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[Ming-Hsiun Hsieh] Glutamate triggers defense responses and promotes root hair elongation in Arabidopsis

Hung et al., 2026 Plant Physiology

A hypothetical model of Glu–induced defense responses and root hair elongation.

When glutamate (Glu) is supplied as the sole nitrogen source, it not only functions as a growth-promoting metabolite upon entering the cell but also acts as a signaling molecule to activate defense responses and root hair elongation.

Recent research from Dr. Ming-Hsiun Hsieh’s laboratory has revealed that exogenous glutamate (Glu) serves dual functions as both a nitrogen source and a danger signal, and can influence plant growth, immune responses, and root hair development in Arabidopsis through distinct hormonal and transcriptional regulatory pathways.

This study was primarily conducted by Ms. Yi-Jie Hung, a master’s student in the collaborative graduate program between IPMB and National Central University, under the joint supervision of Professors Ming-Hsiun Hsieh and Ching-Hui Yeh. The findings have been published in the journal Plant Physiology.

Hung, Liao, Chen et al (2026) Glutamate triggers defense responses and promotes root hair elongation in Arabidopsis, Plant Physiology