ZmNRT1.1B (ZmNPF6.6) determines nitrogen use efficiency via regulation of nitrate transport and signalling in maize

Summary Nitrate (NO 3 − ) is crucial for optimal plant growth and development and often limits crop productivity under low availability. In comparison with model plant Arabidopsis, the molecular mechanisms underlying NO 3 − acquisition and utilization remain largely unclear in maize. In particular, only a few genes have been exploited to improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Here, we demonstrated that NO 3 − ‐inducible ZmNRT1.1B ( ZmNPF6.6 ) positively regulated NO 3 − ‐dependent growth and NUE in maize. We showed that the tandem duplicated proteoform ZmNRT1.1C is irrelevant to maize seedling growth under NO 3 − supply; however, the loss of function of ZmNRT1.1B significantly weakened plant growth under adequate NO 3 − supply under both hydroponic and field conditions. The 15 N‐labelled NO 3 − absorption assay indicated that ZmNRT1.1B mediated the high‐affinity NO 3 − ‐transport and root‐to‐shoot NO 3 − translocation. Transcriptome analysis further showed, upon NO 3 − supply, ZmNRT1.1B promotes cytoplasmic‐to‐nuclear shuttling of ZmNLP3.1 (ZmNLP8), which co‐regulates the expression of genes involved in NO 3 − response, cytokinin biosynthesis and carbon metabolism. Remarkably, overexpression of ZmNRT1.1B in modern maize hybrids improved grain yield under N‐limiting fields. Taken together, our study revealed a crucial role of ZmNRT1.1B in high‐affinity NO 3 − transport and signalling and offers valuable genetic resource for breeding N use efficient high‐yield cultivars.