Mitigation of compound environmental challenges via orchestrating the ABA- and nitrogen-mediated signaling pathways

Plants are constantly exposed to fluctuating environmental cues. Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and nutrient deficiency often occur simultaneously, severely compromise crop productivity. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a central role in plant stress signaling, whereas nitrogen -primarily in the forms of nitrate (NO₃^-) and ammonium (NH₄⁺) - is indispensable for plant growth and reproduction. Increasing evidence indicates extensive crosstalk between stress and nutrient signaling pathways. Here, we emphasize the synergistic action of the ABA-mediated signaling pathway and NRT1.1B in enabling plants to fine-tune sophisticated, stress-specific responses. The nitrogen sensing components NRT1.1B and NIN-like protein (NLP) transcription factors act as potential hubs connecting nutrient signaling to ABA-mediated stress signaling. These nitrate signaling components may functionally interact with ABA-mediated stress signaling via the activity of SNF1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) or calcium-signaling kinases. Elucidating these integrative mechanisms provides new insights into nutrient-stress crosstalk and offers potential strategies for engineering crops with enhanced resilience under combined environmental challenges.