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Updated: Aug 18, 2025

Plant Promoter Analysis: Identification and Characterization of Root Nodule Specific Promoter in the Common Bean
Published on: December 23, 2017
Nitrate availability controls translocation of the transcription factor NAC075 for cell-type-specific reprogramming
Huixin Xiao1, Yumei Hu1, Yaping Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Abstract:
Plant root architecture flexibly adapts to changing nitrate (NO3-) availability in the soil; however, the underlying molecular mechanism of this adaptive development remains under-studied. To explore the regulation of NO3--mediated root growth, we screened for low-nitrate-resistant mutant (lonr) and identified mutants that were defective in the NAC transcription factor NAC075 (lonr1) as being less sensitive to low NO3- in terms of primary root growth. We show that NAC075 is a mobile transcription factor relocating from the root stele tissues to the endodermis based on NO3- availability. Under low-NO3- availability, the kinase CBL-interacting protein kinase 1 (CIPK1) is activated, and it phosphorylates NAC075, restricting its movement from the stele, which leads to the transcriptional regulation of downstream target WRKY53, consequently leading to adapted root architecture. Our work thus identifies an adaptive mechanism involving translocation of transcription factor based on nutrient availability and leading to cell-specific reprogramming of plant root growth.
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