Abstract
Omeprazole is a selective proton pump inhibitor in humans that inhibits the H+/K+-ATPase of gastric parietal cells. Omeprazole has been recently shown to act as a plant growth regulator and enhancer of salt stress tolerance. Here, we report that omeprazole treatment in hydroponically grown maize improves nitrogen uptake and assimilation. The presence of micromolar concentrations of omeprazole in the nutrient solution alleviates the chlorosis and growth inhibition induced by low nitrogen availability. Nitrate uptake and assimilation is enhanced in omeprazole treated plants through changes in nitrate reductase activity, primary metabolism, and gene expression. Omeprazole enhances nitrate assimilation through an interaction with nitrate reductase, altering its activation state and affinity for nitrate as a substrate. Omeprazole and its targets represent a novel method for enhancing nitrogen use efficiency in plants.
Highlights
In recent decades, increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) has emerged as critical target for reducing the requirements for chemical fertilizers and lessen the potential environmental impacts of nitrogen fertilization in agriculture
We further investigated if mechanisms directly involved with nitrate uptake and assimilation could be perturbed or activated by OP treatment contributing to the growth promotion phenotype
Previous experiments indicated that OP treatment increased nitrate content in tomato (Van Oosten et al, 2017a; Rouphael et al, 2018), basil (Carillo et al, 2019a; Carillo et al, 2019d), and in Arabidopsis thaliana
Summary
In recent decades, increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) has emerged as critical target for reducing the requirements for chemical fertilizers and lessen the potential environmental impacts of nitrogen fertilization in agriculture. The chemical synthesis of ammonia, ammonium, urea, and nitrate for use in agriculture through the Haber-Bosch process produces 450 million tons of chemical fertilizer per year consuming up to 5% of the global natural gas production (Smith, 2002; Smill, 2004; Erisman et al, 2008; Chen et al, 2018). Nitrate is required for full levels of NR gene expression, since signals from nitrogen metabolism play an important role in inducing the expression of NR gene Nia (Oaks, 1974)
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