Abstract
Nitrogen (N) and water (W) are crucial inputs for plant survival as well as costly resources for agriculture. Given their importance, the molecular mechanisms that plants rely on to signal changes in either N or W status have been under intense scrutiny. However, how plants sense and respond to the combination of N and W signals at the molecular level has received scant attention. The purpose of this review is to shed light on what is currently known about how plant responses to N are impacted by W status. We review classic studies which detail how N and W combinations have both synergistic and antagonistic effects on key plant traits, such as root architecture and stomatal aperture. Recent molecular studies of N and W interactions show that mutations in genes involved in N metabolism affect drought responses, and vice versa. Specifically, perturbing key N signaling genes may lead to changes in drought-responsive gene expression programs, which is supported by a meta-analysis we conduct on available transcriptomic data. Additionally, we cite studies that show how combinatorial transcriptional responses to N and W status might drive crop phenotypes. Through these insights, we suggest research strategies that could help to develop crops adapted to marginal soils depleted in both N and W, an important task in the face of climate change.
Highlights
Plants source both nitrogen (N) and water (W) from soils for growth and development
Perturbing key N signaling genes may lead to changes in drought-responsive gene expression programs, which is supported by a meta-analysis we conduct on available transcriptomic data
We have discussed the combinatorial effects that N and W can have on plant physiology, and shed light on the possible molecular mechanisms and transcriptome signaling interactions that underlie these responses
Summary
Plants source both nitrogen (N) and water (W) from soils for growth and development. Both play fundamental roles in plant biology—N is found in almost every biomolecule plants create, while W serves as the solvent and milieu for all biological processes.Since both N and W are increasingly limited in soils worldwide, N-based fertilizers and irrigation underlie modern agriculture’s goal to meet yield potential. Plants source both nitrogen (N) and water (W) from soils for growth and development. Both play fundamental roles in plant biology—N is found in almost every biomolecule plants create, while W serves as the solvent and milieu for all biological processes. Since both N and W are increasingly limited in soils worldwide, N-based fertilizers and irrigation underlie modern agriculture’s goal to meet yield potential. Climate change will force farmers around the globe to adapt to drier, nutrient-poor soils (Robertson and Vitousek, 2009; Ulrich et al, 2014). In an attempt to develop crops that are either N- or W-use efficient, research efforts have focused on understanding how the availability of N or W in soils impacts plant biology—at both the physiological and molecular level
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