Arabidopsis hydathodes are sites of auxin accumulation and nutrient scavenging
Hydathodes are small organs found on the leaf margins of vascular plants which release excess xylem sap through a process called guttation. While previous studies have hinted at additional functions of hydathode in metabolite transport or auxin metabolism, experimental support is limited. We conducted comprehensive transcriptomic, metabolomic and physiological analyses of mature Arabidopsis hydathodes. This study identified 1460 genes differentially expressed in hydathodes compared to leaf blades, indicating higher expression of most genes associated with auxin metabolism, metabolite transport, stress response, DNA, RNA or microRNA processes, plant cell wall dynamics and wax metabolism. Notably, we observed differential expression of genes encoding auxin-related transcriptional regulators, biosynthetic processes, transport and vacuolar storage supported by the measured accumulation of free and conjugated auxin in hydathodes. We also showed that 78% of the total content of 52 xylem metabolites was removed from guttation fluid at hydathodes. We demonstrate that NRT2.1 and PHT1;4 transporters capture nitrate and inorganic phosphate in guttation fluid, respectively, thus limiting the loss of nutrients during this process. Our transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses unveil an organ with its specific physiological and biological identity.
Authors
- Caroline Bellenot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6774-6761)
- Jean‐Marc Routaboul (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2197-5280)
- Gilles Clément (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9899-2738)
- Serge Chiarenza
- Laurent Nussaume (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9445-2563)
- Marie‐Françoise Jardinaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8290-7527)
- Sylvie Citerne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5026-095X)
- Nathalie Leonhardt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5392-9732)
- Martin Schattat (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1995-1960)
- Céline Remblière
- Magali Charvin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1165-4336)
- Laurent D. Noël (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0110-1423)
- Lars Franke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2885-8813)
- Damien Vasselon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5669-7658)
- Sébastien Carrère (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2348-0778)
- Patrick Laufs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4459-3445)
- Aurore Olympio
- Lionel Navarro
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Inserm (FR)
- Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR)
- Aix-Marseille Université (FR)
- AgroParisTech (FR)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR)
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (FR)
- CEA Cadarache (FR)
- Laboratoire des Interactions Plantes Microbes Environnement (FR)
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (FR)
- Institut de Biosciences et Biotechnologies (FR)
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Plant Journal
- Published
- 2024-09-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17014
- Citations
- 8
- Primary Topic
- Plant Molecular Biology Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.60
Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement