@univcotedazur.bsky.social @inrae-paca.bsky.social @inrae-france.bsky.social

#PlantScience #Metabolomics #Legumes #Rhizobia #plant-microbe-insect

Huge thanks to my co-authors and mentors for this journey — and to the platforms and funding bodies that supported our work.
Excited for the next steps in exploring symbiosis-driven plant defence! 🙌

🔍 Overall message:
Nitrogen-fixing symbiosis doesn’t just feed legumes — it reprograms their defence machinery, offering a natural boost against herbivores.
A powerful insight for future IPM and microbiome-based crop protection. 🌾🔬

We also found strong induction of defence-related genes (CHI, FLS/F3H, PTS), indicating a transcriptional rewiring that amplifies metabolite-based defences. 🧬✨

These NFS-specific metabolites—especially soyasin-related saponins—may help explain why aphids perform worse on symbiotic plants. A promising direction for sustainable pest management. 🛡️🌱

Using untargeted GC-MS + LC-MS metabolomics, we profiled >190 metabolites.
Aphid infestation triggered major shifts in sugars, salicylates, pipecolate, flavonoids & more.
But N-fixing plants showed unique defence signatures, including triterpenoid saponins.🔥

Legumes rely on rhizobia to fix atmospheric nitrogen — but this partnership does more than feed the plant. Our results show it also primes specific defence metabolites when aphids attack.
This means symbiosis = nutrition and protection. 💡