title: Signaling mechanisms integrating root and shoot responses to changes in the nitrogen supply.
abstract: During their life cycle, plants must be able to adapt to wide variations in the supply of soil nitrogen (N). Changes in N availability, and in the relative concentrations of NO(3) (-)and NH(4) (+), are known to have profound regulatory effects on the N uptake systems in the root, on C and N metabolism throughout the plant, and on root and shoot morphology. Optimising the plant's responses to fluctuations in the N supply requires co-ordination of the pathways of C and N assimilation, as well as establishment of the appropriate allocation of resources between root and shoot growth. Achieving this integration of responses at the whole plant level implies long-distance signaling mechanisms that can communicate information about the current availability of N from root-to-shoot, and information about the C/N status of the shoot in the reverse direction. In this review we will discuss recent advances which have contributed to our understanding of these long-range signaling pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, Bailrigg, UK.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Walch-Liu
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Filleur
authors.forename: Yinbo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.forename: Brian G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Forde
mesh_terms: D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids / Q000502:physiology; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000502:physiology*; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007210:Indoleacetic Acids; D009584:Nitrogen