Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Archive
    • Preview Papers
  • About
    • Editorial Board and Staff
    • About the Journal
    • Terms & Privacy
  • More
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us
  • Submit a Manuscript
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
  • Other Publications
    • Plant Physiology
    • The Plant Cell
    • Plant Direct
    • The Arabidopsis Book
    • Teaching Tools in Plant Biology
    • ASPB
    • Plantae

User menu

  • My alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Plant Cell
  • Other Publications
    • Plant Physiology
    • The Plant Cell
    • Plant Direct
    • The Arabidopsis Book
    • Teaching Tools in Plant Biology
    • ASPB
    • Plantae
  • My alerts
  • Log in
Plant Cell

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Archive
    • Preview Papers
  • About
    • Editorial Board and Staff
    • About the Journal
    • Terms & Privacy
  • More
    • Alerts
    • Contact Us
  • Submit a Manuscript
    • Instructions for Authors
    • Submit a Manuscript
  • Follow PlantCell on Twitter
  • Visit PlantCell on Facebook
  • Visit Plantae
In BriefIN BRIEF
Open Access

It’s an Uphill Battle: The MYB59-NPF7.3 Regulatory Module and its Role in Nutrient Transport

Christian Danve M. Castroverde
Christian Danve M. Castroverde
Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory and Plant Resilience InstituteMichigan State University East Lansing, MI
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Christian Danve M. Castroverde
  • For correspondence: castrov3@msu.edu

Published March 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00032

  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading
  • © 2019 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

Fertilizer use in agriculture is one of the essential strategies in improving crop productivity and ensuring global food security. Two primary nutrients in fertilizers are potassium (K+) and nitrate (NO3-), which are vital for proper plant function. In order to formulate better approaches in optimizing fertilizer use, it is crucial that we have a thorough understanding of how plants effectively respond to and transport these nutrients. Achieving this could result in higher agricultural yields with lower environmental impacts (Zhang, 2017).

Plants accurately detect K+ and NO3-, and adjust uptake and transport of these ions according to their availability and the needs of the plant. Interestingly, a single transporter protein, NITRATE TRANSPORTER1.5 or NRT1.5/NPF7.3, can transport both K+ and NO3- from the root to the shoot (Lin et al., 2008; Li et al., 2017). Although previous studies have shown that NRT1.5/NPF7.3 gene expression is influenced by changes in K+/NO3- levels (Wang et al., 2004; Li et al., 2017), the mechanistic basis of this gene expression regulation has remained elusive. New work by Du et al. (2019) shows that MYB DOMAIN PROTEIN59 or MYB59 regulates K+ and NO3- transport in response to low K+ or NO3- conditions by activating NPF7.3 transcription.

Using a genetic screen of 400 Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) T-DNA insertion lines and ensuing validation, the authors showed that the MYB59 transcription factor controls response to K+ deficiency. Detailed physiological analyses of the myb59 mutants revealed that, under low external K+ conditions, both K+ and NO3- ions accumulated more in their roots but less in their shoots, when compared with the wild-type plants. This suggested a functional role of MYB59 in K+ and NO3- translocation.

Consistent with the similar phenotypes of myb59 and npf7.3 mutants, global transcriptome analyses showed that the transporter gene NPF7.3 is downregulated in the myb59 mutant. Expression of NPF7.3 rescued the low K+ phenotype of the myb59 mutant, indicating that NPF7.3 lies downstream of MYB59, and that the myb59 mutant phenotypes are largely explained by the deficiency of NPF7.3.

But does MYB59 directly or indirectly regulate NPF7.3 gene expression (see figure)? Du et al. (2019) answered this fundamental question by testing whether MYB59 directly binds the promoter of the NPF7.3 gene. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments, coupled with mobility shift assays, provided evidence for the direct transcriptional regulation of NPF7.3 by MYB59. This transcriptional cascade seemed to be directed by external nutrient levels, as MYB59 and NPF7.3 gene expression levels were reduced under either low K+ or low NO3- stress conditions. Interestingly, low K+ levels also regulated the MYB59 transcription factor at the protein level in a proteasome-dependent manner.

Figure1
  • Download figure
  • Open in new tab
  • Download powerpoint

Model for Sensing and Adjusting External K+/NO3- Levels Through the MYB59-NPF7.3 Regulatory Module in Arabidopsis.

The nutrient-responsive MYB59 transcription factor binds to the promoter of the NPF7.3 gene encoding an important transporter protein for K+/NO3- translocation. (Adapted from Du et al. [2019], Figure 11.)

It would be exciting for future studies to investigate the upstream regulators linking nutrient perception and MYB59 gene transcription. How does MYB59 fit into the broader network that coordinates K+ and NO3- nutrition? How is it linked to other nutrient transport streams? Additionally, if (and how) post-translational modifications of MYB59 and its binding to target promoters are perturbed by external stimuli would be great research directions to pursue. Sorting out the mechanism of how MYB59 protein stability is regulated by K+ levels may also reveal how plants sense low K+. Overall, the results presented by Du et al. (2019) shed more light on the molecular players and pathways that are important for root-to-shoot K+/NO3- translocation. From broad genetic and genomic approaches to more detailed biochemical and physiological analyses, the authors demonstrated that MYB59-NPF7.3 represents a central regulatory hub for plants to adapt to rapidly changing nutrient conditions.

Footnotes

  • www.plantcell.org/cgi/doi/10.1105/tpc.19.00032

  • ↵[OPEN] Articles can be viewed without a subscription.

References

  1. ↵
    1. Du, X.Q.,
    2. Wang, F.L.,
    3. Li, H.,
    4. Jing, S.,
    5. Yu, M.,
    6. Li, J.,
    7. Wu, W.H.,
    8. Kudla, J.,
    9. Wang, Y.
    (2019). Transcription factor MYB59 regulates K+/NO3- translocation in Arabidopsis response to low K+ stress. Plant Cell 31: 699–714.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  2. ↵
    1. Li, H.,
    2. Yu, M.,
    3. Du, X.Q.,
    4. Wang, Z.F.,
    5. Wu, W.H.,
    6. Quintero, F.J.,
    7. Jin, X.H.,
    8. Li, H.D.,
    9. Wang, Y.
    (2017). NRT1.5/NPF7.3 functions as a proton-coupled H+/K+ antiporter for K+ loading into the xylem in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 29: 2016–2026.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  3. ↵
    1. Lin, S.H.,
    2. Kuo, H.F.,
    3. Canivenc, G.,
    4. Lin, C.S.,
    5. Lepetit, M.,
    6. Hsu, P.K.,
    7. Tillard, P.,
    8. Lin, H.L.,
    9. Wang, Y.Y.,
    10. Tsai, C.B.,
    11. Gojon, A.,
    12. Tsay, Y.F.
    (2008). Mutation of the Arabidopsis NRT1.5 nitrate transporter causes defective root-to-shoot nitrate transport. Plant Cell 20: 2514–2528.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  4. ↵
    1. Wang, R.,
    2. Tischner, R.,
    3. Gutiérrez, R.A.,
    4. Hoffman, M.,
    5. Xing, X.,
    6. Chen, M.,
    7. Coruzzi, G.,
    8. Crawford, N.M.
    (2004). Genomic analysis of the nitrate response using a nitrate reductase-null mutant of Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol. 136: 2512–2522.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  5. ↵
    1. Zhang, X.
    (2017). Biogeochemistry: A plan for efficient use of nitrogen fertilizers. Nature 543: 322–323.
    OpenUrl
PreviousNext
Back to top

Table of Contents

Print
Download PDF
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Plant Cell.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
It’s an Uphill Battle: The MYB59-NPF7.3 Regulatory Module and its Role in Nutrient Transport
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Plant Cell
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Plant Cell web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
It’s an Uphill Battle: The MYB59-NPF7.3 Regulatory Module and its Role in Nutrient Transport
Christian Danve M. Castroverde
The Plant Cell Mar 2019, 31 (3) 561-562; DOI: 10.1105/tpc.19.00032

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
It’s an Uphill Battle: The MYB59-NPF7.3 Regulatory Module and its Role in Nutrient Transport
Christian Danve M. Castroverde
The Plant Cell Mar 2019, 31 (3) 561-562; DOI: 10.1105/tpc.19.00032
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

In this issue

The Plant Cell: 31 (3)
The Plant Cell
Vol. 31, Issue 3
Mar 2019
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Cover (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
View this article with LENS

More in this TOC Section

  • Zones of Defense? SA Receptors Have It Under Control
  • The Lure of Lignin: Deciphering High-value Lignin Formation in Seed Coats
  • Got Rosettes? Phenotype Them Fast, Accurately, and Easily with ARADEEPOPSIS!
Show more IN BRIEF

Similar Articles

Our Content

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Plant Cell Preview
  • Archive
  • Teaching Tools in Plant Biology
  • Plant Physiology
  • Plant Direct
  • Plantae
  • ASPB

For Authors

  • Instructions
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Editorial Board and Staff
  • Policies
  • Recognizing our Authors

For Reviewers

  • Instructions
  • Peer Review Reports
  • Journal Miles
  • Transfer of reviews to Plant Direct
  • Policies

Other Services

  • Permissions
  • Librarian resources
  • Advertise in our journals
  • Alerts
  • RSS Feeds
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 by The American Society of Plant Biologists

Powered by HighWire