What drives symbiotic calcium signalling in Legumes? Insights and challenges of imaging

Abstract

We review the contribution of bioimaging in building a coherent understanding of Ca2+ signalling during legume-bacteria symbiosis. Currently, two different calcium signals are believed to control key steps of the symbiosis: a Ca2+ gradient at the tip of the legume root hair is involved in the development of an infection thread, while nuclear Ca2+ oscillations, the hallmark signal of this symbiosis, control the formation of the root nodule, where bacteria fix nitrogen. Additionally, different Ca2+ spiking signatures have been associated with specific infection stages. Bioimaging is intrinsically a cross-disciplinary area that requires integration of image recording, processing and analysis. We used experimental examples to critically evaluate previously-established conclusions and draw attention to challenges caused by the varying nature of the signal-to-noise ratio in live imaging. We hypothesise that nuclear Ca2+ spiking is a wide-range signal involving the entire root hair and that the Ca2+ signature may be related to cytoplasmic streaming.