H2 S works synergistically with rhizobia to modify photosynthetic carbon assimilation and metabolism in nitrogen-deficient soybeans

• Published in: Plant, cell and environment cell and environment, 2023-08, Vol.46 (8), p.2523-2541
• Main Authors: Zhang, Ni-Na, Suo, Bing-Yu, Yao, Lin-Lin, Ding, Yu-Xin, Zhang, Jian-Hua, Wei, Ge-Hong, Shangguan, Zhou-Ping, Chen, Juan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1365-3040
• DOI: 10.1111/pce.14643

Hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) performs a crucial role in plant development and abiotic stress responses by interacting with other signalling molecules. However, the synergistic involvement of H2 S and rhizobia in photosynthetic carbon (C) metabolism in soybean (Glycine max) under nitrogen (N) deficiency has been largely overlooked. Therefore, we scrutinised how H2 S drives photosynthetic C fixation, utilisation, and accumulation in soybean-rhizobia symbiotic systems. When soybeans encountered N deficiency, organ growth, grain output, and nodule N-fixation performance were considerably improved owing to H2 S and rhizobia. Furthermore, H2 S collaborated with rhizobia to actively govern assimilation product generation and transport, modulating C allocation, utilisation, and accumulation. Additionally, H2 S and rhizobia profoundly affected critical enzyme activities and coding gene expressions implicated in C fixation, transport, and metabolism. Furthermore, we observed substantial effects of H2 S and rhizobia on primary metabolism and C-N coupled metabolic networks in essential organs via C metabolic regulation. Consequently, H2 S synergy with rhizobia inspired complex primary metabolism and C-N coupled metabolic pathways by directing the expression of key enzymes and related coding genes involved in C metabolism, stimulating effective C fixation, transport, and distribution, and ultimately improving N fixation, growth, and grain yield in soybeans.