Metabolite shift in Medicago truncatula occurs in phosphorus deprivation.

Symbiotic nitrogen (N) fixation entails successful interaction between legume hosts and rhizobia that occur in specialized organs called nodules. N-fixing legumes have a higher demand for phosphorus (P) than legumes grown on mineral N. Medicago truncatula is an important model plant for characterization of effects of P deficiency at the molecular level. Hence, a study was carried out to address the alteration in metabolite levels of M. truncatula grown aeroponically and subjected to 4 weeks of P stress. First, GC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics initially revealed changes in the metabolic profile of nodules, with increased levels of amino acids and sugars and a decline in amounts of organic acids. Subsequently, LC-MS/MS was used to quantify these compounds including phosphorylated metabolites in the whole plant. Our results showed a drastic reduction in levels of organic acids and phosphorylated compounds in -P leaves, with a moderate reduction in -P roots and nodules. Additionally, sugars and amino acids were elevated in the whole plant under P deprivation. These findings provide evidence that N fixation in M. truncatula is mediated through a N feedback mechanism that in parallel is related to carbon and P metabolism. © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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Dhiraj Dokwal, Jean-Christophe Cocuron, Ana Paula Alonso, Rebecca Dickstein. Metabolite shift in Medicago truncatula occurs in phosphorus deprivation. Journal of experimental botany. 2022 Apr 05;73(7):2093-2111

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PMID: 34971389

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