Scholarlink

Background <p>Nitrogen (N) foraging, the ability of plants to promote preferential root growth in N-rich patches of soil, is fundamental to the competitiveness and wellbeing of plants. A unique “split-root” system, where a heterogenous N environment stimulates root foraging, provides a powerful experimental model to study the mechanisms underlying root foraging in model (Arabidopsis) and/or crop plants.</p> Results <p>We used the split-root set up to capture early molecular events involved in systemic N-signaling after exposure to a heterogeneous N signal, through time-course transcriptomic analysis across shoots and roots of Arabidopsis. We found that a histone methyltransferase, SET DOMAIN GROUP 8 (SDG8), is necessary for root N-foraging, suggesting a previously unknown role for chromatin regulation in mediating the preferential root growth response to colonize N-rich patches. To determine if the underlying molecular mechanism is conserved in evolution, we compared the root foraging behavior from model-to-crop (Arabidopsis, tomato and maize). Our analysis showed the model and crop species shared a root N-foraging growth response, with some variation among specific genotypes. Interestingly, we observed both shared and distinct transcriptional responses to heterogenous N environments among these three species.</p> Conclusions <p>Our study has generated insights into the molecular basis of root N-foraging, with the potential to improve nutrient use efficiency in crop plants in a heterogeneous field environment.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Uncovering the early and conserved molecular mechanisms of root nitrogen foraging in model and crops

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月10日

查看全文
  • Ying Li,
  • Ryan M. Patrick,
  • Charles Peacock,
  • Leo Koenigsfeld,
  • Tara M Rock,
  • Eleonore Bouguyon,
  • Emily Kuhn,
  • MarySara Albert,
  • Kranthi Varala,
  • W. Richard McCombie,
  • Chia-Yi Cheng,
  • Sandrine Ruffel,
  • Gloria Coruzzi

摘要

Background

Nitrogen (N) foraging, the ability of plants to promote preferential root growth in N-rich patches of soil, is fundamental to the competitiveness and wellbeing of plants. A unique “split-root” system, where a heterogenous N environment stimulates root foraging, provides a powerful experimental model to study the mechanisms underlying root foraging in model (Arabidopsis) and/or crop plants.

Results

We used the split-root set up to capture early molecular events involved in systemic N-signaling after exposure to a heterogeneous N signal, through time-course transcriptomic analysis across shoots and roots of Arabidopsis. We found that a histone methyltransferase, SET DOMAIN GROUP 8 (SDG8), is necessary for root N-foraging, suggesting a previously unknown role for chromatin regulation in mediating the preferential root growth response to colonize N-rich patches. To determine if the underlying molecular mechanism is conserved in evolution, we compared the root foraging behavior from model-to-crop (Arabidopsis, tomato and maize). Our analysis showed the model and crop species shared a root N-foraging growth response, with some variation among specific genotypes. Interestingly, we observed both shared and distinct transcriptional responses to heterogenous N environments among these three species.

Conclusions

Our study has generated insights into the molecular basis of root N-foraging, with the potential to improve nutrient use efficiency in crop plants in a heterogeneous field environment.