Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41894325›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2026

Specialization of independently acquired flagellar FliC proteins in plant-associated

Dor Russ, Chinmay Saha, Karnelia Paul, Zhiyu Zheng, Theresa F Law, Manuel Anguita-Maeso, Derek S Lundberg, Connor R Fitzpatrick, Jeffery L Dangl

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Dor Russ *Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, NC.ORCID 0000-0003-4372-7958
Chinmay Saha *Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, NC.
Karnelia PaulDepartment of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, NC.
Zhiyu ZhengDepartment of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, NC.
Theresa F LawDepartment of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, NC.
Manuel Anguita-MaesoDepartment of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, NC.
Derek S LundbergDepartment of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala 75007, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0001-7970-1595
Connor R FitzpatrickDepartment of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, NC.
Jeffery L DanglDepartment of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill 27599, NC.ORCID 0000-0003-3199-8654

Funding

Virology Research Program (Program 4)P30CA016086 · NCI · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Deborah F. Tate · 1985 to 2026
$201.5M
European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) ALTF 743-2019Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse (kawforskning) 2021.0102Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) 532852-2019NCI NIH HHS P30 CA016086NSF (NSF) IOS-2416244
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Plants monitor their environment for microbial invaders using pattern-recognition receptors that detect microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). Flagellin, the main component of bacterial flagellum, contains the flg22 epitope recognized by the plant immune receptor FLS2. Immune recognition can create an evolutionary conflict, requiring bacteria to balance flagellar function and immune evasion. Here, we show that plant-associated Sphingomonas resolve this constraint by partitioning two flagellar functions, motility and colonization, across two divergent and independently acquired flagellin genes. Comparative genomics revealed widespread coexistence of FliC proteins expressing either an immunogenic variant (FliC-H) or a nonimmunogenic variant (FliC-L). The nonimmunogenic FliC-L is necessary and sufficient for full directional swimming, whereas FliC-H is dispensable for swimming, but sufficient for full attachment and colonization. Flagellin expression patterns mirror these functions. Thus, FLS2 recognizes the flagellar variant required for colonization rather than motility, potentially restricting colonizing bacteria from entering internal leaf and root tissues.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsFlagellaFlagellinSphingomonasArabidopsisArabidopsis ProteinsInnate Immunity RecognitionProtein KinasesArabidopsis ProteinsBacterial ProteinsFlagellinFLS2 protein, ArabidopsisProtein KinasesadaptationArabidopsisflagellaplant immune responseplant microbiome

Identifiers

PMID41894325
PMCPMC13037860

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.