Lines of communication

Receptors in the membrane of Nicotiana benthamiana

To enable root nodule symbiosis, microbes and plants must be able to communicate with each other in the soil. For this purpose, the two partners exchange various molecules that can be recognised by both. The so-called symbiosis receptor kinase (SymRK) is part of an important receptor complex – a kind of molecular antenna – that perceives signals from the microbes. It is located at the cell’s membrane, which separates the inside of cells from the outside world. This is where a process begins that results in the uptake of nitrogen-fixing bacteria into the plant cell. If we couple SymRK with a green fluorescent protein and its interaction partner within the cell with a red fluorescent protein, we can visualise where thecommunication takes place in the cells of a wild tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana).