita Melissari, I-89124, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Francesco Mercati
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IBBR), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Corso Calatafimi, 414, I-90129, Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Araniti
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Salita Melissari, I-89124, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Sunseri
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Salita Melissari, I-89124, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Maria Rosa Abenavoli
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Salita Melissari, I-89124, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
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30
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Pinton R, Tomasi N, Zanin L. Molecular and physiological interactions of urea and nitrate uptake in plants. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2016; 11:e1076603. [PMID: 26338073 PMCID: PMC4871653 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2015.1076603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
While nitrate acquisition has been extensively studied, less information is available on transport systems of urea. Furthermore, the reciprocal influence of the two sources has not been clarified, so far. In this review, we will discuss recent developments on plant response to urea and nitrate nutrition. Experimental evidence suggests that, when urea and nitrate are available in the external solution, the induction of the uptake systems of each nitrogen (N) source is limited, while plant growth and N utilization is promoted. This physiological behavior might reflect cooperation among acquisition processes, where the activation of different N assimilatory pathways (cytosolic and plastidic pathways), allow a better control on the nutrient uptake. Based on physiological and molecular evidence, plants might increase (N) metabolism promoting a more efficient assimilation of taken-up nitrogen. The beneficial effect of urea and nitrate nutrition might contribute to develop new agronomical approaches to increase the (N) use efficiency in crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Pinton
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; University of Udine; Udine, Italy
| | - Nicola Tomasi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; University of Udine; Udine, Italy
| | - Laura Zanin
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; University of Udine; Udine, Italy
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31
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Chen Q, Liu Z, Wang B, Wang X, Lai J, Tian F. Transcriptome sequencing reveals the roles of transcription factors in modulating genotype by nitrogen interaction in maize. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2015; 34:1761-71. [PMID: 26116219 PMCID: PMC4569664 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-015-1822-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2015] [Revised: 06/06/2015] [Accepted: 06/10/2015] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Global transcriptome analysis in maize revealed differential nitrogen response between genotypes and implicate a crucial role of transcription factors in driving genotype by nitrogen interactions at gene expression level. Developing nitrogen-efficient cultivars are essential for sustainable and productive agriculture. Nitrogen use efficiency of plants is highly dependent on the interaction of environmental and genetic variation and results in adaptive phenotypes. This study used transcriptome sequencing to perform a comprehensive genotype by nitrogen (G × N) interaction analysis for two elite Chinese maize inbreds grown at normal and low nitrogen levels in field conditions. We demonstrated that the two maize inbreds showed contrasting agronomic and transcriptomic responses to changes in nitrogen availability. A total of 96 genes with a significant G × N interaction were detected. After characterizing the expression patterns of G × N interaction genes, we found that the G × N interaction genes tended to show condition-specific differential expression. The functional annotations of G × N interaction genes revealed that many different kinds of genes were involved in G × N interactions, but a significant enrichment for transcription factors was detected, particularly the AP2/EREBP and WRKY family, suggesting that transcription factors might play important roles in driving G × N interaction at gene expression level for nitrogen response in maize. Taken together, these results not only provide novel insights into the mechanism of nitrogen response in maize and set important basis for further characterization but also have important implications for other genotype by stress interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyue Chen
- National Maize Improvement Center of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Zhipeng Liu
- National Maize Improvement Center of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Baobao Wang
- National Maize Improvement Center of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xufeng Wang
- National Maize Improvement Center of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Jinsheng Lai
- National Maize Improvement Center of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Feng Tian
- National Maize Improvement Center of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
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Trevisan S, Manoli A, Ravazzolo L, Botton A, Pivato M, Masi A, Quaggiotti S. Nitrate sensing by the maize root apex transition zone: a merged transcriptomic and proteomic survey. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2015; 66:3699-715. [PMID: 25911739 PMCID: PMC4473975 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erv165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate is an essential nutrient for plants, and crops depend on its availability for growth and development, but its presence in agricultural soils is far from stable. In order to overcome nitrate fluctuations in soil, plants have developed adaptive mechanisms allowing them to grow despite changes in external nitrate availability. Nitrate can act as both nutrient and signal, regulating global gene expression in plants, and the root tip has been proposed as the sensory organ. A set of genome-wide studies has demonstrated several nitrate-regulated genes in the roots of many plants, although only a few studies have been carried out on distinct root zones. To unravel new details of the transcriptomic and proteomic responses to nitrate availability in a major food crop, a double untargeted approach was conducted on a transition zone-enriched root portion of maize seedlings subjected to differing nitrate supplies. The results highlighted a complex transcriptomic and proteomic reprogramming that occurs in response to nitrate, emphasizing the role of this root zone in sensing and transducing nitrate signal. Our findings indicated a relationship of nitrate with biosynthesis and signalling of several phytohormones, such as auxin, strigolactones, and brassinosteroids. Moreover, the already hypothesized involvement of nitric oxide in the early response to nitrate was confirmed with the use of nitric oxide inhibitors. Our results also suggested that cytoskeleton activation and cell wall modification occurred in response to nitrate provision in the transition zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Trevisan
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Alessandro Manoli
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Laura Ravazzolo
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Alessandro Botton
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Micaela Pivato
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy Proteomics Centre of Padova University, VIMM and Padova University Hospital, Via Giuseppe Orus, 2, 35129 Padova, Italy
| | - Antonio Masi
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Silvia Quaggiotti
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
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Prinsi B, Espen L. Mineral nitrogen sources differently affect root glutamine synthetase isoforms and amino acid balance among organs in maize. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2015; 15:96. [PMID: 25886826 PMCID: PMC4393875 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-015-0482-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2014] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glutamine synthetase (GS) catalyzes the first step of nitrogen assimilation in plant cell. The main GS are classified as cytosolic GS1 and plastidial GS2, of which the functionality is variable according to the nitrogen sources, organs and developmental stages. In maize (Zea mays L.) one gene for GS2 and five genes for GS1 subunits are known, but their roles in root metabolism are not yet well defined. In this work, proteomic and biochemical approaches have been used to study root GS enzymes and nitrogen assimilation in maize plants re-supplied with nitrate, ammonium or both. RESULTS The plant metabolic status highlighted the relevance of root system in maize nitrogen assimilation during both nitrate and ammonium nutrition. The analysis of root proteomes allowed a study to be made of the accumulation and phosphorylation of six GS proteins. Three forms of GS2 were identified, among which only the phosphorylated one showed an accumulation trend consistent with plastidial GS activity. Nitrogen availabilities enabled increments in root total GS synthetase activity, associated with different GS1 isoforms according to the nitrogen sources. Nitrate nutrition induced the specific accumulation of GS1-5 while ammonium led to up-accumulation of both GS1-1 and GS1-5, highlighting co-participation. Moreover, the changes in thermal sensitivity of root GS transferase activity suggested differential rearrangements of the native enzyme. The amino acid accumulation and composition in roots, xylem sap and leaves deeply changed in response to mineral sources. Glutamine showed the prevalent changes in all nitrogen nutritions. Besides, the ammonium nutrition was associated with an accumulation of asparagine and reducing sugars and a drop in glutamic acid level, significantly alleviated by the co-provision with nitrate. CONCLUSION This work provides new information about the multifaceted regulation of the GS enzyme in maize roots, indicating the involvement of specific isoenzymes/isoforms, post-translational events and biochemical factors. For the first time, the proteomic approach allowed to discriminate the individual contribution of the GS1 isoforms, highlighting the participation of GS1-5 in nitrate metabolism. Moreover, the results give new insights about the influence of amino acid metabolism in plant C/N balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhakti Prinsi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali - Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia (DISAA), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 2, 20133, Milano, Italy.
| | - Luca Espen
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali - Produzione, Territorio, Agroenergia (DISAA), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria, 2, 20133, Milano, Italy.
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Zanin L, Tomasi N, Zamboni A, Varanini Z, Pinton R. The Urease Inhibitor NBPT Negatively Affects DUR3-mediated Uptake and Assimilation of Urea in Maize Roots. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2015; 6:1007. [PMID: 26635834 PMCID: PMC4652015 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.01007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Despite the widespread use of urease inhibitors in agriculture, little information is available on their effect on nitrogen (N) uptake and assimilation. Aim of this work was to study, at physiological and transcriptional level, the effects of N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) on urea nutrition in hydroponically grown maize plants. Presence of NBPT in the nutrient solution limited the capacity of plants to utilize urea as a N-source; this was shown by a decrease in urea uptake rate and (15)N accumulation. Noteworthy, these negative effects were evident only when plants were fed with urea, as NBPT did not alter (15)N accumulation in nitrate-fed plants. NBPT also impaired the growth of Arabidopsis plants when urea was used as N-source, while having no effect on plants grown with nitrate or ammonium. This response was related, at least in part, to a direct effect of NBPT on the high affinity urea transport system. Impact of NBPT on urea uptake was further evaluated using lines of Arabidopsis overexpressing ZmDUR3 and dur3-knockout; results suggest that not only transport but also urea assimilation could be compromised by the inhibitor. This hypothesis was reinforced by an over-accumulation of urea and a decrease in ammonium concentration in NBPT-treated plants. Furthermore, transcriptional analyses showed that in maize roots NBPT treatment severely impaired the expression of genes involved in the cytosolic pathway of ureic-N assimilation and ammonium transport. NBPT also limited the expression of a gene coding for a transcription factor highly induced by urea and possibly playing a crucial role in the regulation of its acquisition. This work provides evidence that NBPT can heavily interfere with urea nutrition in maize plants, limiting influx as well as the following assimilation pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Zanin
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of UdineUdine, Italy
- *Correspondence: Laura Zanin,
| | - Nicola Tomasi
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of UdineUdine, Italy
| | - Anita Zamboni
- Department of Biotechnology, University of VeronaVerona, Italy
| | - Zeno Varanini
- Department of Biotechnology, University of VeronaVerona, Italy
| | - Roberto Pinton
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of UdineUdine, Italy
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Zanin L, Zamboni A, Monte R, Tomasi N, Varanini Z, Cesco S, Pinton R. Transcriptomic Analysis Highlights Reciprocal Interactions of Urea and Nitrate for Nitrogen Acquisition by Maize Roots. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 56:532-48. [DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcu202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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