Supplemental nitrogen induces robust physiological and molecular adaptations by enhancing carbon metabolism in maize

Plants depend on nitrogen (N) to support their growth, development, and essential metabolic activities. However, the mechanisms modulating the distribution of N assimilates under supplemental N (SN) condition is unknown. This study examines carbon (C) metabolism and spatial distribution in maize seedlings subjected to three N treatments (T1 to T3): T1, 1 mM NO₃⁻ (low N, LN); T2, supplementation of 1 mM NO₃⁻ with 2 mM NO₃⁻ (1 mM NO₃⁻ → 2 mM NO₃⁻, SN); and T3, 2 mM NO₃⁻ (medium N, MN). SN treatment induced significant physiological and molecular adaptations, such as enhanced growth and total biomass under fluctuating N conditions. SN-treated plants exhibited enhanced photosynthetic activity and significantly greater accumulation of soluble sugars, sucrose, and starch compared to those under LN and MN treatments. Activities of key C metabolism enzymes, such as sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), sucrose synthase (SuSy) and invertases (INVs), starch synthase (SS), AGPase, α-amylase (AMY) and β-amylase (BAM) were significantly upregulated, supporting efficient C metabolism. Molecular analysis revealed transcriptional reprogramming under SN, marked by the upregulation of genes related to sucrose (ZmSPS1, ZmSuSy1, ZmINVs, ZmSUT2, ZmSTP2, ZmSUC2 and ZmSWEET14) and starch (ZmSS1, ZmAGPase1, ZmAMY1 and ZmBAM1) metabolism and transport. The spatial and diurnal analysis revealed dynamic C partitioning and adaptive regulation, with SN plants maintaining higher sucrose and starch levels in the leaves, sheath and roots. These findings highlight the robust plasticity of maize C metabolism under SN conditions and provide valuable insights into optimizing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) for sustainable crop production. Future studies will focus on exploring these adaptive mechanisms across different maize genotypes and under field conditions to improve NUE and productivity in varying N environments.