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Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is a necessary macronutrient for basic biological
processes. Plants modulate their root system architecture (RSA) and
cellular processes to adapt to Pi deprivation albeit with a growth
penalty. Excess application of Pi fertilizer, on the other hand, leads to
eutrophication and has a negative environmental impact. We compared RSA,
root hair elongation, acid phosphatase activity, metal ion accumulation,
and brassinosteroid hormone levels of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and
Solanum pennellii, which is a wild relative of tomato, under Pi
sufficiency and deficiency conditions to understand the molecular
mechanism of Pi deprivation response in tomato. We showed that Solanum
pennellii is partially insensitive to phosphate deprivation. Furthermore,
it mounts a constitutive response under phosphate sufficiency. We
demonstrate that activated brassinosteroid signaling through a tomato BZR1
ortholog gives rise to the same constitutive phosphate deficiency
response, which is dependent on zinc over-accumulation. Collectively,
these results reveal an additional strategy by which plants can adapt to
phosphate starvation.
102 views reported since publication in 2023.