Strigolactones: new players in the nitrogen‐phosphorus signalling interplay

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are among the most important macronutrients for plant growth and development, and the most widely used as fertilizers. Understanding how plants sense and respond to N and P deficiency is essential to optimize and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. Strigolactones (SLs) are phytohormones acting as modulators and sensors of plant responses to P deficiency. In the present work, we assess the potential role of SLs in N starvation and in the N-P signalling interplay. Physiological, transcriptional and metabolic responses were analysed in wild-type and SL-deficient tomato plants grown under different P and N regimes, and in plants treated with a short-term pulse of the synthetic SL analogue 2′-epi-GR24. The results evidence that plants prioritize N over P status by affecting SL biosynthesis. We also show that SLs modulate the expression of key regulatory genes of phosphate and nitrate signalling pathways, including the N-P integrators PHO2 and NIGT1/HHO. The results support a key role for SLs as sensors during early plant responses to both N and phosphate starvation and mediating the N-P signalling interplay, indicating that SLs are involved in more physiological processes than so far proposedFil: Marro, Nicolás Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina. Czech Academy of Sciences. Institute of Botany; República ChecaFil: Lidoy, Javier. Estación Experimental del Zaidín. Department of Soil Microbiology and Symbiotic Systems; EspañaFil: Chico, María Ángeles. Estación Experimental del Zaidín. Department of Soil Microbiology and Symbiotic Systems; EspañaFil: Rial, Carlos. Universidad de Cádiz; EspañaFil: García, Juan. Estación Experimental del Zaidín. Department of Soil Microbiology and Symbiotic Systems; EspañaFil: Varela, Rosa M.. Universidad de Cádiz; EspañaFil: Macías, Francisco A.. Universidad de Cádiz; EspañaFil: Pozo, María J.. Estación Experimental del Zaidín. Department of Soil Microbiology and Symbiotic Systems; EspañaFil: Janoušková, Martina. Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences; República ChecaFil: López-Ráez, Juan A.. Estación Experimental del Zaidín. Department of Soil Microbiology and Symbiotic Systems; Españ