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Deciphering the transcriptional and molecular morpho-dynamic landscape controlling intracellular uptake of rhizobia

Subject Area Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems
Plant Cell and Developmental Biology
Term from 2020 to 2023
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 431626755
 
Final Report Year 2024

Final Report Abstract

In this project we focused on processes that control the intracellular colonization of legume roots by rhizobia. This symbiotic infection enables the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, with the corresponding root nodules surrounding the bacteria and creating the reaction environment in which the bacterial nitrogenase, the key enzyme in nitrogen fixation, is functional. An essential step during this mutualistic interaction is the transcellular progression of the infection structure (infection thread) and the release of bacteria from this thread into the host cell. We showed that the symbiotic SYMREM1 protein can stabilize membrane topologies in plant cells. It also extends along the infection tube, but especially accumulates at the points where bacteria are released into the cell interior. Plants that do not express the SYMREM1 gene lose this control and display defects in bacterial colonization. Furthermore, we were able to show that the places where the infection thread propagates transcellularly and where bacteria are released exhibit an altered cell wall composition, which is crucial for the course of these processes.

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