Proteins as nitrogen source for plants: a short story about exudation of proteases by plant roots.

Interest in the problem of plant nitrogen nutrition is increasing. Certain plants can use not only inorganic nitrogen, but also intact amino acids and short peptides. According to our studies, the roots of several agricultural and wild-living plants are able to exude proteases and by using them to create a pool of accessible N. This mini-review offers an overview of the problem of protease exudation by plant roots and its potential role in plant nitrogen nutrition.