A Mycorrhiza-Induced UDP-Glucosyl Transferase Negatively Regulates the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis

Most terrestrial plants can establish a reciprocal symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi to cope with adverse environmental stresses. The development of AM symbiosis is energetically costly and needs to be dynamically controlled by plants to maintain the association at mutual beneficial levels. Multiple components involved in the autoregulation of mycorrhiza (AOM) have been recently identified from several plant species; however, the mechanisms underlying the feedback regulation of AM symbiosis remain largely unknown. Here, we report that AM colonization promotes the flavonol biosynthesis pathway in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and an AM-specific UDP-glucosyltransferase SlUGT132, which probably has the flavonol glycosylation activity, negatively regulates AM development. SlUGT132 was predominantly expressed in the arbuscule-containing cells, and its knockout or knockdown mutants showed increased soluble sugar content, root colonization level and arbuscule formation. Conversely, overexpression of SlUGT132 resulted in declined soluble sugar content and mycorrhization degree. Metabolomic assay revealed decreased contents of astragalin, tiliroside and cynaroside in slugt132 mycorrhizal roots, but increased accumulation of these flavonoid glycosides in SlUGT132-overexpressing plant roots. Our results highlight the presence of a novel, SlUGT132-mediated AOM mechanism, which enable plants to flexibly control the accumulation of soluble sugars and flavonoid glycosides in mycorrhizal roots and modulate colonization levels.