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Nutrient signalling integrates and coordinates gene expression, metabolism and growth. However, its primary molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood in plants and animals. Here we report unique Ca2+ signalling triggered by nitrate with live imaging of an ultrasensitive biosensor in Arabidopsis leaves and roots. A nitrate-sensitized and targeted functional genomic screen identifies subgroup III Ca2+-sensor protein kinases (CPKs) as master regulators that orchestrate primary nitrate responses. A chemical switch with the engineered mutant CPK10(M141G) circumvents embryo lethality and enables conditional analyses of cpk10 cpk30 cpk32 triple mutants to define comprehensive nitrate-associated regulatory and developmental programs. Nitrate-coupled CPK signalling phosphorylates conserved NIN-LIKE PROTEIN (NLP) transcription factors to specify the reprogramming of gene sets for downstream transcription factors, transporters, nitrogen assimilation, carbon/nitrogen metabolism, redox, signalling, hormones and proliferation. Conditional cpk10 cpk30 cpk32 and nlp7 mutants similarly impair nitrate-stimulated system-wide shoot growth and root establishment. The nutrient-coupled Ca2+ signalling network integrates transcriptome and cellular metabolism with shoot-root coordination and developmental plasticity in shaping organ biomass and architecture.

Nutrient signalling integrates and coordinates gene expression, metabolism and growth. However, its primary molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood in plants and animals. Here we report unique Ca[sup.2+] signalling triggered by nitrate with live imaging of an ultrasensitive biosensor in Arabidopsis leaves and roots. A nitrate-sensitized and targeted functional genomic screen identifies subgroup III Ca[sup.2+]-sensor protein kinases (CPKs) as master regulators that orchestrate primary nitrate responses. A chemical switch with the engineered mutant CPK10(M141G) circumvents embryo lethality and enables conditional analyses of cpk10 cpk30 cpk32 triple mutants to define comprehensive nitrate-associated regulatory and developmental programs. Nitrate-coupled CPK signalling phosphorylates conserved NIN-LIKE PROTEIN (NLP) transcription factors to specify the reprogramming of gene sets for downstream transcription factors, transporters, nitrogen assimilation, carbon/nitrogen metabolism, redox, signalling, hormones and proliferation. Conditional cpk10 cpk30 cpk32 and nlp7 mutants similarly impair nitrate-stimulated system-wide shoot growth and root establishment. The nutrient-coupled Ca[sup.2+] signalling network integrates transcriptome and cellular metabolism with shootroot coordination and developmental plasticity in shaping organ biomass and architecture., Author(s): Kun-hsiang Liu (corresponding author) [1, 2]; Yajie Niu [1]; Mineko Konishi [3]; Yue Wu [1]; Hao Du [1]; Hoo Sun Chung [1]; Lei Li [1]; Marie Boudsocq [1, 4]; [...]

Arabidopsis ubiquitin ligases ATL31 and homologue ATL6 control the carbon/nitrogen nutrient and pathogen responses. A mutant with the loss-of-function of both atl31 and atl6 developed light intensity-dependent pale-green true leaves, whereas the single knockout mutants did not. Plastid ultrastructure and Blue Native-PAGE analyses revealed that pale-green leaves contain abnormal plastid structure with highly reduced levels of thylakoid proteins. In contrast, the pale-green leaves of the atl31/atl6 mutant showed normal Fv/Fm. In the pale-green leaves of the atl31/atl6, the expression of HEMA1, which encodes the key enzyme for 5-aminolevulinic acid synthesis, the rate-limiting step in chlorophyll biosynthesis, was markedly down-regulated. The expression of key transcription factor GLK1, which directly promotes HEMA1 transcription, was also significantly decreased in atl31/atl6 mutant. Finally, application of 5-aminolevulinic acid to the atl31/atl6 mutants resulted in recovery to a green phenotype. Taken together, these findings indicate that the 5-aminolevulinic acid biosynthesis step was inhibited through the down-regulation of chlorophyll biosynthesis-related genes in the pale-green leaves of atl31/atl6 mutant.