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Lateral Root Inducible System in Arabidopsis and Maize

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Published on: January 14, 2016

Compact Root Architecture 2 Promotes Root Competence for Nodulation through the miR2111 Systemic Effector.

Pierre Gautrat¹, Carole Laffont¹, Florian Frugier¹

¹Institute of Plant Sciences - Paris Saclay (IPS2), CNRS, U. Paris-Sud, INRA, U. Paris-Diderot, U. d'Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Bâtiment 630, rue de Noetzlin, Plateau du Moulon, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

Current Biology : CB

|February 29, 2020

Summary

Legume plants use miR2111, a microRNA produced in shoots, to control root nodule formation. This microRNA fine-tunes symbiotic interactions based on nitrogen availability and rhizobial signals.

Keywords:

AON CEP peptides CRA2 SUNN TML autoregulation of nodulation microRNA nitrogen-fixing nodule rhizobium systemic signaling

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Area of Science:

Plant-microbe symbiosis
Molecular plant physiology
Nitrogen metabolism in legumes

Background:

Legume nodulation is a symbiotic process with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, crucial for plant nutrition but energetically costly.
Host plants tightly regulate nodulation via long-distance systemic signaling pathways in response to nitrogen status and prior infections.
Key signaling pathways involve CLE/SUNN (negative regulation) and CEP/CRA2 (positive regulation) in the Medicago truncatula model.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify downstream effectors of systemic nodulation control pathways.
To elucidate the role of shoot-to-root signaling in regulating nodule number and root competence.
To understand how nitrogen availability and rhizobial cues are integrated to fine-tune symbiosis.

Main Methods:

Investigated the role of shoot-produced microRNA miR2111 as a systemic signaling effector.
Analyzed the regulation of TML1 and TML2 transcripts in roots by miR2111.
Examined the influence of low nitrogen conditions and CEP1 signaling on miR2111 production, dependent on CRA2 activity.

Main Results:

miR2111, produced in shoots, acts as a downstream effector of systemic pathways regulating nodulation.
miR2111 negatively regulates TML1 and TML2 transcripts in roots, thereby promoting nodulation.
Low nitrogen and CEP1 signaling induce miR2111 production in shoots (via CRA2), enhancing root nodulation competence.

Conclusions:

miR2111 is a key mobile signal mediating shoot-to-root communication in nodulation control.
The SUNN pathway negatively regulates miR2111 when roots are nodulated, complementing the CEP/CRA2 pathway's positive regulation.
This intricate regulatory network allows dynamic fine-tuning of legume nodulation capacity based on nitrogen status and rhizobial presence.