Effects of Exogenous Glutamate Treatment on Gene Expression in Tobacco Roots and Shoots
This study investigated the effects of exogenous glutamate as an organic nitrogen source on gene expression and metabolic responses in tobacco. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. K326) seedlings were grown hydroponically under controlled environmental conditions and pretreated with nitrogen starvation before exposure to glutamate at different concentrations. Roots and shoots were sampled at multiple time points following treatment to capture early and sustained transcriptional responses. Apoplastic and symplastic amino acid pools, as well as long distance transport via phloem and xylem sap, were analyzed to assess nitrogen redistribution dynamics. RNA sequencing was conducted at representative early and intermediate stages of glutamate treatment, and metabolite profiling was performed to link transcriptional changes with metabolic reprogramming. This dataset provides insights into how exogenous glutamate modulates carbon nitrogen metabolism and coordinates root shoot communication in tobacco.