Poster
Pia Saake
Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Mathias Brands
Postdoc
Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne
Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Asmamaw B. Endeshaw
Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne
Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Sara Stolze
Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Proteomics Group
Koeln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Philipp Westhoff
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Gerd Balcke
Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry
Halle, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany
Goetz Hensel
Head Centre for Plant Genome Engineering
1Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Centre for Plant Genome Engineering, Düsseldorf, Germany, 3Cluster of Excellence in Plant Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Nicholas Holton
The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of East Anglia
Norwich, England, United Kingdom
Alain Tissier
Head of Institute
Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry
Halle, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany
Hirofumi Nakagami
Group leader
Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research
Koeln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Cyril Zipfel
Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich / The Sainsbury Laboratory
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Alga Zuccaro (she/her/hers)
Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, The Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS)
Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Lipids play crucial roles in plant–microbe interactions, functioning as structural components, signaling molecules, and nutrient sources. As integral parts of plasma membranes, lipids, together with cell walls, form the primary interface for interactions between plants and microbes. Fungal lipids, such as ergosterol, can act as microbe-associated molecular patterns. However, the mechanisms underlying their perception and downstream signaling in plants remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the immune responses triggered in Hordeum vulgare (barley) by lipid extracts from the beneficial root endophyte Serendipita indica. We demonstrate that S. indica lipids activate hallmarks of pattern-triggered immunity in barley, with ergosterol identified as the primary immunogenic component and present in the apoplast of colonized roots. Using a multi-omics approach, we reveal phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol phosphate metabolic enzymes and the induction of diterpene biosynthesis upon ergosterol exposure. Furthermore, we show that phosphatidic acid enhances ergosterol-induced production of apoplastic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Notably, S. indica colonization suppresses the ergosterol-triggered ROS burst in barley roots. Together, these findings uncover a central role for plant lipid signaling in mediating immune responses to ergosterol, advancing our understanding of lipid-based communication in beneficial plant–fungus interactions (https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70022).