Plants interact with a plethora of organisms in the rhizosphere, with outcomes that range from detrimental to beneficial. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is the most ubiquitous beneficial plant ...

Plants face constant microbial threats and have evolved highly effective inducible immune systems, culminating in systemic acquired resistance. Plant systemic acquired resistance and mammalian trained immunity share striking similarities, which are explored in this Review.

Background Plants undergo massive transcriptional reprogramming upon pathogen infection. The transcription factors SAR DEFICIENT1 (SARD1) and CAM-BINDING PROTEIN 60-LIKE G (CBP60g) are master regulators of this process. However, the regulation of SARD1 and CBP60g transcription remains unclear. Results We discover a signaling complex centered on the plant-specific nucleoporins CONSTITUTIVE EXPRESSION OF PR GENES 5 (CPR5) and GUANYLATE-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE GTPASE 3 (GBPL3), which critically regulates SARD1 and CBP60g transcription. We establish that the RNA processing complexes NineTeen Complex (NTC) and CLEAVAGE AND POLYADENYLATION SPECIFICITY FACTOR (CPSF) act downstream of CPR5 to activate immunity. A genetic screen identifies GBPL3 and key histone modification complex components as suppressors of the autoimmune phenotype in cpr5 mutants, functioning downstream of NTC/CPSF. Transcriptomic and genetic analyses demonstrate that SARD1 and CBP60g are fully responsible for autoimmune activation in cpr5. Crucially, GBPL3 and the histone modifiers physically interact, bind directly to the SARD1 and CBP60g loci, and repress their expression. Pathogen infection substantially reduces this binding. Consistently, the active histone mark H3K4me3 at SARD1 and CBP60g is modulated by the CPR5-NTC/CPSF-GBPL3/histone modifiers cascade and accumulates significantly upon pathogen infection. Conclusions Our findings reveal a CPR5-NTC/CPSF-GBPL3/histone modifiers signaling cascade that controls the transcription of the SARD1 and CBP60g via histone modification, thereby modulating the transcriptional reprogramming during plant immune responses.

The Department of Biology at UNC Chapel Hill (https://bio.unc.edu/) is searching to hire a tenure track Assistant Professor to study critical questions in Plant Molecular Biology.We seek candidates wh...

The combination of isotopic tracers with root phenotyping reveals specific patterns in photosynthate allocation. These patterns are reflected in rhizodeposition and result in spatially distinct microbiomes within the plant root system.

Nature Plants - Rapid discovery of functional resistance genes is enabled by a high-expression signature and high-throughput transformation. This approach identified 31 new resistance genes for...

Plant roots release exudates to encourage microbiome assembly, which influences the function and stress resilience of plants. How specific exudates drive spatial colonization patterns remains largely ...

Mukherjee et al. report fitness trade-off between plants and the rhizosphere microbiome under sulfur deficiency, mediated by the tri-peptide signal glutathione. Competition among rhizosphere bacteria ...

The Board of Electors to the Russell R. Geiger Professorship of Crop Science invite applications for this Professorship from persons whose work falls within the general field of the Professorship to

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).