Nature Communications (Oct 2020)
A bacterial endophyte exploits chemotropism of a fungal pathogen for plant colonization
Abstract
Soil-borne fungal pathogens use chemotropism and extracellular pH alkalinisation to reach and penetrate plant roots. Here, Palmieri et al. show that soil endophytic bacteria swim along fungal hyphae to colonize plant roots and protect host plants by modulating the pH of the rhizosphere.