Abstract

Plant roots can engage in beneficial intracellular symbioses with nitrogen-fixing bacteria and nutrient-delivering fungi. One question is how roots distinguish bacterial from fungal symbionts and ensure the activation of appropriate responses. This question is intriguing because plants utilize a common signal transduction system for both symbioses and the rhizosphere microbiome potentially exposes plant cells both partners at the same time. The talk will illuminate two possible mechanistic decision points in the signalling process, receptor kinase and transcription factor complexes.

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