Symbioses and nodule organogenesis processes that occur independently of Nod-factors are relatively unexplored. Quilbe et al. investigated the semi-aquatic legume Aeschynomene evenia, which has recently been shown to establish symbioses with Bradyrhizobium sp. that do not produce Nod factors. The authors used an EMS mutagenesis approach to generate mutations in genes known to be involved […]
Nitrate, the prominent form of nitrogen used by most land plants, is a signal regulating plant growth and development. Nitrate sensing by roots not only regulates root development to facilitate nutrient foraging, but also the growth of distant plant organs. Cytokinin is a mobile signal coordinating nitrate dependent shoot growth responses. Abualia et al. show […]
To improve the profitability and sustainability of agriculture, there has been an extensive quest to identify regulators that boost nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) without compromising yield. Wei et al. identified a DREB family transcription factor based on RNAseq analysis of rice plants exposed to low N. Among the differentially regulated transcription factors, DREB1C showed a […]
To avoid ammonium toxicity, the ammonium transporters (AMTs) are tightly regulated by phosphorylation-dependent inactivation. The multifunctional kinase CIPK23 inactivates the AMT1s by phosphorylating conserved threonine residues (T460 in AMT1;1 and T472 in AMT1;2). ABA-INSENSITIVE1 (ABI1) and ABI2 are members of clade A Protein Phosphatase 2 C, and core components of ABA signalling. ABI2 is a […]
In rice, the circadian clock component gene Circadian Clock Associated 1 (OsCCA1) regulates flowering and nitrogen use efficiency. CCA1 is a MYB family transcription factor that follows a rhythmic expression pattern. Wei et al. confirmed the role of CCA1as a key hub in coordinating plant growth and abiotic stress adaptation. Transcript abundance of OsCCA1 was […]
Nitrate is the major form of nitrogen used by plants in an aerobic crop cultivation scenario. Lamig et al. review recent additions to the already vast knowledge of nitrate signaling. A first line of regulation concerns nitrate uptake through post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation of nitrate transporters. Both low affinity (NRT1) and high affinity (NRT2) nitrate […]
Roots are dependent on shoot-produced sucrose for energy associated with growth and nutrient uptake. The CLAVATA3/ESR2-related peptides (CLEs) regulate several aspects of plant growth. Okamoto et al. present evidence on the involvement of CLEs in conveying the root sucrose demand to the shoot. Carbon starvation upregulates CLE2 and CLE3 and increases the translocation of CLE2 […]
Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation act as a switch regulating a multitude of protein properties, be it their activity, interaction with other proteins, stability, or even cellular localization. This review by Li et al. describs the many ways that protein phosphorylation contributes to iron uptake and homeostasis. The membrane localization of the iron transporter IRT1 is […]
In rice, the transcription factor N-mediated heading date-1 (Nhd1) activates the expression of Heading date 3a (Hd3a), a floral regulator gene and regulate flowering. Li et al. report the role of Nhd1 in nitrogen (N) use efficiency and N-dependent root growth in rice. nhd1 mutants were impaired in root growth when grown in low nitrate, […]