Phloem iron remodels root development in response to ammonium as the major nitrogen source

Plants use nitrate and ammonium as major nitrogen (N) sources, each affecting root development through different mechanisms. However, the exact signaling pathways involved in root development are poorly understood. Here, we show that, in Arabidopsis thaliana, either disruption of the cell wall-localized ferroxidase LPR2 or a decrease in iron supplementation efficiently alleviates the growth inhibition of primary roots in response to NH4+ as the N source. Further study revealed that, compared with nitrate, ammonium led to excess iron accumulation in the apoplast of phloem in an LPR2-dependent manner. Such an aberrant iron accumulation subsequently causes massive callose deposition in the phloem from a resulting burst of reactive oxygen species, which impairs the function of the phloem. Therefore, ammonium attenuates primary root development by insufficiently allocating sucrose to the growth zone. Our results link phloem iron to root morphology in response to environmental cues.