Low nitrogen conditions accelerate flowering by modulating the phosphorylation state of FLOWERING BHLH 4 in Arabidopsis.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 118(19)2021 05 11.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33963081
ABSTRACT
Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient that affects multiple plant developmental processes, including flowering. As flowering requires resources to develop sink tissues for reproduction, nutrient availability is tightly linked to this process. Low N levels accelerate floral transition; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this response are not well understood. Here, we identify the FLOWERING BHLH 4 (FBH4) transcription factor as a key regulator of N-responsive flowering in Arabidopsis Low N-induced early flowering is compromised in fbh quadruple mutants. We found that FBH4 is a highly phosphorylated protein and that FBH4 phosphorylation levels decrease under low N conditions. In addition, decreased phosphorylation promotes FBH4 nuclear localization and transcriptional activation of the direct target CONSTANS (CO) and downstream florigen FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) genes. Moreover, we demonstrate that the evolutionarily conserved cellular fuel sensor SNF1-RELATED KINASE 1 (SnRK1), whose kinase activity is down-regulated under low N conditions, directly phosphorylates FBH4. SnRK1 negatively regulates CO and FT transcript levels under high N conditions. Together, these results reveal a mechanism by which N levels may fine-tune FBH4 nuclear localization by adjusting the phosphorylation state to modulate flowering time. In addition to its role in flowering regulation, we also showed that FBH4 was involved in low N-induced up-regulation of nutrient recycling and remobilization-related gene expression. Thus, our findings provide insight into N-responsive growth phase transitions and optimization of plant fitness under nutrient-limited conditions.
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Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Arabidopsis
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Proteínas de Arabidopsis
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Flores
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Fatores de Transcrição Hélice-Alça-Hélice Básicos
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Nitrogênio
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article