Editorial: Functions of nitric oxide in photosynthetic organisms

CORREA ARAGUNDE NATALIA; FORESI NOELIA; LINDERMAYR, CHRISTIAN; MAREK PETRIVALSKY

Frontiers in Plants Science

Frontiers

Lugar: Basel; Año: 2022

More than 40 years of research consolidate nitric oxide (NO) as a signal molecule required in a broad range of physiological processes in plants. This redox-active molecule participates in a myriad of processes including plant development, abiotic stresses and plant-microbe interactions including plant immunity recently reviewed in dedicated articles (Kolbert et al., 2019; Gupta et al., 2020; León and Costa-Broseta, 2020). In this collection, we have gathered contributions from scientists working in diverse aspects of NO biology in photosynthetic organisms in an attempt to spur new collaborations and accelerate science in this field. This Research Topic, Functions of NO in Photosynthetic Organisms, compiles 1 hypothesis and perspectives, 1 opinion article and 5 original research articles, from different countries, that span the research field and give insight into ongoing novel topics in NO plant biology.New studies and innovative ideas highlight the importance of NO homeostasis. Zaffari et al. (2022) demonstrate that overexpression of alternative oxidase (AOX) gene augments NO release under hypoxia, while knock down of AOX diminishes NO. AOX participates in the phytoglobin-NO (Pgb1-NO) cycle which can contribute to ATP generation under hypoxia. The amino acid content increased in plants subjected to hypoxia, being higher in the AOX overexpressor and lower in the knock down plants compared to the wt. During hypoxic conditions, the Pgb1-NO cycle is highly active, favoring an accumulation of amino acids, which contribute to maintaining carbon, nitrogen, and energy metabolism. Regarding this, nutrient recycling is essential to maximize its efficient use and to deal with environmental situations that limit its availability or potential shortages. NO influences many processes underlying traits related to the nutrient use efficiency (NUE), mainly P, K and N. Buet et al. (2022) present an opinion article that puts on the board the complexity of the evaluation of the NO impact on NUE in plants. The authors concern the occurrence of unwanted collateral effects derived from NO manipulation in plants. This opinion proposes some priorities to take into account in the research agenda of plant nutrition leading to an increase of NUE....