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Plenary Session

Session: Plenary Session 6

Invasion by invitation: Rhizobia’s journey into legumes

Wednesday, July 16, 2025
18:20 - 18:45  
Location: Confex Hall 1+2

    Speaker(s)

  • FX

    Fang Xei (she/her/hers)

    CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences
    Shanghai, China

  • FX

    Fang Xie

    professor
    CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai, China
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

    • Author(s)

  • ZZ

    Zhiqiong Zheng

    CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai, China
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

  • NZ

    Ning Zhou

    CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai, China
    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China (People's Republic)

  • XL

    Xiaolin Li

    CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai, China
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

Nitrogen, a crucial macronutrient for plant growth and development, cannot be directly utilized by most organisms, including plants. However, legume plants possess a unique capability to obtain nitrogen through symbiotic relationships with rhizobia. In the root-nodule symbioses, rhizobial Nodulation factor (NF) signals coordinately regulate nodule organogenesis and rhizobia infection. For most legume plants, the invasion of rhizobia into legumes is primarily facilitated by a plant-derived tubular invagination in the root hairs known as an infection thread (IT). Our research has demonstrated the spontaneous activation of NF-induced nuclear Ca2+ oscillations and nodulation through a gain-of-function mutation in DMI1. Additionally, our findings unveiled the pivotal roles of RinRK1 and Flot1 in the assembly of NF receptor complexes within localized plasma membrane signaling centers, facilitating symbiotic infection. I will present our recent advancements in understanding how legume plants repress rhizobia immunity and promote IT formation, as well as the subsequent release of bacteria from the IT into the nodule primordia for nitrogen fixation. These findings contribute to our understanding of the intricate mechanisms involved in nitrogen fixation within legume-rhizobia symbiotic interactions.