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Santin A, Russo MT, de Los Ríos LM, Chiurazzi M, d'Alcalà MR, Lacombe B, Ferrante MI, Rogato A. The tonoplast localized protein PtNPF1 participates in the regulation of nitrogen response in diatoms. New Phytol 2024; 241:1592-1604. [PMID: 38084038 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Diatoms are a highly successful group of phytoplankton, well adapted also to oligotrophic environments and capable of handling nutrient fluctuations in the ocean, particularly nitrate. The presence of a large vacuole is an important trait contributing to their adaptive features. It confers diatoms the ability to accumulate and store nutrients, such as nitrate, when they are abundant outside and then to reallocate them into the cytosol to meet deficiencies, in a process called luxury uptake. The molecular mechanisms that regulate these nitrate fluxes are still not known in diatoms. In this work, we provide new insights into the function of Phaeodactylum tricornutum NPF1, a putative low-affinity nitrate transporter. To accomplish this, we generated overexpressing strains and CRISPR/Cas9 loss-of-function mutants. Microscopy observations confirmed predictions that PtNPF1 is localized on the vacuole membrane. Furthermore, functional characterizations performed on knock-out mutants revealed a transient growth delay phenotype linked to altered nitrate uptake. Together, these results allowed us to hypothesize that PtNPF1 is presumably involved in modulating intracellular nitrogen fluxes, managing intracellular nutrient availability. This ability might allow diatoms to fine-tune the assimilation, storage and reallocation of nitrate, conferring them a strong advantage in oligotrophic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Santin
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, 80121, Italy
| | | | - Laura Morales de Los Ríos
- Institute for Plant Science of Montpellier (IPSiM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, INRAE, Montpellier SupAgro, Place Pierre Viala 2, Montpellier, 34060, France
| | - Maurizio Chiurazzi
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, CNR, Via P. Castellino 111, Naples, 80131, Italy
| | | | - Benoît Lacombe
- Institute for Plant Science of Montpellier (IPSiM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, INRAE, Montpellier SupAgro, Place Pierre Viala 2, Montpellier, 34060, France
| | - Maria Immacolata Ferrante
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, 80121, Italy
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics, Trieste, 34010, Italy
| | - Alessandra Rogato
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, Naples, 80121, Italy
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, CNR, Via P. Castellino 111, Naples, 80131, Italy
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