植物吸收转运无机氮的生理及分子机制

氮是植物生长必需的营养元素。植物从土壤中吸收的氮素主要是NO3-和NH4 等无机氮源。植物吸收NO3-和NH4 的系统均有高亲和转运系统(high-affinity transport system,HATS)和低亲和转运系统(low-affinity transport system,LATS)之分。近10多年的研究已对这些转运系统的分子基础有了较好的理解,本文着重对近年来植物吸收无机氮分子机制的研究进展进行了综述。     

高等植物硝酸盐转运蛋白的功能及其调控机制

硝酸盐是植物从土壤中吸收的重要无机氮素形态。植物为适应含有不同浓度NO3-的土壤环境,进化出了高亲和硝酸盐转运系统(HATS)和低亲和硝酸盐转运系统(LATS),两个基因家族NRT1和NRT2家族分别参与了LATS和HATS的NO3-的吸收和转运。近年来,随着分子生物学技术和植物基因组学的快速发展,研究人员克隆出了大量参与硝酸盐吸收和转运的基因,并对这些基因的功能进行了深入研究,逐渐形成了复杂的硝酸盐调控网络。综述了植物中硝酸盐转运蛋白基因的克隆、表达及调控,并对进一步的研究作了展望,这些结果对于理解植物硝酸盐吸收的调控机制具有重要作用。     

拟南芥无机氮素转运蛋白及其磷酸化调控研究进展

氮元素是植物必需的营养元素之一, 氮素供需失衡会严重影响植物的生长发育。无机氮(硝酸根NO₃^-和铵根NH₄⁺)是植物体内氮素的主要来源, 对其有效吸收和利用依赖于多种类型转运蛋白的协同作用。其中, 部分无机氮素转运蛋白的活性受到可逆磷酸化作用的精准调控。该文将对模式植物拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)中硝酸根和铵根转运蛋白的分类、结构、定位和功能特点等进行总结, 并重点对可逆磷酸化调控转运蛋白的分子机制加以阐述。     

植物吸收利用铵态氮和硝态氮的分子调控

本文介绍了植物吸收和利用NH4^＋、NO3^-的转运系统和相关基因的表达调控特征,以及与氮还原、同化相关的酶及其调控基因的发现和功能的研究进展。     

粉绿狐尾藻和凤眼莲对不同形态氮吸收动力学研究

采用改进常规耗竭法,研究了粉绿狐尾藻(Myriophyllum aquaticum)、凤眼莲(Eichhornia crassipes)在抑菌和非抑菌两种处理中对NO3-、NH4+吸收的动力学特征。结果表明:两种植物对NO3-和NH4+的最大吸收速率(Imax)和亲和力(1/Km)有显著差异,凤眼莲对NO3-、N H4+的吸收速率显著高于狐尾藻,说明凤眼莲更适宜用于污染水体养分的去除;不同植物对NO3-、NH4+表现出吸收偏好性,凤眼莲对NO3-有较高的Imax值和亲和力,而狐尾藻对NH4+有较高的Imax值和亲和力;抑菌处理能显著增加凤眼莲对NH4+的吸收速率,NO3-浓度高于1.00 mmol/L时,抑菌处理能显著减小凤眼莲对NO3-的吸收速率,狐尾藻对NO3-、N H4+的吸收未受到抑菌处理的显著影响。       

水源涵养林不同植被类型土壤NH_4~+-N和NO_3~--N分布特征

以辽宁东部山地水源涵养林为对象,选择槭树-蒙古栎林、山杨林、白桦-山杨林和落叶松人工林等4种植被类型,测定其土壤NH4+-N、NO3--N、pH值、容重、有机碳和全氮等理化指标,分析了植被类型、土壤层次与土壤无机氮分布特征之间的关系。结果表明:4种植被类型土壤NH4+-N、NO3--N在土壤表层(0~5 cm)含量最高,由表层向下逐渐降低;土壤总无机氮含量大小为落叶松人工林(27.46 mg·kg-1)山杨林(21.76 mg·kg-1)槭树-蒙古栎林(19.09 mg·kg-1)白桦-山杨林(17.88 mg·kg-1);阔叶林中NH4+-N是土壤无机氮的主要存在形式,而落叶松人工林土壤中NO3--N所占比例较高;水源涵养林土壤NH4+-N、NO3--N均与土壤有机质、土壤含水量呈极显著正相关(P0.01)。总体而言,植被类型对土壤无机氮分布有较大影响,研究结果可为辽东山区水源涵养林植被类型的选择和结构调控提供参考。     

八种氨基酸对水稻硝酸盐吸收的影响

目的:在较低NO3-浓度下,研究不同氨基酸对水稻硝酸盐吸收的调控作用.方法:使用非侵害性硝酸盐检测系统测定了谷氨酸、天门冬氨酸、精氨酸、赖氨酸、脯氨酸、苯丙氨酸、缬氨酸和丝氨酸8种氨基酸对水稻硝酸盐吸收的动力学影响.结果:加入谷氨酸、天门冬氨酸后对水稻硝酸盐的吸收有短暂的促进作用,硝酸盐净吸收率分别上升258±123%和217±34%;另外,加入赖氨酸和精氨酸以后发现水稻硝酸盐的吸收率降低-63±34%和-64±27%,反应延迟时间为30min以上,而其他4种氨基酸并没有产生明显的影响.结论:氨基酸不是直接调控水稻高亲和力NO3-转运系统,而可能是对NO3-同化过程进行调控.     

原始森林土壤NH4+/NO3-生境特征与某些针叶树种的适应性

在陆地生态系统中,生存地段的土壤养分环境构成了植物的“营养生境”。植物在长期进化过程中往往产生对原生营养生境的生态适应,其中对NH4 和NO3-两种无机氮源的吸收、利用特性便可能是这种适应的一个重要方面。由于硝化抑制(限制)或微生物对NO3-的强烈吸收、固持作用,酸性、弱酸性的原始森林土壤中NH4 含量大都远高于NO3-,从而形成了以NH4 占绝对优势的“氮营养生境”。很多针叶树种(尤其是演替晚期阶段占优势者)对其长期所处的NH4 优势生境产生了充分适应,以致对非还原态氮(NO3-)的吸收、利用能力严重下降。这些针叶树往往表现出典型的“喜铵性”,而在NO3-优势环境中则会引起氮代谢失调和生长下降。从氮同化酶、高耐铵性、根对NH4 和NO3-的相对吸收能力及NO3-吸收的反馈控制、养分关系与养分平衡、根部碳流失、光合作用及耐荫性等多方面阐述了喜铵针叶树适应的生理生化机制。这种生态适应可能是顶极森林群落维持长期稳定的重要机制之一,而采伐干扰后NO3-明显增加的立地条件则可能会导致喜铵的“原优势针叶树种”更新困难。在温带退化森林生态系统恢复与重建过程中,顶极针叶树种对NH4 营养生境的固有适应性是必须充分考虑的问题。     

小流域内植被类型对土壤NO3-/NH4+空间变化的影响

流域内植被类型、地形地貌特征对土壤氮循环过程有重要的作用,是影响下游水体无机氮素来源以及富营养化的关键因子。通过比较小流域内4种植被类型(落叶松人工林、油松人工林、天然阔叶次生林和农田(玉米))对土壤NO3--N和NH4+-N含量空间变化的影响,揭示流域内不同立地条件下水源涵养林与土壤无机氮变化特征之间的关系。结果表明:4种植被类型土壤NO3--N和NH4+-N含量差异显著(P<0.05);由坡上到坡下土壤NO3--N和NH4+-N含量显著降低;在土壤表层NO3--N和NH4+-N含量最高,随着土层深度增加无机氮含量减少;与水源涵养林天然植被和人工林植被相比,农田土壤NO3--N含量最高(11.86mg·kg-1),有较高的氮流失风险。     

退化草地恢复过程中土壤氮素状况以及与植被地上绿色生物量形成关系的研究

 研究了在不同放牧率下形成的不同退化阶段的草地各形态氮素（全氮、硝态氮、铵态氮、无机氮和微生物氮）的变化情况,同时也研究了植被地上绿色生物量与各形态氮素季节变化的同步性关系。土壤全氮含量相对稳定,随草地植被状况和植物生长时期变化不大,说明土壤总氮库有相当的弹性。土壤硝态氮（NO－3-N）、铵态氮（NH+4-N）、无机氮（IN）和微生物氮（Micro-N）季节变化明显。土壤Micro-N和NO-3-N含量随植物生长逐渐降低,到植物枯黄期含量又回复到较高的水平;土壤NH+4-N含量随植物生长有逐渐升高的趋势;IN则随着植物的生长出现低-高-低-高的特点,且与植被地上绿色生物量呈显著负相关（R=-0.247, p<0.01）。在放牧条件下草原植物优先利用NO－3-N,NO－3-N与植被地上绿色生物量有显著的负相关性,是形成草原植被地上绿色生物量的有效性氮素。Micro-N能解释土壤IN 22.3%的变异（R2=0.223, p<0.01）,Micro-N是土壤无机氮的重要来源。土壤NH+4-N与Micro-N呈显著负相关（R=-0.222, p<0.01）,说明土壤微生物对土壤NH+4-N有偏好吸收。总体上,不同形态的氮素在各土壤层次间差异显著,随土壤层次的加深含量逐步降低。连续放牧11年恢复两年后,各氮素组分对放牧压力消除的响应并不一致。土壤全氮含量与停止放牧前相比变化差异不显著;而Micro-N对放牧压力消失的响应在不同处理下整个生长季的结果比较一致,即以前过度和中度放牧处理的Micro-N含量较高,无牧和轻牧含量较低;IN、NH+4-N和NO－3-N变化比较复杂,在不同放牧恢复处理上结果并不一致。总的来看,以前中度和过度放牧的IN、NH+4-N和NO－3-N含量较高,存在潜在损失的可能。经过两年的恢复,植被地上绿色生物量（8月）过牧处理与无牧处理差异不显著。     

Nitrogen acquisition by roots: physiological and developmental mechanisms ensuring plant adaptation to a fluctuating resource

Background

Nitrogen (N) is one of the key mineral nutrients for plants and its availability has a major impact on their growth and development. Most often N resources are limiting and plants have evolved various strategies to modulate their root uptake capacity to compensate for both spatial and temporal changes in N availability in soil. The main N sources for terrestrial plants in soils of temperate regions are in decreasing order of abundance, nitrate, ammonium and amino acids. N uptake systems combine, for these different N forms, high- and low-affinity transporters belonging to multige families. Expression and activity of most uptake systems are regulated locally by the concentration of their substrate, and by a systemic feedback control exerted by whole-plant signals of N status, giving rise to a complex combinatory network. Besides modulation of the capacity of transport systems, plants are also able to modulate their growth and development to maintain N homeostasis. In particular, root system architecture is highly plastic and its changes can greatly impact N acquisition from soil.

Scope

In this review, we aim at detailing recent advances in the identification of molecular mechanisms responsible for physiological and developmental responses of root N acquisition to changes in N availability. These mechanisms are now unravelled at an increasing rate, especially in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana L.. Within the past decade, most root membrane transport proteins that determine N acquisition have been identified. More recently, molecular regulators in nitrate or ammonium sensing and signalling have been isolated, revealing common regulatory genes for transport system and root development, as well as a strong connection between N and hormone signalling pathways.

Conclusion

Deciphering the complexity of the regulatory networks that control N uptake, metabolism and plant development will help understanding adaptation of plants to sub-optimal N availability and fluctuating environments. It will also provide solutions for addressing the major issues of pollution and economical costs related to N fertilizer use that threaten agricultural and ecological sustainability.     

Foliar application of nitrate or ammonium as sole nitrogen supply in Ricinus communis. II. The flows of cations, chloride and abscisic acid

Following a precultivation with pedospheric nitrogen nutrition, Ricinus plants were supplied with nitrogen solely by spraying nitrate or ammonium solution onto the leaves during the experimental period. The chemical composition of tissues, xylem and phloem exudates was determined and on the basis of the previously determined nitrogen flows (Peuke et al., New Phytologist (1998), 138 , 657–687) the flows of potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, chloride and ABA were modelled. These data, which permit quantification of net-uptake, transport in xylem and phloem, and utilization in shoot and root, were compared with results obtained in plants with pedospherically-supplied nitrate or ammonium and data in the literature. Although the overall effects on the chemical composition of supplying ammonium to the leaves were not as pronounced as in pedospherically supplied plants, there were some typical responses of plants fed with ammonium (ammonium syndrome). In particular, in ammonium-sprayed plants uptake and transport of magnesium decreased and chloride uptake was increased compared with nitrate-sprayed plants. Furthermore, acropetal ABA transport in the xylem in ammonium-sprayed Ricinus was threefold higher than in nitrate-sprayed plants. Additionally, concentrations of anions were more or less increased in tissues, particularly in the roots, and transport fluids. The overall signal from ammonium-sprayed leaves without a direct effect of ammonium ions on uptake and transport systems in the root is discussed.     

Diagnosis of nitrogen deficiency and toxicity of Eucalyptus globulus seedlings by foliar analysis

The relationship between shoot growth and foliar nitrogen (N) in E. globulus seedlings was studied in the glasshouse to determine standard values for N deficiency and toxicity diagnosis. Seedlings were grown for 9 weeks in yellow sand, at 10 rates of N, applied as ammonium sulphate, calcium nitrate or ammonium nitrate. Shoot dry weight (DW) increased linearly with N rate for all forms of N in the deficiency range. Seedlings continued to respond to higher rates of ammonium and ammonium nitrate than to nitrate. Maximum shoot DW for nitrate fed plants and ammonium nitrate fed plants were 51% and 84% respectively of ammonium fed plants. Total N concentration in the youngest fully expanded leaf (YFEL) ranged from 1.0% to 3.3% in deficient and adequate plants. The critical N concentration for deficiency diagnosis (corresponding to 90% maximum yield) in the YFEL, determined from these growth response curves averaged over all N forms, was 2.6% N. For ammonium nitrate fed plants, total N concentration in the YFEL for the severely deficient, deficient, adequate, and toxic ranges were <1.4%, 1.4–2.5%, 2.6–3.5%, > 4.3%. High total N concentrations were associated with growth depression and toxicity symptoms, which differed with N form. For nitrate fed plants, a total N concentration above 3.3% in the YFEL was associated with severe growth depression, and leaf tip necrosis. The adequate concentration range for ammonium nitrate was similar to values found on a field trial with 7 month old E. globulus trees grown on an exforest site.     

Interactions between nitrate and ammonium during uptake by carob seedlings and the effect of the form of earlier nitrogen nutrition

Seedlings of carob ( Ceratonia siliqua L. cv. Mulata) were used in two sets of experiments in order to evaluate; (1) the reciprocal effects of each nitrogen form on net uptake of nitrate and ammonium, and (2) the effect of earlier nitrogen nutrition on ammonium versus nitrate uptake. In the former group of experiments we studied the kinetics of nitrate and ammonium uptake as well as the interference of each of the two forms with net uptake of ammonium and nitrate by both nitrogen depleted and nitrogen fed carob seedlings. On the whole, nitrogen depletion led to increase in both affinity and V_max of the system for both forms of nitrogen, at the same time as the effects of nitrate on uptake of ammonium and vice versa were concentration dependent. In the second group of experiments the effects of earlier nitrogen nutrition on nitrate and ammonium uptake were characterized, and in this case we observed that: (a) if only one form of N was supplied, ammonium was taken up in greater amounts than nitrate; (b) the presence of ammonium enhanced nitrate uptake; (c) ammonium uptake was inhibited by nitrate; (d) there was a significant effect of the earlier nitrogen nutrition on the response of the plants to a different nitrogen source. The latter was evident mainly as regards ammonium uptake by plants grown in ammonium nitrate. The interactions between nitrate and ammonium uptake systems are discussed on the basis of the adaptation to the nitrogen source during early growth.     

Physiological dissection revealed that both uptake and assimilation are the major components regulating different growth responses of two tobacco cultivars to nitrogen nutrition

• K326 and HD represent major tobacco cultivars in China, which required large N fertiliser input but at different application rates. To understand primary components affecting tobacco N use physiology, we adopted these two varieties as valuable genetic material to assess their growth response to N nutrition.
• We established a hydroponic culture system to grow plants supplied with different N regimes. Plant biomass, N, ammonium, nitrate, arginine, GS and NR activity, N transfer and use efficiency as well as root uptake were examined.
• Our data revealed the preference of K326 and HD to utilise nitrate or ammonium nitrate but not ammonium alone, with 2 mm N supply probably sufficient and economical to achieve good biomass production at the vegetative stage. Moreover, both varieties were very sensitive to ammonium, perhaps due to lack of or abnormal signalling related to nitrate and/or arginine rather than impairment of N acquisition and initial assimilation; this was supported by measurements of the plant content of N, ammonium and activities of GS and NR. Notably, short‐term ¹⁵N root influx studies identified differential uptake kinetics of K326 and HD, with distinct affinities and transport rates for ammonium and nitrate.
• The data suggest that the growth adaptation of K326 or HD to higher or lower N may be ascribed to different competences for effective N uptake/translocation and assimilation. Thus, our work provides valuable information to prompt deeper investigation of the molecular basis controlling plant N use efficiency.

     

Gene structure and expression of the high-affinity nitrate transport system in rice roots

Rice has a preference for uptake of ammonium over nitrate and can use ammonium-N efficiently. Consequently, transporters mediating ammonium uptake have been extensively studied, but nitrate transporters have been largely ignored. Recently,some reports have shown that rice also has high capacity to acquire nitrate from growth medium, so understanding the nitrate transport system in rice roots is very important for improving N use efficiency in rice. The present study identified four putative NRT2 and two putative NAR2 genes that encode components of the high-affinity nitrate transport system (HATS) in the rice (Oryza sativa L. subsp, japonica cv. Nipponbare) genome. OsNRT2.1 and OsNRT2.2 share an identical coding region sequence, and their deduced proteins are closely related to those from monocotyledonous plants. The two NAR2 proteins are closely related to those from mono-cotyledonous plants as well. However, OsNRT2.3 and OsNRT2.4 are more closely related to Arabidopsis NRT2 proteins. Relative quantitative reverse tranecdption-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that all of the six genes were rapidly upregulated and then downregulated in the roots of N-starved rice plants after they were re-supplied with 0.2 mM nitrate, but the response to nitrate differed among gene members.The results from phylogenetic tree, gene structure and expression analysis implied the divergent roles for the individual members of the rice NRT2 and NAR2 families. High-affinity nitrate influx rates associated with nitrate induction in rice roots were investigated and were found to be regulated by external pH. Compared with the nitrate influx rates at pH 6.5, alkaline pH (pH 8.0) inhibited nitrate Influx, and acidic pH (pH 5.0) enhanced the nitrate influx In I h nitrate induced roots, but did not significantly affect that in 4 to 8 h nitrate induced roots.