Bacteria talk their way into plants

Hello every one ,

Dixy is back with some new interesting Current news of Microbiology

Today I will be talking about how legumes are able to tell helpful and harmful invading bacteria apart. The research has implications for improving the understanding of how other plants, animals and humans interact with bacteria in their environment and defend themselves against hostile infections. These findings can have profound implications for both agricultural research and medical science. Legume and microorganisms mainly Rizobia live in a symbiotic relationship leading to root nodules formation and bacteria converts environmental Nitrogen into ammonia. Exactly how these plants are able to distinguish and welcome compatible rhizobia for this self-fertilizing activity, while halting infection by incompatible bacteria  has been a mystery.

Hence now it is determined how legumes perceive and distinguish compatible bacteria based on the exopolysaccharides (Charbohydrates) featuring on the invading cells' surfaces. The researchers have identified the first known exopolysaccharide receptor gene, called Epr3. They found that a membrane-bound receptor kinase encoded by the Epr3 gene binds directly with exopolysaccharides and regulates beneficial bacteria's passage through the plant's epidermal cell layer."Now that we have identified this key mechanism that allows a host organism to distinguish friendly bacteria from those that cause disease, this opens up exciting new research avenues across a number of fields.

Microbiome studies in plants, animals and humans are some of the areas that will benefit from the new discovery. The mechanism governing microbiota colonisation of hosts is poorly understood and the identification of an exopolysaccharide receptor is likely to inspire new approaches to understand the interaction between multicellular organisms and microbes.

-Dixy