Molecular pathways in plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria-plant interactions: a comprehensive review.
Irfan MF, Shafique S, Shafique S, Tabassum B, Yaseen AR
Summary
PubMedSoil bacteria called PGPR boost plant growth and stress resilience by orchestrating hormone levels, nutrient uptake, and defense responses. This review maps the molecular machinery—including ROS signaling, calcium fluxes, and key transcription factors—that allows beneficial bacteria to reprogram plant physiology, offering a framework for agricultural applications.
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Key Findings
PGPR modulates phytohormone balance, nutrient signaling cascades, and defense-related pathways simultaneously to enhance plant growth and tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stress
Reactive oxygen species, calcium fluxes, MAPK cascades, and NPR1 transcription factor function as central signaling nodes that integrate bacterial signals into plant immune and growth responses
Four core bacterial traits drive plant benefits: nitrogen fixation, phytohormone production, siderophore-mediated iron acquisition, and induced systemic resistance
Original Abstract
Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) enhance plant growth, nutrient uptake and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress through diverse microbial traits and plant-associated responses. At the molecular level, PGPR influences plant physiology by modulating phytohormone balance, nutrient signaling, and defense-related pathways. This review summarizes current knowledge on bacterial traits involved in nitrogen fixation, phytohormone production and modulation, siderophore-mediated iron acquisition and induced systemic resistance with an emphasis on molecular components and regulatory frameworks that have been experimentally characterized. Key signaling elements including reactive oxygen species, calcium fluxes, mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades, and hormone-responsive transcriptional regulators such as NPR1, are highlighted as central nodes in PGPR-associated plant responses. Where direct molecular causality remains unresolved, plant phenotypes observed are presented as evidence-based associations, and remaining knowledge gaps are identified. By integrating molecular components with functional outcomes, this review provides a conceptual framework for understanding how microbial traits interface with plant signaling networks and identifies priorities for future mechanistic research.
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