Araújo N. H. auteur aut IRD Landry D. auteur aut IRD Quilbé J. auteur aut IRD Pervent M. auteur aut IRD Nouwen Nico auteur aut IRD Klopp C. auteur aut IRD Cullimore J. auteur aut IRD Gully Djamel auteur aut IRD Vicedo C. auteur aut IRD Gasciolli V. auteur aut IRD Brottier Laurent auteur aut IRD Pichereaux C. auteur aut IRD Racoupeau M. auteur aut IRD Rios Maelle auteur aut IRD Gressent F. auteur aut IRD Chaintreuil Clémence auteur aut IRD Gough C. auteur aut IRD Giraud Eric auteur aut IRD Lefebvre B. auteur aut IRD Arrighi Jean-François auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access Many plants interact symbiotically with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to enhance inorganic phosphorus uptake, and legumes also develop a nodule symbiosis with rhizobia for nitrogen acquisition. The establishment and functioning of both symbioses rely on a common plant signaling pathway activated by structurally related Myc and Nod factors. Recently, a SPARK receptor-like kinase (RLK)/receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase (RLCK) complex was shown to be essential for arbuscular mycorrhiza formation in both monocot and dicot plants. Here, we show that in Aeschynomene legumes, the RLCK component of this receptor complex has undergone a gene duplication event and mediates a unique nodule symbiosis that is independent of rhizobial Nod factors. In Aeschynomene evenia, AeRLCK2 is crucial for nodule initiation but not for arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis. Additionally, AeRLCK2 physically interacts with and is phosphorylated by the cysteine-rich RLK, AeCRK, which is also required for nodulation. This finding uncovers an important molecular mechanism that controls the establishment of nodulation and is associated with Nod-independent symbiosis. The discovery of the receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase AeRLCK2 as being important for nodulation in Aeschynomene evenia sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of the Nod-independent symbiosis. specialized 084 076 37 8 koaf201 [20 p.] 2025 1040-4651 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010094893 10.1093/plcell/koaf201 1040-4651 [F B010094893] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010094893 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2025-10/010094893.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2025-10-29 2025-11-04 fdi:010094893 fre