Phosphorylation-Mediated Dynamics of Nitrate Transceptor NRT1.1 Regulate Auxin Flux and Nitrate Signaling in Lateral Root Growth.

The dual-affinity nitrate transceptor NITRATE TRANSPORTER1.1 (NRT1.1) has two modes of transport and signaling, governed by Thr-101 (T101) phosphorylation. NRT1.1 regulates lateral root (LR) development by modulating nitrate-dependent basipetal auxin export and nitrate-mediated signal transduction. Here, using the Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) NRT1.1 ^T101D phosphomimetic and NRT1.1 ^T101A nonphosphorylatable mutants, we found that the phosphorylation state of NRT1.1 plays a key role in NRT1.1 function during LR development. Single-particle tracking revealed that phosphorylation affected NRT1.1 spatiotemporal dynamics. The phosphomimetic NRT1.1 ^T101D form showed fast lateral mobility and membrane partitioning that facilitated auxin flux under low-nitrate conditions. By contrast, nonphosphorylatable NRT1.1 ^T101A showed low lateral mobility and oligomerized at the plasma membrane (PM), where it induced endocytosis via the clathrin-mediated endocytosis and microdomain-mediated endocytosis pathways under high-nitrate conditions. These behaviors promoted LR development by suppressing NRT1.1-controlled auxin transport on the PM and stimulating Ca ²⁺ -ARABIDOPSIS NITRATE REGULATED1 signaling from the endosome.
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