The meristem-associated endosymbiont Methylorubrum extorquens DSM13060 reprograms development and stress responses of pine seedlings.

ABSTRACT: Microbes living in plant tissues-endophytes-are mainly studied in crop plants where they typically colonize the root apoplast. Trees-a large carbon source with a high capacity for photosynthesis-provide a variety of niches for endophytic colonization. We have earlier identified a new type of plant-endophyte interaction in buds of adult Scots pine, where Methylorubrum species live inside the meristematic cells. The endosymbiont Methylorubrum extorquens DSM13060 significantly increases needle and root growth of pine seedlings without producing plant hormones, but by aggregating around host nuclei. Here, we studied gene expression and metabolites of the pine host induced by M. extorquens DSM13060 infection. Malic acid was produced by pine to potentially boost M. extorquens colonization and in

SUBMITTER: Koskimaki JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8842435 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature