![]() ![]() Ĭompelling evidence from field observations and recent experimentation indicate that plants can preserve information from past environmental events and use such memories, in the form of molecular records, to support their response when these events occur again. Indeed, when deprived of an external N source, plants increase their ability to take up N. Lack of macronutrients, like N, phosphorus and potassium, strongly impairs plant growth however, plants have developed specific mechanisms to activate physiological and molecular responses to counteract the low nutrient availability in the soil. Of these nutritional stresses, nitrogen (N) deficiency is one of the most limiting factors for plant growth in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. ![]() It has been estimated that around 60% of cultivated soils lead to nutritional disorders in crops (deficiency or toxicity impairments). Considering the predicted demographic increase in the next 30 years and the current soil consumption rate, it is important to find new strategies to guarantee crop productivity and to maintain high growth under sub-optimal environmental conditions. Plants are usually subject to large seasonal fluctuations in light, temperature, water and nutrients’ availability, often to levels that are sub-optimal for plant growth, thus, they are continuously exposed to environmental stresses. This suggests the possible involvement of a transgenerational memory in Arabidopsis that allows plants to adapt efficiently to the environment and this gives an edge to the next generation that presumably will grow in similar stressful conditions. Indeed, when fourth generation plants were exposed to N limitation, they showed a rapid induction of N-deficiency responses. This behavior indicates a rapid acclimation of plants to changes in N availability. The modulation of signaling and transcription factors, such as NIGTs, NFYA and CIPK23 might indicate that there is a complex network operating to maintain the expression of N-responsive genes, such as NRT2.1, NIA1 and NIR. RNAseq analyses revealed the enduring modulation of genes in downstream generations, despite the lack of stress stimulus in these plants. This behavior was paralleled by changes in the expression of nitrate responsive genes. The results demonstrated that the ability to take up high amounts of nitrate is induced more quickly as a result of multigenerational stress exposure. ![]() Here, an experimental setup that considered four successive generations of N-sufficient and N-limited Arabidopsis was used to evaluate the existence of a transgenerational memory. It is plausible to suppose that a stress condition can induce a memory in plants that might prime the following generations. Nitrogen (N) deficiency is one of the major stresses that crops are exposed to. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |