Researchers discover a nitrogen sensor widespread in the plant kingdom
Quantitatively, nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for the growth of plant organisms – from simple green algae to highly developed flowering plants. Nitrogen supply is essential for the development of all cell components, and as a good supply results in faster plant growth, it is commonly used as a fertiliser in agriculture. Nitrogen is assimilated in the chloroplasts of plant cells to produce the amino acid glutamine. This molecule serves as a storage form and central distributor that feeds nitrogen into various metabolic pathways. Scientists from the research group of Professor Karl Forchhammer at the Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine have investigated how plants keep track of their nitrogen supply. In cooperation with Dr. Marcus Hartmann at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology and colleagues from the University of St. Petersburg, they discovered that plants possess a sophisticated glutamine sensor. So-called PII signalling proteins...