Nitrogen use efficiency by plants and reducing the environmental impact of the massive use of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture. In Arabidopsis, previous studies have shown that post-translational regulations of the NRT2.1 nitrate transporter play an important role in the control of root nitrate uptake. The results we have obtained by combining proteomic, biochemistry and physiology approaches reveal the importance of the S501 residue, which when phosphorylated completely inactivates the activity of the NRT2.1 protein. This brand new regulatory mechanism opens up a new window for understanding the molecular mechanisms linked to nitrate transport in plants.
Jacquot A, Chaput V, Mauriès A, Li Z, Tillard P, Fizames C, Bonillo P, Bellegarde F, Laugier E, Santoni V, Hem S, Martin A, Gojon A, Schulze W, Lejay L (2020) NRT2.1 C-terminus phosphorylation prevents root high affinity nitrate uptake activity in Arabidopsis thaliana. New Phytol., (accepted)
Comment of New Phytol. on this publication: On the roots of nitrogen uptake