Membrane remodelling mediates lipopeptide-induced immunity in Arabidopsis
(2026) Nature Plants — Vol. 12, n° 5, p. 1034-1050 (2026)
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Gilliard, Guillaume 
Pršić, Jelena Crowet, Jean-Marc Lorent, Joseph - et. al.
- Abstract
- Bacteria-derived lipopeptides are immunogenic triggers of host defences in metazoans and plants. Root-associated rhizobacteria produce cyclic lipopeptides that activate induced systemic resistance against microbial infection in various plant species. Whether and how these molecules are perceived at the plant cell surface remains elusive. Here we reveal that immune activation in Arabidopsis thaliana by the lipopeptide elicitor surfactin is mediated via a specific interaction with membrane sphingolipids. It relies on host membrane remodelling and subsequent activation of mechanosensitive ion channels. This mechanism leads to host defence potentiation and resistance to the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea and appears distinct from pattern-triggered immunity induced by classical host pattern recognition receptors. These results reveal a previously uncharacterized mechanism through which lipopeptides derived from non-pathogenic bacteria activate plant immune responses. Lipopeptides (LPs) represent a prominent and structurally heterogeneous class of molecules in the broad spectrum of small, specialized metabolites synthesized by bacteria. Some LPs not only retain key functions for the ecological fitness of the producer (motility, biofilm formation, colonization, nutrient acquisition or antagonism towards competing neighbours) 1,2 but also act as triggers of immune responses that restrict pathogen infection of metazoans and plants 3,4. Most LPs from plant-associated bacteria consist of a partially or fully cyclized oligopeptide linked to a single fatty acid chain. Some cyclic LPs (CLPs) from beneficial species of the genera Pseudomonas and Bacillus are potent elicitors of so-called induced systemic resistance (ISR) against microbial phytopathogens 4,5. This CLP-induced resistance is a key process for biocontrol of crop diseases 6 and is phenotypically similar to the pathogen-induced systemic acquired resistance following pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and/or effector-triggered immunity 7. Like in animals, plant PTI relies on the detection of microbe-associated
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Citations
Gilliard, G., Pršić, J., Crowet, J.-M., Chemotti, C., Ahmed, J., Lorent, J., Jolivet, M.-D., Egli, S., Egée, S., Bouyer, G., Race, G., Van Buren, L., Van Den Berghe, A., Argüelles-Arias, A., Mathelié-Guinlet, M., Ibrahim, H., Genva, M., Fouillen, L., Mirande-Bret, C., et al. (2026). Membrane remodelling mediates lipopeptide-induced immunity in Arabidopsis. Nature Plants, 12(5), 1034-1050. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-026-02270-3 (Original work published 2026)