Role of the C-terminal extension peptide of plastid located glutamine synthetase from Medicago truncatula: Crucial for enzyme activity and needless for protein import into the plastids

Phytosulfokine peptide optimizes plant growth and defense via glutamine synthetase GS2 phosphorylation in tomato

Phytosulfokine (PSK) is a plant pentapeptide hormone that fulfills a wide range of functions. Although PSK has frequently been reported to function in the inverse regulation of growth and defense in response to (hemi)biotrophic pathogens, the mechanisms involved remain largely unknown. Using the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 pathogen system, we present compelling evidence that the PSK receptor PSKR1 interacts with the calcium-dependent protein kinase CPK28, which in turn phosphorylates the key enzyme of nitrogen assimilation glutamine synthetase GS2 at two sites (Serine-334 and Serine-360). GS2 phosphorylation at S334 specifically regulates plant defense, whereas S360 regulates growth, uncoupling the PSK-induced effects on defense responses and growth regulation. The discovery of these sites will inform breeding strategies designed to optimize the growth-defense balance in a compatible manner.

The Dynamics of NO3- and NH4+ Uptake in Duckweed Are Coordinated with the Expression of Major Nitrogen Assimilation Genes

Duckweed plants play important roles in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. They rapidly accumulate biomass and have potential uses in bioremediation of water polluted by fertilizer runoff or other chemicals. Here we studied the assimilation of two major sources of inorganic nitrogen, nitrate (NO3- ) and ammonium (NH4+), in six duckweed species: Spirodela polyrhiza, Landoltia punctata, Lemna aequinoctialis, Lemna turionifera, Lemna minor, and Wolffia globosa. All six duckweed species preferred NH4+ over NO3- and started using NO3- only when NH4+ was depleted. Using the available genome sequence, we analyzed the molecular structure and expression of eight key nitrogen assimilation genes in S. polyrhiza. The expression of genes encoding nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase increased about 10-fold when NO3- was supplied and decreased when NH4+ was supplied. NO3- and NH4+ induced the glutamine synthetase (GS) genes GS1;2 and the GS2 by 2- to 5-fold, respectively, but repressed GS1;1 and GS1;3. NH4+ and NO3- upregulated the genes encoding ferredoxin- and NADH-dependent glutamate synthases (Fd-GOGAT and NADH-GOGAT). A survey of nitrogen assimilation gene promoters suggested complex regulation, with major roles for NRE-like and GAATC/GATTC cis-elements, TATA-based enhancers, GA/CTn repeats, and G-quadruplex structures. These results will inform efforts to improve bioremediation and nitrogen use efficiency.

Diverse Understory Vegetation Alleviates Nitrogen Competition with Crop Trees in Poplar Plantations

Understory vegetation plays a crucial role in nutrient turnover and cycling in plantations, but it also competes for nutrients with crop trees when only a single species is present due to its specific nutrient requirements. However, it remains unclear whether this competition can be alleviated when the species richness of understory vegetation increases. In this study, we tested different gradients of understory vegetation species richness, including understory vegetation removal (UR), the retention of a single main understory vegetation species (RS), and the retention of natural diverse understory vegetation (RD) as part of a poplar (Populus deltoides ‘Nanlin-3804′) plantation, to study their effects on poplar growth, and to evaluate nitrogen (N) usage and how this was affected by the interactions between the poplar and understory vegetation. The results showed a generally lower periodic growth, and a significant decline in the foliar chlorophyll content and glutamine synthetase activity of poplar under treatment with RS and RD compared to those under UR treatment conducted in July 2019, which clearly indicated N competition between the understory vegetation and poplar trees. However, no significant difference was detected in the foliar chlorophyll content and glutamine synthetase activity of poplar under RD and RS treatment; only the nitrate reductase activity in poplar leaves under RD treatment declined significantly, by 22.25%, in June 2019. On the contrary, the diameter at breast height (DBH) of the poplar under RD treatment showed an increase of 34.69% from July to August 2019, compared with that under RS treatment. Furthermore, the increase in the species richness of understory vegetation resulted in an increase in the δ15N values in the poplar leaves, which was strongly regulated by the NH4+-N pool in the 10–20 cm soil layer, indicating the effective coordination of N utilization between poplar and understory vegetation when diversified understory plant species were present. These findings demonstrate the essential role of understory vegetation species diversity in alleviating N competition with crop trees, and provide guidance for understory vegetation management in poplar plantations.

Overexpression of soybean DREB1 enhances drought stress tolerance of transgenic wheat in the field

Drought-response-element binding (DREB)-like transcription factors can significantly enhance plant tolerance to water stress. However, most research on DREB-like proteins to date has been conducted in growth chambers or greenhouses, so there is very little evidence available to support their practical use in the field. In this study, we overexpressed GmDREB1 from soybean in two popular wheat varieties and conducted drought-tolerance experiments across a range of years, sites, and drought-stress regimes. We found that the transgenic plants consistently exhibited significant improvements in yield performance and a variety of physiological traits compared with wild-type plants when grown under limited water conditions in the field, for example showing grain yield increases between 4.79-18.43%. Specifically, we found that the transgenic plants had reduced membrane damage and enhanced osmotic adjustment and photosynthetic efficiency compared to the non-transgenic controls. Three enzymes from the biosynthetic pathway of the phytohormone melatonin were up-regulated in the transgenic plants, and external application of melatonin was found to improve drought tolerance. Together, our results demonstrate the utility of transgenic overexpression of GmDREB1 to improve the drought tolerance of wheat in the field.