Identification of Molecular Integrators Shows that Nitrogen Actively Controls the Phosphate Starvation Response in Plants

• Published in: The Plant cell Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 1171 - 1184
• Main Authors: Medici, Anna, Szponarski, Wojciech, Dangeville, Pierre, Safi, Alaeddine, Dissanayake, Indeewari Madhubhashini, Saenchai, Chorpet, Emanuel, Amélie, Rubio, Vicente, Lacombe, Benoît, Ruffel, Sandrine, Tanurdzic, Milos, Rouached, Hatem, Krouk, Gabriel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) 01.05.2019; American Society of Plant Biologists
• Subjects: Anion Transport Proteins - genetics; Anion Transport Proteins - metabolism; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - physiology; Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Life Sciences; Nitrates - metabolism; Nitrogen - metabolism; Oryza - genetics; Oryza - physiology; Phosphates - deficiency; Phosphorus - metabolism; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Signal Transduction; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Triticum - genetics; Triticum - physiology; Vegetal Biology; Oryza sativa; Nitrogen (N); PHOSPHATE STARVATION RESPONSE; phosphorus (P); Triticum aestivum; environmental pollution
• ISSN: 1040-4651; 1532-298X
• DOI: 10.1105/tpc.18.00656

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are key macronutrients sustaining plant growth and crop yield and ensuring food security worldwide. Understanding how plants perceive and interpret the combinatorial nature of these signals thus has important agricultural implications within the context of (1) increased food demand, (2) limited P supply, and (3) environmental pollution due to N fertilizer usage. Here, we report the discovery of an active control of P starvation response (PSR) by a combination of local and long-distance N signaling pathways in plants. We show that, in Arabidopsis ( ), the nitrate transceptor CHLORINA1/NITRATE TRANSPORTER1.1 (CHL1/NRT1.1) is a component of this signaling crosstalk. We also demonstrate that this crosstalk is dependent on the control of the accumulation and turnover by N of the transcription factor PHOSPHATE STARVATION RESPONSE1 (PHR1), a master regulator of P sensing and signaling. We further show an important role of PHOSPHATE2 (PHO2) as an integrator of the N availability into the PSR since the effect of N on PSR is strongly affected in mutants. We finally show that PHO2 and NRT1.1 influence each other's transcript levels. These observations are summarized in a model representing a framework with several entry points where N signal influence PSR. Finally, we demonstrate that this phenomenon is conserved in rice ( ) and wheat ( ), opening biotechnological perspectives in crop plants.