An ancestral signalling pathway is conserved in plant lineages forming intracellular symbioses

• DOI: 10.1101/804591
• Publication Date: 2019-10-17T05:15:15Z
• Authors: Guru V. Radhakris...; Jean Keller; Melanie K. Rich; Tatiana Vernié; Duchesse L. Mbadi...; Nicolas Vigneron; Ludovic Cottret; Hélène San Clemente; Cyril Libourel; Jitender Cheema; Anna-Malin Linde; D. Magnus Eklund; Shifeng Cheng; Gane KS Wong; Ulf Lagercrantz; Fay-Wei Li; Giles E. D. Oldroyd; Pierre-Marc Delaux
• Keywords: Mutualism; Ectomycorrhizae; Multicellular organism

ABSTRACT Plants are the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems and their colonization land was facilitated by mutualistic associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Following that founding event, plant diversification has led to emergence a tremendous diversity symbioses microorganisms, ranging from extracellular most intimate intracellular associations, where fungal or bacterial symbionts hosted inside cells. Through analysis 271 transcriptomes 122 genomes, we demonstrate common symbiosis signalling pathway controlling association fungi nitrogen-fixing bacteria specifically co-evolved endosymbioses, including ericoid orchid mycorrhizae in angiosperms ericoid-like bryophytes. In contrast, species forming exclusively like ectomycorrhizae cyanobacteria have lost this pathway. This work unifies symbioses, revealing conservation evolution across 450 million years diversification.