Science· 2025Q1
Localized glutamine leakage drives the spatial structure of root microbial colonization
- 78citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2025year
Short summary
Localized leakage of glutamine from plant roots, controlled by the endodermal Casparian strip, acts as a key chemoattractant and growth enhancer for rhizobacteria, defining spatial colonization patterns.
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Key points
- The Casparian strip in plant roots controls nutrient leakage and bacterial colonization patterns.
- Vasculature-derived glutamine leakage is a major chemoattractant and proliferation enhancer for rhizobacteria.
- Bacteria lacking amino acid sensing show reduced attraction to leakage sites.
- Defective Casparian strips cause bacterial overproliferation, dependent on bacterial amino acid metabolism.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
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 unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that endodermal Casparian strips-forming the root's extracellular diffusion barrier-restrict nutrient leakage into the rhizosphere, coinciding with and controlling spatial colonization patterns of rhizobacteria. We find that vasculature-derived glutamine leakage is a major bacterial chemoattractant and enhancer of proliferation, defining a previously unknown pathway for root exudate formation. Bacteria defective in amino acid chemoperception display reduced attraction toward leakage sites, and roots with Casparian strip defects display bacterial overproliferation, dependent on bacterial capacity for amino acid metabolization. Associated chronic immune stimulation suggests that endodermal nutrient restriction is crucial for regulating microbial colonization and assembly, limiting excessive proliferation that could compromise plant health.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science, 2025 · DOI ↗
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Field: Plant Science
Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences