Poster Presentation International Plant Molecular Biology Conference 2024

Regulation of CRFs in plant nitrogen (N) sensing and signalling (#231)

Marina Borges Osorio 1 , Rashed Abualia 1 , Alexandra Schutkowski 2 , Ingo Heilmann 2 , Eva Benkova 1
  1. IST-Austria, Klosterneuburg, LOWER AUSTRIA, Austria
  2. Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg: 06108 , Halle, Germany

 Nitrogen availability in soil is a key factor limiting plant yield. Plant success relies on rapid sensing of intrinsic N status and activation of molecular responses to adjust N use.  Plants take up N mainly as NO3- and NH4+. NO3- is often the preferred N source, while excessive NH4+ uptake may be toxic. NO3- signalling affects many cellular processes, in tight link with auxin and CK signalling: through complex crosstalk, they orchestrate a communication network driving plant growth.  My focus is on Cytokinin Response Factors (CRFs), a sub-branch of the AP2/ERF transcription factor superfamily. CRFs intersect auxin and CK signalling with stress responses. Recent reports link CRFs to NO3--induced transcriptional reprogramming1,2, modulation of root systems architecture in response to N availability2, and a role in integrating N sensing in roots via CK to auxin-guided shoot growth3. Yet, how CRFs are regulated during N sensing remains unclear. In silico and experimental evidence point toward post-translational control, which is dependent on the N source provided. Combining cell biology, genetics, proteomics, and physiology of Arabidopsis, I dissect the molecular layers of CRF regulation during N sensing and their role in modulating plant adaptive growth. Understanding reversible CRF regulation sheds new light on how plants adapt to changes in N availability, thus providing additional tools to optimise N utilization in increasingly harsher environments.

  1. 1. Varala, K. et al. Temporal transcriptional logic of dynamic regulatory networks underlying nitrogen signaling and use in plants. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 115, 6494–6499 (2018).
  2. 2. Gaudinier, A. et al. Transcriptional regulation of nitrogen-associated metabolism and growth. Nature 563, 259–264 (2018).
  3. 3. Abualia, R. et al. Molecular framework integrating nitrate sensing in root and auxin-guided shoot adaptive responses. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 119, 1–11 (2022).