Nodulation Signaling Pathway 2: A Proposed Multifunctional Signaling Hub for Coordinating Plant Architecture, Rhizosphere Chemistry, and Symbiotic Associations Under Nutrient Stress

Abstract

Simple Summary Plants need nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus to grow, but these are often in short supply in soils. To survive, plants can change their root and shoot growth, or form partnerships with beneficial soil microbes. This review focuses on a protein called NSP2, which forms different protein complexes under different nutrient conditions and helps regulate plant responses. When phosphorus is low, NSP2 works with partner proteins to adjust root and shoot growth and release chemical signals into the soil that can recruit helpful fungi. When nitrogen is scarce, NSP2 associates with a different partner to produce signals that attract nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Hormones and environmental stresses can also influence these interactions. Understanding how NSP2 functions in these context-dependent complexes may help scientists develop crops that could use nutrients more efficiently and need fewer fertilizers, which could contribute to more sustainable farming and reduced environmental pollution.