How a fungus inhibits the immune system of plants
Research groups from Cologne and Würzburg are now reporting a new facet of the fungus-plant relationship in Nature Communications: The researchers identified a protein with which the fungus suppresses the immune defence of the populated plants. So it makes sure that it is not attacked like disease-inducing fungi and the relationship can succeed in the long run.
The protein "Fungal Glucan Binding 1" (FGB1) causes, inter alia, the plant not to produce an "oxidative burst". This usually generates aggressive oxygen radicals, which destroy potential pathogens and activate the immune system of the plant.
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