Plants have developed to adapt to their natural habitats rather than escape from adverse conditions. One of the dynamic factors in the environment that significantly affects plant lifespan is the pH of the soil. Soil pH deeply affects plant fitness by regulating nutrient availability and toxic ion levels. Acid soils raise the concentration of certain essential minerals, such as iron and manganese, while lowering the levels of other minerals such as nitrates and pose challenges to plants due to high alumina ion content. In contrast, alkaline soils are often rich in bicarbonate, counteracting root-mediated acidification and thus growing, but limiting the availability of important nutrients such as iron and phosphorus. Soil pH affects plant health and growth under acidic and alkaline conditions, and certain species are specifically suitable for certain pH ranges. Low pH helps cells to elongate to promote growth through the loose cell wall. However, growth in acidic soils can be harmful due to excessive ammonium or aluminum ions. In contrast, alkaline pH hinders growth by limiting cell wall flexibility. Slow growth may benefit plants in alkaline soils by preventing nutrient depletion, which is challenging due to limited mineral mobility. Therefore, adapting to different ambient pH values is crucial to optimize plant fitness and performance.
Use the reference factory ArabidopsisWolfgang Schmidt and his colleague Dharmesh Jain, from Sinica academia and National Zhongshan University, have a rapid change in how plants cope with environmental pH A detailed study was conducted. Their goal is to study the mechanisms of intracellular pH recalibration when exposed to acidic or alkaline conditions and to evaluate how these conditions affect plant adaptability and growth. Arabidopsis Plants are grown on medium with alkaline or acidic pH and then followed by morphological as well as proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses after a specific treatment period. Their works have been published in famous magazines Molecular and Cellular Proteomics.
Analysis shows that the growth of (mild calcification) Arabidopsis Plants are optimal at moderate acidic pH. “Alkaline soil significantly reduces plant adaptability and bud growth, but has minimal impact on root growth, while growth in strongly acidic soil does not affect bud growth and root dysplasia. Surprisingly, Although soil pH strongly affects nutrient availability, the study found subtle changes in mineral nutrient uptake and homeostasis.
Significantly, this analysis found previously unknown pH-dependent protein phosphorylation sites. “Our study shows that changes in PHE lead to widespread changes in protein phosphorylation, suggesting that most of the phosphorylation of environmental pH depends on post-translational signaling events,” the authors concluded. These changes affect proton pumping and transmembrane Processes such as ion transport affect nutrient absorption, root growth, plant fitness and internal pH control. These adjustments, especially in phosphopeptides, indicate strong signaling in response to short-term pH changes. Mutants lacking specific transporters exhibit altered responses to changes in pH, highlighting the importance of these proteins in regulating pH regulation both inside and outside the cell. Central themes of this adaptation include balanced growth and defense and regulation of proton transport across cell membranes. In short, the study illuminates the examples of plants Arabidopsisdrive complex dances of soil pH to survive. Their findings highlight the critical role of pH in shaping plant growth and adaptability, thus revealing how plants adapt to acidic and alkaline environments. From changes in protein phosphorylation to subtle shifts in nutrient uptake, their research has discovered complex mechanisms in which plants perceive and respond to changes in soil pH. By understanding these processes, we can gain valuable insights into how plants can thrive under various environmental conditions, thus providing potential avenues for the face of climate change to improve crop resilience and productivity.
Journal Reference
Dharmesh Jain, Wolfgang Schmidt. “Protein phosphorylation curates adaptation of Arabidopsis plants to environmental ph.” Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcpro.2023.100685.
About the Author
Wolfgang Schmidt He is a plant biologist who is very interested in the perception of plants and the response to environmental signals. In particular, his laboratory research is interested in how plants obtain essential minerals that are “hard to obtain” due to adverse soil pH. Originally from Berlin, Germany, Wolfgang has been working as a researcher in Sinica academia since 2005 and has served as an adjunct professor at the National Zhongxing University on Taiwan Island.
Dharmesh JainOriginating from the picturesque town of India, Barwaha is currently pursuing his PhD in Biotechnology within the framework of Taiwan’s International Graduate Program and working with National Zhongxing University. His doctoral investigation focuses on revealing the effects of pH on plant performance and plasticity of plant development.
