Heribert Hirt: Plant stress tolerance by endophytic Enterobacter SA187 is mediated by bacterial metabolite-activated plant ethylene signaling

Special Seminar

  • Datum: 27.09.2018
  • Uhrzeit: 14:00 - 15:00
  • Vortragende(r): Heribert Hirt
  • Desert Agriculture Initiative, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Ort: MPIPZ
  • Raum: SR II
  • Gastgeber: Paul Schulze-Lefert
Heribert Hirt: Plant stress tolerance by endophytic Enterobacter SA187 is mediated by bacterial metabolite-activated plant ethylene signaling
Several plant species require microbial associations for survival under different biotic and abiotic stresses. Here we show that Enterobacter sp. SA187, a desert plant endophytic bacterium, enhances yield of diverse crop plants under saline desert agriculture conditions as well as growth of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in vitro, revealing a high potential of SA187 as a biological solution for crop production in extreme conditions and saline irrigation. Studying the SA187 interaction with Arabidopsis, we uncovered a novel mechanism related to the beneficial association of SA187 with plants. SA187 colonizes both the surface and inner tissues of Arabidopsis roots and shoots. SA187 induces salt stress tolerance by production of bacterial 2-keto-4-methylthiobutyric acid (KMBA), which is subsequently converted to ethylene. Transcriptomic, genetic and pharmacological analyses prove that the ethylene signaling pathway, but not plant ethylene production, is required for KMBA-induced plant salt stress tolerance. These results reveal a novel molecular communication process during the beneficial microbe-induced plant stress tolerance offering new possibilities for saline desert agriculture.
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