Nitrogen-sensing proteins quietly suppress sulfur uptake in plants
Basu S, Shukla V, Trivedi I, Yu P, Bechtel H
Plant Signaling
When you add nitrogen fertilizer to your garden, the proteins your plants use to process that nitrogen also dial back their sulfur uptake, meaning a heavy hand with fertilizer may be quietly starving them of the mineral behind their flavor, pungency, and disease resistance.
Plants need both nitrogen and sulfur to thrive, and it turns out they have molecular switches that coordinate how much of each they absorb. Scientists found that two proteins activated by nitrogen sensing put the brakes on sulfur uptake, so plants don't just grab more sulfur as nitrogen rises. Plants engineered without these proteins pulled in more sulfur, built up more of a sulfur-containing building block called cysteine, and fared better when sulfur in the soil was scarce.
Key Findings
TGA1 and TGA4 proteins bind directly to the control region of the high-affinity sulfate transporter SULTR1;2 and repress both SULTR1;1 and SULTR1;2 activity in response to nitrate supply.
Plants lacking both TGA1 and TGA4 showed enhanced sulfate uptake, elevated cysteine accumulation, and improved survival under prolonged sulfate limitation.
These same proteins also regulate sulfur-containing defense compounds, including indolic glucosinolates and camalexin, linking nitrogen sensing to plant immunity during pathogen attack.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Two proteins in plants, TGA1 and TGA4, act as molecular brakes on sulfur uptake when nitrogen is detected, coordinating how plants balance these two nutrients. Removing these proteins lets plants absorb more sulfur and grow better under low-sulfur conditions, pointing toward a path for breeding more nutrient-efficient crops.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
The primary nitrate response TGA1 and TGA4 transcription factors are negative regulators of sulfate uptake and metabolism.
Although the synergistic effects of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) on crop performance are well established, the regulatory network integrating these pathways remains largely unknown. Clade I TGA tran...
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