Regulating Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Permissiveness.
An J, Limpens E
Mycorrhizal Networks
Every tomato, pepper, and herb you grow benefits from these same ancient fungal partnerships underground — understanding the on/off switch that plants use to welcome or reject them could lead to crops that need less phosphorus fertilizer.
Most land plants form partnerships with underground fungi that help them absorb nutrients like phosphorus from soil. In exchange, the plant feeds the fungi sugars and fats. Researchers found the specific molecular switch in rice that controls whether a plant opens its roots to these helpful fungi or turns them away — a decision plants make based on how nutrient-rich the soil already is.
Key Findings
Plants have evolved a molecular decision system to selectively permit or block fungal root colonization based on soil nutrient conditions — if phosphorus is already abundant, plants can shut the door on fungi.
Multiple signaling pathways in rice converge on a pair of proteins (NSP1 and NSP2) that act together as a master control switch for allowing fungal entry.
This plant-fungus symbiosis dates back roughly 470 million years, suggesting the regulatory mechanism is ancient and likely conserved across most of the ~80% of land plant species that form these partnerships.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered how rice plants control whether they allow beneficial soil fungi to enter their roots, revealing a molecular "gateway" that plants use to decide when fungal partnerships are worth the cost.
Abstract Preview
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have facilitated the colonization of land by plants some 470 million years ago. The vast majority of land plants have maintained a symbiotic association with thes...
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