Nitrate signaling and use efficiency in crops

• Published in: Plant communications 2022-09, Vol.3 (5), p.100353-100353, Article 100353
• Main Authors: Gao, Yangyang, Qi, Shengdong, Wang, Yong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: crop; nitrate regulation; nitrate signaling; nitrate-regulatory gene; nitrogen use efficiency; Review
• ISSN: 2590-3462; 2590-3462
• DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2022.100353

Nitrate (NO 3 – ) is not only an essential nutrient but also an important signaling molecule for plant growth. Low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of crops is causing increasingly serious environmental and ecological problems. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of NO 3 – regulation in crops is crucial for NUE improvement in agriculture. During the last several years, significant progress has been made in understanding the regulation of NO 3 – signaling in crops, and some key NO 3 – signaling factors have been shown to play important roles in NO 3 – utilization. However, no detailed reviews have yet summarized these advances. Here, we focus mainly on recent advances in crop NO 3 – signaling, including short-term signaling, long-term signaling, and the impact of environmental factors. We also review the regulation of crop NUE by crucial genes involved in NO 3 – signaling. This review provides useful information for further research on NO 3 – signaling in crops and a theoretical basis for breeding new crop varieties with high NUE, which has great significance for sustainable agriculture. Elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of crop nitrate signaling is very important for improving NUE. This review summarizes advances in characterizing the crucial genes that modulate crop nitrate signaling and affect NUE, providing important information for research on crop nitrate regulation and a theoretical basis for improving NUE.