Special Issue "Role of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Nutrition, Growth and Metabolism of Photosynthetic Organisms"
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant, Algae and Fungi Cell Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2023 | Viewed by 16149
Special Issue Editor
Interests: luxury uptake of phosphorus; nutrient biocapture; intracellular nutrient reserves; stress effects on lipid metabolism; high carbon dioxide tolerance; phycoremediation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues:
In addition to light, photosynthetic organisms, a vital component of the biosphere, require energy, water, and inorganic carbon (a set of mineral nutrients, most important of which are nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)). Single-celled phototrophs as well as higher plants respond to fluctuations in the nutrient availability by deployment of a broad range of acclimations enhancing the N and P acquisition and accumulation of their reserves. On the cellular and subcellular level, the nutrient deprivation and resupply trigger a profound reprogramming of transcriptome and metabolome. On the ecosystem level, the availability of N and especially P modulates the productivity of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Adequate supply of N and P is a prerequisite for crop productivity and hence for food security. Inefficient use of mineral fertilizers leads to soil degradation and eutrophication of eater bodies. Therefore, the practices and technologies for sustainable use of N and P are in great demand.
This Special Issue is intended to advance our understanding of the effects of N and P availability on different aspects of autotrophic cell functioning, including acquisition and uptake of the nutrients and turnover of their cell reserves. Papers elucidating new aspects of cyanobacterial, algal, and plant cell response to the nutrient shortage and their interplay with other stresses offering further mechanistic insights are welcome. Reviews outlining state-of-the-art developments in these fields can be considered as well.
Dr. Alexei Solovchenko
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- nutrient uptake
- eutrophication
- nutrient starvation and luxury uptake
- nutrient reserves
- nutrient biocapture
- nitrogen fixation
- sustainable usage of nutrients
- nutrient acquisition
- nutrient-mobilizing microorganisms
- nutrient bioavailability in soil
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Genetic Engineering and Genome Editing for Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Plants
Authors: Vadim G. Lebedev 1, 2 and Konstantin A. Shestibratov 1,2
Affiliation: 1. Branch of the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Nauki 6, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia;
2. Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies Named after G.F. Morozov, 8 Timiryazeva Str. 394087 Voronezh, Russia
Abstract: Nitrogen is one of the main nutrients for plants, and nitrogen fertilizers are widely used in agriculture to increase yields. Unfortunately, most of the nitrogen is not used by plants and thus pollutes the soil and water. Modern breeding methods based on genetic engineering, and in recent years, on genome editing, can increase the nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) by plants. To date, a large number of genes for uptake, transport, utilization and remobilization of nitrogen, as well as transcription factors, have been used for improvement NUE. This review examines the effects of the transgenes on plant growth and development and discusses the most optimal strategies for increasing NUE.
Title: Association of barley root elongation under supra-optimal concentrations of nitrates and phosphates with ABA-dependent transport of cytokinins from roots and shoots
Authors: Lidiya Vysotskaya, Vadim Fedyaev, Leila Timergalina, Guzel Akhiyarova, Alla Kurobova, Ditry Veselov, Guzel Kudoyarova
Affiliation: Ufa Institute of Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences
Abstract: Changes in concentration of essential mineral nutrients influences root growth thereby optimizing ions uptake. Since ions are unevenly distributed in soil, roots frequently penetrate soil patches which are reach with phosphates and nitrates. The resulting inhibition of root elongation enables efficient acquisition of ions from the patches. However mechanisms controlling this adaptive root growth response are not fully understood. Availability of phosphates and nitrates is known to influence concentration of hormones, mainly cytokinins and abscisic acid (ABA), capable of controlling root elongation. In some cases, interaction between these hormones was detected under changes in availability of mineral nutrients. The aim of the present work was in the study of dependence of root growth response to increased concentration of phosphates and nitrates on ability of plants to synthesize ABA. Effects of over-optimal concentrations of these ions on root elongation and distribution of these hormones between roots and shoots was studied in ABA-deficient barley mutant AZ34 and its parental variety Steptoe. Cytokinin concentration in the cells of the growing root tips was analyzed with the help of immunohistochemical technique using specific antibodies against cytokinin, zeatin riboside. Increased concentrations of nitrates and phosphates led to accumulation of ABA and cytokinins in the roots tips accompanied by a decline in shoot cytokinin content and inhibition of root elongation in Steptoe. Neither of the effects was detected in AZ34 suggesting importance of ability of plants to accumulate ABA for the control of these responses. Since cytokinins are known to inhibit root elongation the effect of increased concentration of mineral nutrients on root growth is likely to be due to accumulation of cytokinins brought about by ABA-induced inhibition of cytokinin transport from roots to shoots.
Title: Simulating the interplay between the uptake of inorganic phosphate and the cell metabolic reactions under phosphorus feast and famine conditions in Chlorella vulgaris
Authors: Tatiana Yu. Plyusnina1, Polina V. Fursova1, Sergei S. Khruschev1, Alexei E. Solovchenko2, Taras K. Antal1,3, Galina Yu. Riznichenko1, Andrei B. Rubin1
Affiliation: 1Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/12, Moscow, 119234 Russia, E-mail: [email protected] 2Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1/12, Moscow, 119234 Russia 3Pskov State University, Lenin sq. 2, Pskov, 180000 Russia
Abstract: Using mathematical simulation approach, we studied the dynamics of the green microalgae Chlorella vulgaris cell metabolism response to shortage and subsequent replenishing of inorganic phosphate, Pi in the medium. Distribution of Pi between cell pools and corresponding changes in central metabolism were examined for three different cases: autotrophic growth in Pi-rich medium, incubation in Pi-free medium, and growth re-start by Pi addition to the phosphorus-starving culture. The modeling confirms the ability of Pi-starving cell to accumulate carbohydrate reserves. Replenishment of Pi in the medium switches central metabolism of the cell to starch catabolism to cover the energy demand for fast Pi uptake. As a result, exogenous Pi is taken up by the cell and stored in the form of polyphosphates, which are subsequently metabolized for cell division. Biotechnological implications of the observed dynamics of polyphosphate pool of the microalgal cell are considered.
