review · Biomolecules
Plants absorb nitrogen as nitrate, ammonium ions, and amino acids through specialised root transporters whose specific structures govern their function. Once taken up, nitrogen is integrated into organic compounds through glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase, which convert ammonium ions into glutamine and glutamate. Distinct isoforms of these enzymes allow plants to adjust nitrogen processing in response to environmental conditions. During environmental challenges, nitric oxide helps improve plant survival under drought and mediates responses to salinity stress. Because excessive application of nitrate fertilisers causes environmental and health problems, alternatives such as diazotrophic microbiota have emerged to fix nitrogen naturally. In addition, genomic approaches can pinpoint specific genes associated with nitrogen fixation, offering opportunities to enhance plant productivity while lowering dependence on synthetic chemical fertilisers.
Synthetic nitrogen fertilisers drive agricultural yields but pose significant hazards to human health and natural ecosystems when overused. Understanding the molecular pathways of plant nitrogen uptake, stress responses, and microbial nitrogen fixation helps identify sustainable approaches to crop nutrition. Exploring these biological mechanisms enables the development of resilient crops capable of thriving under drought and salt stress while cutting agricultural dependence on synthetic chemical inputs.
This work relates to early-stage biological research with applications for crop breeders, agbiotech developers, and biofertiliser producers. The findings point towards developing microbial inoculants based on diazotrophic microbiota and using genomics to breed crops with improved nitrogen fixation or stress resilience. However, because the abstract describes basic transport mechanisms, enzyme regulation, and gene discovery concepts, practical commercial applications remain at an early research and discovery stage rather than being near-market.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Plants uptake and assimilate nitrogen from the soil in the form of nitrate, ammonium ions, and available amino acids from organic sources. Plant nitrate and ammonium transporters are responsible for nitrate and ammonium translocation from the soil into the roots. The unique structure of these transporters determines the specificity of each transporter, and structural analyses reveal the mechanisms by which these transporters function. Following absorption, the nitrogen metabolism pathway incorporates the nitrogen into organic compounds via glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase that convert ammonium ions into glutamine and glutamate. Different isoforms of glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase exist, enabling plants to fine-tune nitrogen metabolism based on environmental cues. Under stressful conditions, nitric oxide has been found to enhance plant survival under drought stress. Furthermore, the interaction between salinity stress and nitrogen availability in plants has been studied, with nitric oxide identified as a potential mediator of responses to salt stress. Conversely, excessive use of nitrate fertilizers can lead to health and environmental issues. Therefore, alternative strategies, such as establishing nitrogen fixation in plants through diazotrophic microbiota, have been explored to reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Ultimately, genomics can identify new genes related to nitrogen fixation, which could be harnessed to improve plant productivity.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.3390/biom13101443
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