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Phosphorus nutrition has been known for a long time to influence floral transition in plants, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Arabidopsis phosphate transporter PHOSPHATE1 (PHO1) plays a critical role in phosphate translocation from roots to shoots, but whether and how it regulates floral transition is unknown. Here, we show that knockout mutation of PHO1 delays flowering under both long- and short-day conditions. The late flowering of pho1 mutants can be partially rescued by Pi supplementation in rosettes or shoot apices. Grafting assay indicates that the late flowering of pho1 mutants is a result of impaired phosphate translocation from roots to shoots. Knockout mutation of SPX1 and SPX2 , two negative regulators of the phosphate starvation response, partially rescues the late flowering of pho1 mutants. PHO1 is epistatic to PHO2, a negative regulator of PHO1, in flowering time regulation. Loss of PHO1 represses the expression of some floral activators, including FT encoding florigen, and induces the expression of some floral repressors in shoots. Genetic analyses indicate that at least jasmonic acid signaling is partially responsible for the late flowering of pho1 mutants. In addition, we find that rice PHO1;2 , the homolog of PHO1 , plays a similar role in floral transition. These results suggest that PHO1 integrates phosphorus nutrition and flowering time, and could be used as a potential target in modulating phosphorus nutrition-mediated flowering time in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma membrane (PM) H+-ATPase is a master enzyme involved in various plant physiological processes, such as stomatal movements in leaves and nutrient uptake and transport in roots. Overexpression of Oryza sativa PM H+-ATPase 1 (OSA1) has been known to increase NH4+ uptake in rice roots. Although electrophysiological and pharmacological experiments have shown that the transport of many substances is dependent on the proton motive force provided by PM H+-ATPase, the exact role of PM H+-ATPase on the uptake of nutrients in plant roots, especially for the primary macronutrients N, P, and K, is still largely unknown. Here, we used OSA1 overexpression lines (OSA1-oxs) and gene-knockout osa1 mutants to investigate the effect of modulation of PM H+-ATPase on the absorption of N, P, and K nutrients through the use of a nutrient-exhaustive method and noninvasive microtest technology (NMT) in rice roots. Our results showed that under different concentrations of P and K, the uptake rates of P and K were enhanced in OSA1-oxs; by contrast, the uptake rates of P and K were significantly reduced in roots of osa1 mutants when compared with wild-type. In addition, the net influx rates of NH4+ and K+, as well as the efflux rate of H+, were enhanced in OSA1-oxs and suppressed in osa1 mutants under low concentration conditions. In summary, this study indicated that overexpression of OSA1 stimulated the uptake rate of N, P, and K and promoted flux rates of cations (i.e., H+, NH4+, and K+) in rice roots. These results may provide a novel insight into improving the coordinated utilization of macronutrients in crop plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H+-ATPases, including the phosphorylated intermediate–type (P-type) and vacuolar-type (V-type) H+-ATPases, are important ATP-driven proton pumps that generate membrane potential and provide proton motive force for secondary active transport. P- and V-type H+-ATPases have distinct structures and subcellular localizations and play various roles in growth and stress responses. A P-type H+-ATPase is mainly regulated at the posttranslational level by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of residues in its autoinhibitory C terminus. The expression and activity of both P- and V-type H+-ATPases are highly regulated by hormones and environmental cues. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in understanding of the evolution, regulation, and physiological roles of P- and V-type H+-ATPases, which coordinate and are involved in plant growth and stress adaptation. Understanding the different roles and the regulatory mechanisms of P- and V-type H+-ATPases provides a new perspective for improving plant growth and stress tolerance by modulating the activity of H+-ATPases, which will mitigate the increasing environmental stress conditions associated with ongoing global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a typical ammonium (NH4+)‐sensitive crop species and exhibits a futile‐NH4+ efflux from root cells. Plasma membrane (PM) H+‐ATPase is responsible for pumping H+ out of plant cells and providing the driving force for the transport of various substances. We hypothesized that PM H+‐ATPase is involved in this NH4+ efflux process of barley roots. Barley plants were cultivated in hydroponic solution with 1.0 mM NH4+ or 1.0 mM nitrate (NO3-) as the sole nitrogen source. Plasma membrane vesicles were isolated from the root tips for analyses of the activity. Plasma membrane H+‐ATPase was tested by Western Blot. The transcription of PM H+‐ATPase genes was analyzed using qRT‐PCR. Proton and NH4+ efflux from barley roots was analyzed by scanning ion‐selective electrode technique. The results show that root and shoot growth was repressed by NH4+ nutrition when compared to NO3- nutrition. Plasma membrane H+‐ATPase activity of barley roots under NH4+ nutrition was significantly higher than that under NO3- nutrition. Methyl‐ammonium (MeA), a non‐metabolizable analog of NH4+, had no significant effect on PM H+‐ATPase activity. The enhanced PM H+‐ATPase activity by NH4+ nutrition was consistent with a higher abundance of PM H+‐ATPase protein and higher transcription levels of six PM H+‐ATPase genes. By using the pharmacological agents vanadate and fusicoccin, a close linkage was observed between H+ efflux and NH4+ efflux from barley roots. Taken together, NH4+ nutrition stimulates PM H+‐ATPase activity, and this stimulation is possibly triggered by NH4+ assimilation in barley roots. NH4+ efflux from barley roots is associated with PM H+‐ATPase activity which could provide the driving force for NH4+ efflux. Ammonium efflux might be considered as a disposal strategy in barley roots which prevents NH4+ overloading the root cytoplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]