Proline transporters coordinate immune activation and regenerative capacity after injury in plants
Abstract
Effective survival after injury requires the precise coordination of immune activation and tissue regeneration, yet the molecular mechanisms balancing these opposing processes remain poorly understood. Here, we identify proline transporters as key regulators of this trade-off in plants. Genetic disruption of two wound-induced proline transporters, ProT2 and ProT3, enhances regenerative capacity and abolishes salicylic acid (SA)-mediated suppression of regeneration while preserving SA-responsive gene expression and SA-mediated antibacterial resistance. Mechanistically, a ProT3-CPK1 complex modulates wound-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), sustaining a ROS level that restricts de novo root regeneration (DNRR) after wounding. Notably, pharmacological inhibition of proline transport functionally separates immune activation from regenerative suppression and promotes regeneration across multiple plant species. These findings support the role of proline transporters as a regulatory hub integrating stress-induced proline metabolism, SA signaling, and ROS homeostasis to coordinate immunity and regeneration, and highlight chemical inhibition of proline transport as a strategy to improve regeneration without compromising immune defense.
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BibTeX
@article{xu2026proline,
title = {{Proline transporters coordinate immune activation and regenerative capacity after injury in plants}},
author = {Dawei Xu and Zeinu Mussa Belew and Nathália Cássia Ferreira Dias and Li Wang and Andy Zhang and Yun-Fan Stephanie Chen and Carter James Newton and Feng Kong and Yaochao Zheng and Yao Yao and Marin Talbot Brewer and Paulo José Pereira Lima Teixeira and Hussam Hassan Nour Eldin Auis and Deyang Xu and Li Yang},
journal = {Cell Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.celrep.2026.118188},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2211124726012672},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Proline transporters coordinate immune activation and regenerative capacity after injury in plants
AU - Dawei Xu
AU - Zeinu Mussa Belew
AU - Nathália Cássia Ferreira Dias
AU - Li Wang
AU - Andy Zhang
AU - Yun-Fan Stephanie Chen
AU - Carter James Newton
AU - Feng Kong
AU - Yaochao Zheng
AU - Yao Yao
AU - Marin Talbot Brewer
AU - Paulo José Pereira Lima Teixeira
AU - Hussam Hassan Nour Eldin Auis
AU - Deyang Xu
AU - Li Yang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Cell Reports
DO - 10.1016/j.celrep.2026.118188
UR - https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2211124726012672
AB - Effective survival after injury requires the precise coordination of immune activation and tissue regeneration, yet the molecular mechanisms balancing these opposing processes remain poorly understood. Here, we identify proline transporters as key regulators of this trade-off in plants. Genetic disruption of two wound-induced proline transporters, ProT2 and ProT3, enhances regenerative capacity and abolishes salicylic acid (SA)-mediated suppression of regeneration while preserving SA-responsive gene expression and SA-mediated antibacterial resistance. Mechanistically, a ProT3-CPK1 complex modulates wound-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), sustaining a ROS level that restricts de novo root regeneration (DNRR) after wounding. Notably, pharmacological inhibition of proline transport functionally separates immune activation from regenerative suppression and promotes regeneration across multiple plant species. These findings support the role of proline transporters as a regulatory hub integrating stress-induced proline metabolism, SA signaling, and ROS homeostasis to coordinate immunity and regeneration, and highlight chemical inhibition of proline transport as a strategy to improve regeneration without compromising immune defense.
SN - 2211-1247
ER -