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Updated: Jan 7, 2026
08:48
Peptide-derived Method to Transport Genes and Proteins Across Cellular and Organellar Barriers in Plants
Published on: December 16, 2016
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A novel cis-element enabled bacterial uptake by plant cells.
Chloé Cathebras1, Xiaoyun Gong1, Rosa Elena Andrade1
1Faculty of Biology, Genetics, LMU Munich, Martinsried, Germany.
Nature Plants
|January 2, 2026
Summary
Scientists discovered a cis-regulatory element (PACE) in the NIN gene promoter, crucial for nitrogen-fixing bacterial symbiosis in legumes. This element enables infection thread formation, a key step in this vital plant-microbe interaction.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Root nodule symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria is limited to a specific plant clade.
- This suggests unique genetic and trait acquisitions in their common ancestor.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the genetic basis for the evolution of root nodule symbiosis.
- To investigate the role of the Nodule Inception (NIN) gene in this process.
Main Methods:
- Identified a novel cis-regulatory element (PACE) in the NIN gene promoter.
- Tested PACE function in Lotus japonicus mutants and engineered it into tomato NIN promoter.
Main Results:
- PACE is exclusively found in symbiosis-competent plant clades and is essential for infection thread formation.
- PACE controls NIN gene expression in specific root cells during nodule development.
- Engineered PACE restored symbiotic functions in non-legume species.
Conclusions:
- PACE is a key evolutionary innovation enabling nitrogen-fixing bacterial symbiosis.
- It links the NIN gene to conserved signaling pathways for intracellular accommodation.
- This discovery explains the evolution of infection threads, a hallmark of this symbiosis.
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