Novel Insights into Host Receptors and Receptor-mediated Signaling that Regulate Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis
Abstract More than 80% of land plant species benefit from symbiotic partnerships with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi that assist in nutrient acquisition and enhance the ability of host plants to adapt to environmental constraints. Host-generated plasma membrane-residing receptor-like kinases and the α/β-hydrolases, e.g. DWARF14-LIKE (D14L), a putative karrikin receptor, are used to detect the presence of AM fungi prior to physical contact between the host and fungus. Detection induces the activation of symbiosis-related transcriptional programming, enabling the successful establishment of AM symbiosis. In order to prevent hyper-colonization and to maintain a mutually beneficial association, the host plants precisely monitor and control AM symbiosis during the post-symbiotic stage via different molecular strategies. While previous studies have elucidated how host plant receptors and receptor-mediated signaling regulate AM symbiosis, the molecular details underlying these processes remain poorly understood. The recent identification of a rice (Oryza sativa) CHITIN-ELICITOR RECEPTOR-KINASE 1 (OsCERK1) interaction partner MYC FACTOR RECEPTOR 1 (OsMYR1), as well as new insights into D14L-receptor- and SUPER NUMERIC NODULES 1 (SUNN1) receptor-mediated signaling have improved our understanding of how host plant receptors and their corresponding signaling regulate AM symbiosis. The present review summarizes these and other current findings that have increased our limited understanding of receptor-mediated signaling mechanisms involved in the regulation of AM symbiosis. The identified receptors and/or their downstream signaling components could potentially be used to engineer economically-important crops with improved agronomic traits by conferring the ability to control the colonization of AM fungi in a precise manner.