Application of Synthetic Peptide CEP1 Increases Nutrient Uptake Rates Along Plant Roots

A practical guide to the discovery of biomolecules with biostimulant activity

The growing demand for sustainable solutions in agriculture, which are critical for crop productivity and food quality in the face of climate change and the need to reduce agrochemical usage, has brought biostimulants into the spotlight as valuable tools for regenerative agriculture. With their diverse biological activities, biostimulants can contribute to crop growth, nutrient use efficiency, and abiotic stress resilience, as well as to the restoration of soil health. Biomolecules include humic substances, protein lysates, phenolics, and carbohydrates have undergone thorough investigation because of their demonstrated biostimulant activities. Here, we review the process of the discovery and development of extract-based biostimulants, and propose a practical step-by-step pipeline that starts with initial identification of biomolecules, followed by extraction and isolation, determination of bioactivity, identification of active compound(s), elucidation of mechanisms, formulation, and assessment of effectiveness. The different steps generate a roadmap that aims to expedite the transfer of interdisciplinary knowledge from laboratory-scale studies to pilot-scale production in practical scenarios that are aligned with the prevailing regulatory frameworks.

The peptide GOLVEN10 alters root development and noduletaxis in Medicago truncatula

The conservation of GOLVEN (GLV)/ROOT MERISTEM GROWTH FACTOR (RGF) peptide encoding genes across plant genomes capable of forming roots or root-like structures underscores their potential significance in the terrestrial adaptation of plants. This study investigates the function and role of GOLVEN peptide-coding genes in Medicago truncatula. Five out of fifteen GLV/RGF genes were notably upregulated during nodule organogenesis and were differentially responsive to nitrogen deficiency and auxin treatment. Specifically, the expression of MtGLV9 and MtGLV10 at nodule initiation sites was contingent upon the NODULE INCEPTION transcription factor. Overexpression of these five nodule-induced GLV genes in hairy roots of M. truncatula and application of their synthetic peptide analogues led to a decrease in nodule count by 25-50%. Uniquely, the GOLVEN10 peptide altered the positioning of the first formed lateral root and nodule on the primary root axis, an observation we term 'noduletaxis'; this decreased the length of the lateral organ formation zone on roots. Histological section of roots treated with synthetic GOLVEN10 peptide revealed an increased cell number within the root cortical cell layers without a corresponding increase in cell length, leading to an elongation of the root likely introducing a spatiotemporal delay in organ formation. At the transcription level, the GOLVEN10 peptide suppressed expression of microtubule-related genes and exerted its effects by changing expression of a large subset of Auxin responsive genes. These findings advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which GOLVEN peptides modulate root morphology, nodule ontogeny, and interactions with key transcriptional pathways.

Research Progress of Small Plant Peptides on the Regulation of Plant Growth, Development, and Abiotic Stress

Small peptides in plants are typically characterized as being shorter than 120 amino acids, with their biologically active variants comprising fewer than 20 amino acids. These peptides are instrumental in regulating plant growth, development, and physiological processes, even at minimal concentrations. They play a critical role in long-distance signal transduction within plants and act as primary responders to a range of stress conditions, including salinity, alkalinity, drought, high temperatures, and cold. This review highlights the crucial roles of various small peptides in plant growth and development, plant resistance to abiotic stress, and their involvement in long-distance transport. Furthermore, it elaborates their roles in the regulation of plant hormone biosynthesis. Special emphasis is given to the functions and mechanisms of small peptides in plants responding to abiotic stress conditions, aiming to provide valuable insights for researchers working on the comprehensive study and practical application of small peptides.

CEP hormones at the nexus of nutrient acquisition and allocation, root development, and plant-microbe interactions

A growing understanding is emerging of the roles of peptide hormones in local and long-distance signalling that coordinates plant growth and development as well as responses to the environment. C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE (CEP) signalling triggered by its interaction with CEP RECEPTOR 1 (CEPR1) is known to play roles in systemic nitrogen (N) demand signalling, legume nodulation, and root system architecture. Recent research provides further insight into how CEP signalling operates, which involves diverse downstream targets and interactions with other hormone pathways. Additionally, there is emerging evidence of CEP signalling playing roles in N allocation, root responses to carbon levels, the uptake of other soil nutrients such as phosphorus and sulfur, root responses to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, plant immunity, and reproductive development. These findings suggest that CEP signalling more broadly coordinates growth across the whole plant in response to diverse environmental cues. Moreover, CEP signalling and function appear to be conserved in angiosperms. We review recent advances in CEP biology with a focus on soil nutrient uptake, root system architecture and organogenesis, and roles in plant-microbe interactions. Furthermore, we address knowledge gaps and future directions in this research field.

C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE (CEP) and cytokinin hormone signaling intersect to promote shallow lateral root angles

Root system architecture (RSA) influences the acquisition of heterogeneously dispersed soil nutrients. Cytokinin and C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE (CEP) hormones affect RSA, in part by controlling the angle of lateral root (LR) growth. Both hormone pathways converge on CEP DOWNSTREAM 1 (CEPD1) and CEPD2 to control primary root growth; however, a role for CEPDs in controlling the growth angle of LRs is unknown. Using phenotyping combined with genetic and grafting approaches, we show that CEP hormone-mediated shallower LR growth requires cytokinin biosynthesis and perception in roots via ARABIDOPSIS HISTIDINE KINASE 2 (AHK2) and AHK3. Consistently, cytokinin biosynthesis and ahk2,3 mutants phenocopied the steeper root phenotype of cep receptor 1 (cepr1) mutants on agar plates, and CEPR1 was required for trans-Zeatin (tZ)-type cytokinin-mediated shallower LR growth. In addition, the cepd1,2 mutant was less sensitive to CEP and tZ, and showed basally steeper LRs on agar plates. Cytokinin and CEP pathway mutants were grown in rhizoboxes to define the role of these pathways in controlling RSA. Only cytokinin receptor mutants and cepd1,2 partially phenocopied the steeper-rooted phenotype of cepr1 mutants. These results show that CEP and cytokinin signaling intersect to promote shallower LR growth, but additional components contribute to the cepr1 phenotype in soil.

Bioassays for Identifying and Characterizing Plant Regulatory Peptides

Plant peptides are a new frontier in plant biology, owing to their key regulatory roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Synthetic peptides are promising biological agents that can be used to improve crop growth and protection in an environmentally sustainable manner. Plant regulatory peptides identified in pioneering research, including systemin, PSK, HypSys, RALPH, AtPep1, CLV3, TDIF, CLE, and RGF/GLV/CLEL, hold promise for crop improvement as potent regulators of plant growth and defense. Mass spectrometry and bioinformatics are greatly facilitating the discovery and identification of new plant peptides. The biological functions of most novel plant peptides remain to be elucidated. Bioassays are an essential part in studying the biological activity of identified and putative plant peptides. Root growth assays and cultivated plant cell cultures are widely used to evaluate the regulatory potential of plant peptides during growth, differentiation, and stress reactions. These bioassays can be used as universal approaches for screening peptides from different plant species. Development of high-throughput bioassays can facilitate the screening of large numbers of identified and putative plant peptides, which have recently been discovered but remain uncharacterized for biological activity.

Root-Knot-Nematode-Encoded CEPs Increase Nitrogen Assimilation

C-terminally encoded peptides (CEPs) are plant developmental signals that regulate growth and adaptive responses to nitrogen stress conditions. These small signal peptides are common to all vascular plants, and intriguingly have been characterized in some plant parasitic nematodes. Here, we sought to discover the breadth of root-knot nematode (RKN)-encoded CEP-like peptides and define the potential roles of these signals in the plant-nematode interaction, focusing on peptide activity altering plant root phenotypes and nitrogen uptake and assimilation. A comprehensive bioinformatic screen identified 61 CEP-like sequences encoded within the genomes of six root-knot nematode (RKN; Meloidogyne spp.) species. Exogenous application of an RKN CEP-like peptide altered A. thaliana and M. truncatula root phenotypes including reduced lateral root number in M. truncatula and inhibited primary root length in A. thaliana. To define the role of RKN CEP-like peptides, we applied exogenous RKN CEP and demonstrated increases in plant nitrogen uptake through the upregulation of nitrate transporter gene expression in roots and increased 15N/14N in nematode-formed root galls. Further, we also identified enhanced nematode metabolic processes following CEP application. These results support a model of parasite-induced changes in host metabolism and inform endogenous pathways to regulate plant nitrogen assimilation.

The small peptide CEP1 and the NIN-like protein NLP1 regulate NRT2.1 to mediate root nodule formation across nitrate concentrations

Legumes acquire fixed nitrogen (N) from the soil and through endosymbiotic association with diazotrophic bacteria. However, establishing and maintaining N2-fixing nodules are expensive for the host plant, relative to taking up N from the soil. Therefore, plants suppress symbiosis when N is plentiful and enhance symbiosis when N is sparse. Here, we show that the nitrate transporter MtNRT2.1 is required for optimal nodule establishment in Medicago truncatula under low-nitrate conditions and the repression of nodulation under high-nitrate conditions. The NIN-like protein (NLP) MtNLP1 is required for MtNRT2.1 expression and regulation of nitrate uptake/transport under low- and high-nitrate conditions. Under low nitrate, the gene encoding the C-terminally encoded peptide (CEP) MtCEP1 was more highly expressed, and the exogenous application of MtCEP1 systemically promoted MtNRT2.1 expression in a compact root architecture 2 (MtCRA2)-dependent manner. The enhancement of nodulation by MtCEP1 and nitrate uptake were both impaired in the Mtnrt2.1 mutant under low nitrate. Our study demonstrates that nitrate uptake by MtNRT2.1 differentially affects nodulation at low- and high-nitrate conditions through the actions of MtCEP1 and MtNLP1.

Gene editing to improve legume-rhizobia symbiosis in a changing climate

In the last three years, several gene editing techniques have been developed for both model and crop legumes. CRISPR-Cas9-based tools, in particular, are outpacing other comparable gene editing technologies used in legume hosts and their microbial symbionts to understand the molecular basis of symbiotic nitrogen-fixation. Gene editing has helped identify new gene functions, validate genetic screens, resolve gene redundancy, examine the role of tandemly duplicated genes, and investigate symbiotic signaling networks in non-model plants. In this review, we discuss the advances made in understanding the legume-rhizobia symbiosis through the use of gene editing and highlight studies conducted under varying environmental conditions. We reason that future climate-hardy legumes must be able to better integrate environmental signals with nitrogen fixation by fine-tuning long distance signaling, continuing to select efficient rhizobial partners, and adjusting their molecular circuitry to function optimally under variable light and nutrient availability and rising atmospheric carbon dioxide.