Disrupting plant inositol pyrophosphates to mitigate P pollution

Inositol pyrophosphates (PP-InsP) are plant signaling molecules that regulate phosphate homeostasis and related metabolic processes. But a global phosphate crisis, due to resource depletion and environmental pollution from excess phosphate, has raised the need for phosphate management. Freed et al. investigated strategies for enhancing phosphate management by manipulating PP-InsP signal pathways using both synthetic and native genes in Arabidopsis and pennycress, a cover crop. Their findings revealed that expressing Diadenosine and Diphosphoinositol Polyphosphate Phosphohydrolase (DDP1),  a yeast enzyme, decreases PP-InsP levels, activates phosphate starvation response, and enhances phosphate accumulation in Arabidopsis and pennycress. These results suggest that altering plant PP-InsP levels can be a strategy through which plants can be engineered to reclaim phosphate from soils. A native Arabidopsis gene, Nucleoside diphosphate-linked moiety X 13 (NUDIX13), which encodes an enzyme similar to DDP1, was also identified as promising target for regulating PP-InsP pathways. This study suggests the possibility of using DDP1 and NUDIX13 as tools for development of plants to manage phosphate resources and mitigate environmental impacts of excess phosphate, therefore, addressing phosphate pollution issues. (Summary by Idowu Arinola Obisesan, @IdowuAobisesan) Plant Physiol. 10.1093/plphys/kiae582