Project description:Plants face temporal and spatial variation in nitrogen (N) availability. This includes heterogeneity in soil nitrate (NO3-) content. To face these constraints, plants modify their gene expression and physiological processes to optimize N acquisition. This plasticity relies on a complex long-distance root-shoot-root signaling network that remains poorly understood. We previously showed that cytokinin (CK) biosynthesis is required to trigger systemic N signaling. Here, we performed split-root experiments and used a combination of CK-related mutant analyses, hormone profiling, transcriptomic analysis, NO3- uptake assays, and root growth measurements to gain insight into systemic N signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. By comparing wild-type plants and mutants affected in CK biosynthesis and ABCG14-dependent root-to-shoot translocation of CK, we revealed an important role for active trans-Zeatin (tZ) in systemic N signaling. Both rapid sentinel gene regulation and long-term functional acclimation to heterogeneous NO3- supply, including NO3- transport and root growth regulation, are likely mediated by the integration of tZ content in shoots. Furthermore, shoot transcriptome profiling revealed that glutamate/glutamine metabolism is likely a target of tZ root-to-shoot translocation, prompting an interesting hypothesis regarding shoot-to-root communication. Finally, this study highlights tZ-independent pathways regulating gene expression in shoots as well as NO3- uptake activity in response to total N-deprivation. We used microarrays to detail transcriptional reprogramming occurring in shoots in response to heterogeneous nitrate supply compared to homogeneous nitrate supply in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana plants and in two mutants affected in cytokinin biosynthesis and transport.
Project description:We investigated the morphological roots decisions of Arabidopsis in a NO3- heterogeneous medium. To do so, we used the Split-Root System which is an experimental set up to assess root decisions in nutrient heterogeneous medium. Split-root plants have been subjected to three different treatments. ‘Control KNO3’ plants received KNO3 on both sides of the root system (C.NO3) and ‘Control KCl’ plants received KCl on both sides (C.KCl) as a nitrogen deprivation treatment. 'Split' plants received KNO3 on one side (Sp.NO3) and KCl on the other side (Sp.KCl) of the root system to assess the root decision-making in a heterogeneous environment. We observed that the total lateral roots length in the Sp.NO3 and C.KCl compartments is induced as compared to C.NO3 and Sp.KCl compartments. This corresponds to a root proliferation response in strategic territories to compensate the nitrogen deprivation. To decipher the molecular basis of this morphological root response on day 4 after the beginning of the split-root treatment, we used a transcriptomic approach on roots at 2hours, 8 hours and 2 days after the beginning of the treatment. From our microarrays data, we have identified a global set of 150 genes for which the expression pattern match with the lateral roots responses. Among them, we selected 8 early marker genes of the root decisions, which allowed us to show that the shoots and the NO3- itself are essential for the decision. Finally, we tested the role of the cytokinins phytohormones as a NO3--derived systemic signal in the root decision. Interestingly, we have demonstrated that the systemic cytokinins are involved into the decision of inducing maker genes expression and making lateral roots in the Sp.NO3 compartment specifically.
Project description:We investigated the morphological roots decisions of Arabidopsis in a NO3- heterogeneous medium. To do so, we used the Split-Root System which is an experimental set up to assess root decisions in nutrient heterogeneous medium. Split-root plants have been subjected to three different treatments. ‘Control KNO3’ plants received KNO3 on both sides of the root system (C.NO3) and ‘Control KCl’ plants received KCl on both sides (C.KCl) as a nitrogen deprivation treatment. 'Split' plants received KNO3 on one side (Sp.NO3) and KCl on the other side (Sp.KCl) of the root system to assess the root decision-making in a heterogeneous environment. We observed that the total lateral roots length in the Sp.NO3 and C.KCl compartments is induced as compared to C.NO3 and Sp.KCl compartments. This corresponds to a root proliferation response in strategic territories to compensate the nitrogen deprivation. To decipher the molecular basis of this morphological root response on day 4 after the beginning of the split-root treatment, we used a transcriptomic approach on roots at 2hours, 8 hours and 2 days after the beginning of the treatment. From our microarrays data, we have identified a global set of 150 genes for which the expression pattern match with the lateral roots responses. Among them, we selected 8 early marker genes of the root decisions, which allowed us to show that the shoots and the NO3- itself are essential for the decision. Finally, we tested the role of the cytokinins phytohormones as a NO3--derived systemic signal in the root decision. Interestingly, we have demonstrated that the systemic cytokinins are involved into the decision of inducing maker genes expression and making lateral roots in the Sp.NO3 compartment specifically. 36 samples were analyzed. They correspond to three biological repeats of the C.NO3, Sp.NO3, Sp.KCl and C.KCl root samples (12 samples) that we have collected at 2hours, 8 hours and 2 days (12 samples x 3 time points) after the beginning of the split-root treatment. We analyzed the normalized microarrays data by using a three way ANOVA. The three factors of the ANOVA are 1) presence/absence of NO3-, 2) split/control and 3) time. The measures of the significance of each probe were done by the Q-value method (q<0.2, panova<0.001). The genes differentially expressed between the C.NO3 and Sp.NO3 samples, and the C.KCl and Sp.KCl samples were determined by the post-hoc Tukey test (p<0.05).
Project description:Chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed in nlp7-1 Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings complemented by a pNLP7::NLP7-GFP construct upon 10 minutes NO3- resupply after a 3-day NO3- starvation.
Project description:Chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed in nlp2-2 Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 14-d-old seedlings complemented by a pNLP2::NLP2-GFP construct upon 30 minutes NO3- resupply after a 3-day NO3- starvation.