Plants use vitamin B3 to recruit bacteria that boost immunity
Wang X, Jiang P, Xu X, Zhang J, Xia G
Plant Signaling
The soil bacteria clustering around your garden plants' roots may be manufacturing a natural immune boost from a vitamin the plant itself feeds them.
Researchers found that Arabidopsis plants (a relative of mustard greens) leak vitamin B3 from their roots, and this attracts a special group of bacteria that can process it. Those bacteria transform the vitamin into a new molecule called 6-hydroxynicotinate, which travels from the roots up to the leaves and puts the plant's immune system on high alert. Plants that released more vitamin B3 ended up better protected against disease, showing that this underground chemical handoff between plant and microbe is a real defense strategy.
Key Findings
Vitamin B3 (niacin) secreted by roots selectively enriches bacteria carrying a 'nic' biosynthetic gene cluster that can metabolize it
These bacteria convert vitamin B3 into 6-hydroxynicotinate (6-OHNA), a newly identified microbial metabolite that moves from roots to shoots and primes systemic immunity via the salicylic acid pathway
Disrupting the bacterial nic gene cluster eliminated the immune-priming effect, while boosting root vitamin B3 exudation increased disease resistance
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered that plant roots release a form of vitamin B3 that recruits specific soil bacteria, which then convert it into a signal molecule that travels up to the leaves and boosts the plant's disease resistance.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
A vitamin B3-driven root bacterial metabolite primes systemic immunity in Arabidopsis.
The microbiota is being increasingly recognized for its ability to regulate host physiology through the production of small bioactive molecules. However, how host-derived nutrients are metabolicall...
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