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Concurrent Session

Session: Concurrent Session: Engineering plant-microbe traits

Deciphering Mixed-Linkage Glucan (MLG) biosynthesis and the perception of MLG-derived oligosaccharides by the plant immune system to develop sustainable crop protection solutions

Thursday, July 17, 2025
11:40 - 11:50  
Location: Confex Hall 1+2

    Presenting Author(s)

  • BM

    Benjamin Menn

    PhD Student
    Institute for Plant Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany,
    Duesseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    • Author(s)

  • AZ

    Alga Zuccaro (she/her/hers)

    Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, The Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
    Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

  • AM

    Antonio Molina

    Full Professor
    Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Centro Severo Ochoa, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) – Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA/CSIC)
    Madrid, Madrid, Spain

  • LJ

    Lucia Jorda, PhD (she/her/hers)

    Associate Professor
    Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Centro Severo Ochoa, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) – Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA/CSIC)
    Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid, Spain

  • MP

    Markus Pauly

    Professor
    Heinrich-Heine University
    Duesseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

  • VR

    Vicente Ramírez

    Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
    Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Abstract Text: During plant-microbe interactions, various carbohydrates are released from plant and microbial cell walls. Perception of these carbohydrates is mediated by Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs), leading to activation of Pattern-Triggered Immunity (PTI) and disease resistance. Among these ligands are oligosaccharides derived from the hemicellulose mixed-linkage glucans (MLGs). While several Arabidopsis receptors have been linked to MLG perception, a detailed understanding of their structural prerequisites to bind to specific MLG structures remains to be fully elucidated. This study employs a Yeast Surface Display system to investigate the binding interaction between structurally diverse MLG oligosaccharides and extracellular domains of selected PRRs. Additionally, a yeast-based synthetic biology system was developed to reconstruct MLG biosynthesis by expressing plant and microbial synthases. This approach enables the generation of novel MLG structures, enlarging the library of potential ligands. The insights gained from this work will not only advance our understanding of disease resistance mechanisms upon plant-microbe interaction but also allow the development of sustainable crop protection strategies using identified immunogenic carbohydrate structures as biostimulants.