Signaling mechanisms integrating carbon and nitrogen utilization in plants

Abstract

Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are two essential nutrients affecting plant growth and development. Plants are non-motile organisms and have evolved highly sophisticated and complex sensing and signaling mechanisms to respond to the dynamic changes of C and N nutrients in their surroundings. C and N metabolism are tightly coordinated to maintain intracellular C/N homeostasis. However, the regulatory mechanism underlying C/N coordination and balancing in plants remains to be elucidated. It has been suggested that C and N metabolism are modulated by the interaction of C signaling with N signaling or by C/N ratio signaling. This review focuses on cell signaling studies that provide insight into the regulation mechanism of C/N balancing in plants.

Keywords

carbon / nitrogen / balancing / coordination / signaling

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