Globular structures in roots accumulate phosphorus to extremely high concentrations following phosphorus addition. (26th March 2019) - Ryan, Megan H.
Abstract: Crops with improved uptake of fertilizer phosphorus (P) would reduce P losses and confer environmental benefits. We examined how P‐sufficient 6‐week‐old soil‐grown Trifolium subterraneum plants, and 2‐week‐old seedlings in solution culture, accumulated P in roots after inorganic P (Pi) addition. In contrast to our expectation that vacuoles would accumulate excess P, after 7 days, X‐ray microanalysis showed that vacuolar [P] remained low (<12 mmol kg −1 ). However, in the plants after P addition, some cortex cells contained globular structures extraordinarily rich in P (often >3, 000 mmol kg −1 ), potassium, magnesium, and sodium. Similar structures were evident in seedlings, both before and after P addition, with their [P] increasing threefold after P addition. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy showed seedling roots accumulated Pi following P addition, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed large plastids. For seedlings, we demonstrated that roots differentially expressed genes after P addition using RNAseq mapped to the T. subterraneum reference genome assembly and transcriptome profiles. Among the most up‐regulated genes after 4 hr was TSub_g9430.t1, which is similar to plastid envelope Pi transporters (PHT4;1, PHT4;4): expression of vacuolar Pi‐transporter homologs did not change. We suggest that subcellular P accumulation in globular structures, which may include plastids, aids cytosolic Pi homeostasis under high‐P availability. Abstract : We examined clover roots after inorganic phosphorus (Pi) addition. Although vacuolar P concentration was unchanged, unexpectedly, P accumulated in intracellular globular structures and genes similar to plastid envelope Pi transporters were up‐regulated. The structures likely aid cytosolic Pi homeostasis.