Research outcomes
Plants Utilize a Cell Wall Strengthening Enzyme That Prevents Leaf Pathogen Infection to Enhance Nutrient Acquisition in Roots
~ Discovery of a New Role for Plant Immune Regulators ~
Plants Utilize a Cell Wall Strengthening Enzyme That Prevents Leaf Pathogen Infection to Enhance Nutrient Acquisition in Roots
~ Discovery of a New Role for Plant Immunity Regulators ~
A research group led by Professor Yusuke Saijo at Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), in collaboration with Nagoya University, Hokkaido University, and the University of Cologne, has discovered that immune regulatory factors inducing pathogen resistance also play a vital role in root hairs to acquire phosphorus (P), an essential nutrient for plants.
Plants absorb phosphorus from the soil as inorganic phosphate (Pi), but its availability is often limited due to its tendency to become insoluble. To adapt to Pi deficiency, plants initiate the phosphate starvation response (PSR), which involves physiological and morphological changes like halting primary root elongation and developing lateral roots and root hairs to enhance Pi acquisition. Saijo's team found that callose, a polysaccharide, accumulates in root hairs under Pi deficiency, strengthening cell walls and aiding nutrient uptake.
Using Arabidopsis thaliana, the team identified mutants that fail to accumulate callose in root hairs under Pi deficiency. They determined the responsible gene is GSL5 (PMR4), a callose synthase gene essential for fungal pathogen resistance. PMR4 was shown to support Pi absorption and transport, functioning even in the absence of previously described regulators of PSR.
Expressing PMR4 specifically in root hairs is sufficient to restore callose accumulation in root hairs and plant growth under phosphorus-limiting conditions, demonstrating that the immune regulator also contributes to nutrient acquisition. This study highlights the dual role of PMR4, one of 12 Arabidopsis callose synthases, in disease resistance and phosphorus acquisition, revealing a close relationship between plant immune responses and nutrient responses.
Defense-related callose synthase PMR4 promotes root hair callose deposition and adaptation to phosphate deficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana
Kentaro Okada1,2, Koei Yachi1, Tan Anh Nhi Nguyen1, Satomi Kanno3, Shigetaka Yasuda1, Haruna Tadai1, Chika Tateda1, Tae-Hong Lee1, Uyen Nguyen4, Kanako Inoue1, Natsuki Tsuchida1, Taiga Ishihara1, Shunsuke Miyashima1, Kei Hiruma1, Kyoko Miwa5, Takaki Maekawa4,6, Michitaka Notaguchi2 and Yusuke Saijo1,*
1 Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Takayama-cho, Ikoma 630-0192, Japan,
2 Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan,
3 Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan,
4 Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, Cologne D-50674, Germany,
5 Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan, and
6 CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences at the University of Cologne, Cologne D-50674, Germany
The Plant Journal (2024)
doi: 10.1111/tpj.17134
Plant Immunity Laboratory
https://bsw3.naist.jp/eng/courses/courses111.html
https://bsw3.naist.jp/saijo/
( November 20, 2024 )
