Specialization of independently acquired flagellar FliC proteins in plant-associated Sphingomonas balances swimming and immunogenicity.
Russ D, Saha C, Paul K, Zheng Z, Law TF
Plant Signaling
Understanding exactly how bacteria sneak past a plant's defenses — or get caught — could lead to smarter, more targeted ways to protect crops and garden plants from harmful bacterial infections without broad-spectrum pesticides.
Plants have a kind of early-warning system that spots certain proteins on the surface of bacteria and triggers an immune response. Scientists discovered that one group of common plant-dwelling bacteria carries two different versions of a key surface protein: one for swimming around, and one for actually grabbing onto and moving into plant tissue. The sneaky part? The plant's immune system only detects the 'grabbing' version — so the bacteria can swim freely but get flagged the moment they try to settle in.
Key Findings
Sphingomonas bacteria carry two genetically distinct flagellin proteins (FliC-L and FliC-H) acquired independently, with comparative genomics showing this split is widespread across plant-associated strains.
The non-immunogenic FliC-L is necessary and sufficient for full directional swimming, while the immunogenic FliC-H is dispensable for motility but required for full surface attachment and colonization.
The plant immune receptor FLS2 recognizes the colonization-specific flagellin (FliC-H) rather than the motility flagellin, suggesting the plant immune system may selectively target bacteria at the point of tissue entry.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Bacteria that live on plants have evolved a clever trick: splitting their swimming and surface-attachment abilities across two separate proteins, with the plant's immune system only able to detect the attachment protein — potentially limiting how deeply bacteria can invade leaf and root tissue.
Abstract Preview
Plants monitor their environment for microbial invaders using pattern-recognition receptors that detect microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). Flagellin, the main component of bacterial fla...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Chloroplast Genome Editing Eliminates Gluten Immunogenicity in Triticum aestivum
It could mean that people with celiac disease — roughly 1 in 100 worldwide — may one day safely eat bread made from real wheat, without sacrificing the taste...
Crop-improvement refers to the systematic enhancement of plant varieties through selective breeding, genetic modification, and biotechnological approaches to develop cultivars with superior agronomic, nutritional, or environmental traits. This field is essential for addressing global food security,
arrow_forward Explore topic