Control of Arbuscule Development by a Transcriptional Negative Feedback Loop in Medicago

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2023 Sep 16

PMID 37717076

Authors

Qiang Zhang

Shuangshuang Wang

Qiujin Xie

Yuanjun Xia

Lei Lu

Mingxing Wang

Gang Wang

Siyu Long

Yunfei Cai

Ling Xu

Ertao Wang

Yina Jiang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Most terrestrial plants establish a symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which provide them with lipids and sugars in exchange for phosphorus and nitrogen. Nutrient exchange must be dynamically controlled to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship between the two symbiotic partners. The WRI5a and its homologues play a conserved role in lipid supply to AMF. Here, we demonstrate that the AP2/ERF transcription factor MtERM1 binds directly to AW-box and AW-box-like cis-elements in the promoters of MtSTR2 and MtSTR, which are required for host lipid efflux and arbuscule development. The EAR domain-containing transcription factor MtERF12 is also directly activated by MtERM1/MtWRI5a to negatively regulate arbuscule development, and the TOPLESS co-repressor is further recruited by MtERF12 through EAR motif to oppose MtERM1/MtWRI5a function, thereby suppressing arbuscule development. We therefore reveal an ERM1/WRI5a-ERF12-TOPLESS negative feedback loop that enables plants to flexibly control nutrient exchange and ensure a mutually beneficial symbiosis.

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