The endophytic fungus Serendipita indica affects auxin distribution in Arabidopsis thaliana roots through alteration of auxin transport and conjugation to promote plant growth

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Adrián González Ortega-Villaizán - , Technical University of Madrid (Author)
  • Eoghan King - , Technical University of Madrid (Author)
  • Manish K. Patel - , Technical University of Madrid (Author)
  • Marta Marina Pérez-Alonso - , Technical University of Madrid (Author)
  • Sandra S. Scholz - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Hitoshi Sakakibara - , RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Nagoya University (Author)
  • Takatoshi Kiba - , RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Nagoya University (Author)
  • Mikiko Kojima - , RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (Author)
  • Yumiko Takebayashi - , RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (Author)
  • Patricio Ramos - , Universidad de Talca (Author)
  • Luis Morales-Quintana - , Universidad Autónoma de Chile (Author)
  • Sarah Breitenbach - , Chair of Plant Physiology (Author)
  • Ana Smolko - , Ruder Boskovic Institute (Author)
  • Branka Salopek-Sondi - , Ruder Boskovic Institute (Author)
  • Nataša Bauer - , University of Zagreb (Author)
  • Jutta Ludwig-Müller - , Chair of Plant Physiology (Author)
  • Anne Krapp - , Université Paris-Saclay (Author)
  • Ralf Oelmüller - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Jesús Vicente-Carbajosa - , Technical University of Madrid (Author)
  • Stephan Pollmann - , Technical University of Madrid (Author)

Abstract

Plants share their habitats with a multitude of different microbes. This close vicinity promoted the evolution of interorganismic interactions between plants and many different microorganisms that provide mutual growth benefits both to the plant and the microbial partner. The symbiosis of Arabidopsis thaliana with the beneficial root colonizing endophyte Serendipita indica represents a well-studied system. Colonization of Arabidopsis roots with S. indica promotes plant growth and stress tolerance of the host plant. However, until now, the molecular mechanism by which S. indica reprograms plant growth remains largely unknown. This study used comprehensive transcriptomics, metabolomics, reverse genetics, and life cell imaging to reveal the intricacies of auxin-related processes that affect root growth in the symbiosis between A. thaliana and S. indica. Our experiments revealed the sustained stimulation of auxin signalling in fungus infected Arabidopsis roots and disclosed the essential role of tightly controlled auxin conjugation in the plant–fungus interaction. It particularly highlighted the importance of two GRETCHEN HAGEN 3 (GH3) genes, GH3.5 and GH3.17, for the fungus infection-triggered stimulation of biomass production, thus broadening our knowledge about the function of GH3s in plants. Furthermore, we provide evidence for the transcriptional alteration of the PIN2 auxin transporter gene in roots of Arabidopsis seedlings infected with S. indica and demonstrate that this transcriptional adjustment affects auxin signalling in roots, which results in increased plant growth.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3899-3919
JournalPlant Cell and Environment
Volume47
Issue number10
Early online date7 Jun 2024
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • auxin homeostasis, endosymbiosis, growth promotion, plant performance, plant–microbe interaction