preprint · Preprints.org
Plants absorb nitrogen primarily as nitrate and ammonium through dedicated transporter proteins located in their roots. Once inside the plant, nitrogen metabolism is driven by glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase, which convert ammonium ions into glutamine and glutamate across various environmental conditions. Under abiotic challenges, nitric oxide helps improve plant survival during drought and mediates responses to salinity stress. Because excessive reliance on synthetic nitrate fertilisers causes serious environmental and health issues, alternative approaches focus on nitrogen fixation mediated by diazotrophic microbiota. Genomic tools can uncover new genes linked to nitrogen fixation, providing the foundation to breed crops capable of using environmental nitrogen with higher efficiency.
Excessive reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilisers creates severe environmental contamination and health concerns. Understanding the biological mechanisms behind nitrogen uptake, metabolic processing, and interactions with beneficial soil microbes offers a path to sustain agricultural yields. These insights also help identify ways to protect crops against drought and soil salinity while reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers.
This work points towards future applications in crop breeding and agricultural biotechnology, particularly for developers of nitrogen-efficient crops and microbial biofertilisers. The primary target users would be seed companies and agritech firms aiming to decrease synthetic input requirements. Based on the abstract, the research is at an early biological and genomic discovery stage, requiring extensive development and field testing before reaching commercial use.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Abstract Plant uptake and assimilation of essential nitrogen compounds from the soil are mainly in the form of nitrate and ammonium ions. Plant nitrate transporters (NRTs) play a crucial role in nitrate uptake from the soil into the roots. NRT structural analysis reveals the mechanisms by which these transporters function. Similarly, plant ammonium transporters (AMTs) mediate the uptake of ammonium ions, and their structural analysis has provided valuable information on their mechanisms. After nitrogen uptake by plant roots, the nitrogen metabolism pathway involves the incorporation of nitrogen into organic compounds. Glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamate synthase (GoGAT) are the master players in this pathway. They work together to convert ammonium ions into glutamine and glutamate, respectively. Different isoforms of GS and GoGAT exist, enabling plants to fine-tune nitrogen metabolism based on environmental cues. Under severe abiotic stress conditions, nitric oxide (NO) has been found to enhance plant survival under drought. Furthermore, the interaction between salinity stress and nitrogen availability in plants has been studied, with NO identified as a potential mediator of responses to salt stress. On the other hand, excessive use of nitrate fertilizers can lead to health and environmental issues. Therefore, alternative strategies, such as establishing nitrogen fixation in plants through diazotrophic microbiota, have been explored to reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Ultimately, genomics can identify new genes related to nitrogen fixation, which could be harnessed to improve plant productivity. By deciphering the genetic basis of nitrogen-fixing traits, researchers aim to develop crops that efficiently utilize nitrogen from the environment.
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DOI: 10.20944/preprints202308.1575.v1
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