ABOVE: EAVESDROPPING SEEDS: Arabidopsis seeds fail to sprout in the presence of a pathogen (left) as they normally would (right).
© UNIGE HICHAM CHAHTANE
The paper
H. Chahtane et al., “The plant pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa triggers a DELLA-dependent seed germination arrest in Arabidopsis,” eLife, 7:e37082, 2018.
A dormant plant embryo tucked away in a protective seed monitors the environment so it knows when to spring to life. The molecular signals activated by high temperature or insufficient light, for example, block germination via well-characterized pathways in plant cells. University of Geneva plant biologist Luis Lopez-Molina wondered if microbes living in the soil might also influence whether a plant sprouts. Studies show that some bacteria and fungi release compounds that block seed growth, “but they were always interpreted as toxic effects,” Lopez-Molina explains. “Another interpretation is that the seed senses this compound and mounts a response.”
Lopez-Molina and his colleagues grew various Pseudomonas species ...
