Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Advertisement

Scientific Reports
  • View all journals
  • Search
  • My Account Login
  • Content Explore content
  • About the journal
  • Publish with us
  • Sign up for alerts
  • RSS feed
  1. nature
  2. scientific reports
  3. articles
  4. article
Genome-wide identification of phosphate transporter gene family in Trichoderma harzianum and expression in response to biotic and abiotic stress
Download PDF
Download PDF
  • Article
  • Open access
  • Published: 01 April 2026

Genome-wide identification of phosphate transporter gene family in Trichoderma harzianum and expression in response to biotic and abiotic stress

  • Yibo Zhang1,2,3 na1,
  • Chaofeng Dong2,3 na1,
  • Zhen Liu1,2,3,
  • Xiaodong Yang2,
  • Dongxu Lu2,3,
  • Li Wang2,3,
  • Huifang Zhang1,2,3,
  • Qingdi Yan1,2,3,
  • Junchang Li1,2,3,
  • Cunjie Li1,2,3 &
  • …
  • Fuli Zhang1,2,3 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Genetics
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular biology
  • Plant sciences

Abstract

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for organismal growth and development, and its absorption and transport primarily depend on the phosphate transporter (PHT) family. Although the functions of PHTs have been extensively studied in plants and algae, the researches on PHTs in microorganisms, particularly in Trichoderma species, remain limited. In this study, we identified 22 PHT family members in Trichoderma harzianum T-aloe through a genome-wide analysis. Phylogenetic analysis classified these members into three major clusters: Cluster I (8 members), Cluster II (12 members), and Cluster III (2 members). Furthermore significant differences among cluster members in gene structure, protein topology, subcellular localization, conserved motifs, and promoter cis-elements were revealed. Notably, the pronounced induction of all TrPHT genes under phosphate deficiency, coupled with their suppression under salt stress, suggests a finely-tuned regulatory mechanism that coordinates phosphate homeostasis with stress adaptation. In addition, TrPHT1/2/4/15/22 were induced in response to Fusarium graminearum stress. The TrPHT1/4/22 mutants exhibited significantly decreased total phosphorus content, accompanied by compromised antifungal efficacy against F. graminearum and reduced salt stress tolerance. Together, our results provide foundational insights into the PHT family in T. harzianum and demonstrate that TrPHTs are critical for maintaining phosphorus homeostasis and mediating responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses.

Similar content being viewed by others

Genomic and metabolomic insights into Trichoderma harzianum T9, a resilient biocontrol fungus from arid environments

Article Open access 08 January 2026

Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase gene expression analysis under abiotic and biotic stresses in bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria)

Article Open access 06 March 2025

A fungal sesquiterpene biosynthesis gene cluster critical for mutualist-pathogen transition in Colletotrichum tofieldiae

Article Open access 06 September 2023

Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are included in this published article and its Supplementary Information files. The genome sequences of Trichoderma harzianum T-aloe used for gene identification are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. All TrPHT protein sequences identified in this study are provided in Supplementary Table S2.

References

  1. Ayadi, A. et al. Reducing the genetic redundancy of Arabidopsis PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER1 transporters to study phosphate uptake and signaling. Plant Physiol. 167, 1511–1526. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.114.252338 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Cai, F. et al. Colonization of Trichoderma harzianum strain SQR-T037 on tomato roots and its relationship to plant growth, nutrient availability and soil microflora. Plant. Soil. 388, 337–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2326-z (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cao, Y. et al. Phosphorus availability influences disease-suppressive soil microbiome through plant-microbe interactions. Microbiome 12, 185. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-024-01906-w (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Ceasar, S. A., Baker, A. & Ignacimuthu, S. Functional characterization of the PHT1 family transporters of foxtail millet with development of a novel Agrobacterium-mediated transformation procedure. Sci. Rep. 7, 14064. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-14447-0 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Chang, M. X. et al. OsPHT1;3 mediates uptake, translocation, and remobilization of phosphate under extremely low phosphate regimes. Plant Physiol. 179, 656–670. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.18.01097 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Chen, C. et al. TBtools: An integrative toolkit developed for interactive analyses of big biological data. Mol. Plant 13, 1194–1202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2020.06.009 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Chen, T. et al. Microbe-induced gene silencing of fungal gene confers efficient resistance against Fusarium graminearum in maize. aBIOTECH 6, 466–471. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42994-025-00212-9 (2025).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chien, P. S., Chiang, C. P., Leong, S. J. & Chiou, T. J. Sensing and Signaling of Phosphate Starvation: From Local to Long Distance. Plant. Cell. Physiol. 59, 1714–1722. https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcy148 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Das, D. et al. Phosphate starvation response transcription factors enable arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis. Nat. Commun. 13, 477. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-27976-8 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  10. De Jaeger, N., de la Providencia, I. E., de Dupré Boulois, H. & Declerck, S. Trichoderma harzianum might impact phosphorus transport by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol. 77, 558–567. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01135.x (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Grün, A., Buchner, P., Broadley, M. R. & Hawkesford, M. J. Identification and expression profiling of Pht1 phosphate transporters in wheat in controlled environments and in the field. Plant Biol. 20, 374–389. https://doi.org/10.1111/plb.12668 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Güimil, S. et al. Comparative transcriptomics of rice reveals an ancient pattern of response to microbial colonization. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 102, 8066–8070. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0502999102 (2005).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Guo, B. et al. Functional analysis of the Arabidopsis PHT4 family of intracellular phosphate transporters. New Phytol. 177, 889–898. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02331.x (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Guzmán-Guzmán, P. et al. Trichoderma species: Our best fungal allies in the biocontrol of plant diseases—A review. Plants 12, 432. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030432 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Ham, B.-K., Chen, J., Yan, Y. & Lucas, W. J. Insights into plant phosphate sensing and signaling. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 49, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2017.07.005 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Irigoyen, S., Karlsson, P. M., Kuruvilla, J., Spetea, C. & Versaw, W. K. The sink-specific plastidic phosphate transporter PHT4;2 influences starch accumulation and leaf size in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol. 157, 1765. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.111.181925 (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Jia, H. et al. OsPht1;8, a phosphate transporter, is involved in auxin and phosphate starvation response in rice. J. Exp. Bot. 68, 5057–5068. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erx317 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Jia, X., Wang, L., Zeng, H. & Yi, K. Insights of intracellular/intercellular phosphate transport and signaling in unicellular green algae and multicellular land plants. New Phytol. 232, 1566–1571. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17716 (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Jiang, Y. et al. Plants transfer lipids to sustain colonization by mutualistic mycorrhizal and parasitic fungi. Science 356, 1172–1175. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aam9970 (2017).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Karandashov, V. & Bucher, M. Symbiotic phosphate transport in arbuscular mycorrhizas. Trends Plant. Sci. 10, 22–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2004.12.003 (2005).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Karlsson, P. M. et al. The Arabidopsis thylakoid transporter PHT4;1 influences phosphate availability for ATP synthesis and plant growth. Plant J. 84, 99–110. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.12962 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Li, R. et al. Functional Analysis of Phosphate Transporter OsPHT4 Family Members in Rice. Rice Sci. 27, 493–503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsci.2020.09.006 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Liu, F. et al. Comprehensive sequence and whole-life-cycle expression profile analysis of the phosphate transporter gene family in rice. Mol. Plant 4, 1105–1122. https://doi.org/10.1093/mp/ssr058 (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Liu, F. et al. Systematic identification, evolution and expression analysis of the Zea mays PHT1 gene family reveals several new members involved in root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 17, 930. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17060930 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Liu, X. et al. Mutation of the chloroplast-localized phosphate transporter OsPHT2;1 reduces flavonoid accumulation and UV tolerance in rice. Plant J (2019).

  26. Liu, Z. et al. A salt-tolerant strain of Trichoderma longibrachiatum HL167 is effective in alleviating salt stress, promoting plant growth, and managing Fusarium wilt disease in cowpea. J. Fungi 9, 304. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9030304 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Lorenzo-Orts, L., Couto, D. & Hothorn, M. Identity and functions of inorganic and inositol polyphosphates in plants. New Phytol. 225, 637–652. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16129 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Ma, B. et al. Genetic improvement of phosphate-limited photosynthesis for high yield in rice. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 121, e2404199121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2404199121 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Martinez, P. & Persson, B. L. Identification, cloning and characterization of a derepressible Na+-coupled phosphate transporter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Molecular and General Genetics MGG 258, 628–638. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004380050776 (1998).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Muchhal, U. S., Pardo, J. M. & Raghothama, K. G. Phosphate transporters from the higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 93, 10519–10523. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.93.19.10519 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Mudge, S. R., Rae, A. L., Diatloff, E. & Smith, F. W. Expression analysis suggests novel roles for members of the Pht1 family of phosphate transporters in Arabidopsis. Plant J. 31, 341–353. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-313x.2002.01356.x (2002).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Muhammad, N. et al. Effects of phosphorus-mediated alleviation of salt stress on cotton genotypes: Biochemical responses and growth adaptations. Agronomy 14, 1707. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081707 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Nagy, R. et al. Differential regulation of five Pht1 phosphate transporters from maize (Zea mays L.). Plant Biol. 8, 186–197. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2005-873052 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  34. Ren, J. et al. A PHR-dependent reciprocal antagonistic interplay between UV response and P-deficiency adaptation in plants. Plant Commun. 6, 101140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101140 (2025).

    Google Scholar 

  35. Romero-Munar, A. et al. Differential root and cell regulation of maize aquaporins by the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis highlights its role in plant water relations. Plant. Cell. Environ. 47, 4337–4353. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.15029 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Shi, J., Wang, X. & Wang, E. Mycorrhizal symbiosis in plant growth and stress adaptation: From genes to ecosystems. Annu. Rev. Plant. Biol. 74, 569–607. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-061722-090342 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  37. Shi, J. et al. A phosphate starvation response-centered network regulates mycorrhizal symbiosis. Cell 184, 5527-5540e.e18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.09.030 (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Tao, L., Wang, L., Liu, L., Cheng, X. & Zhang, Q. Phosphorous accumulation associated with mitochondrial PHT3-mediated enhanced arsenate tolerance in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. J. Hazard. Mater. 478, 135460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135460 (2024).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Wang, F., Deng, M., Xu, J., Zhu, X. & Mao, C. Molecular mechanisms of phosphate transport and signaling in higher plants. Semin. Cell. Dev. Biol. 74, 114–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.06.013 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  40. Wang, L. et al. Loss of two families of SPX domain-containing proteins required for vacuolar polyphosphate accumulation coincides with the transition to phosphate storage in green plants. Mol. Plant. 14, 838–846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2021.01.015 (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  41. Wang, L. et al. Genome-wide identification, expression profiling, and evolution of phosphate transporter gene family in green algae. Front. Genet. 11, 590947. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2020.590947 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  42. Wang, S., Xing, H., Hua, C., Guo, H.-S. & Zhang, J. An improved single-step cloning strategy simplifies the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT)-based gene-disruption method for Verticillium dahliae. Phytopathology 106, 645–652. https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-10-15-0280-R (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  43. Wang, Z., Kuo, H.-F. & Chiou, T.-J. Intracellular phosphate sensing and regulation of phosphate transport systems in plants. Plant Physiol. 187, 2043–2055. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiab343 (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  44. Wei, X. et al. Comprehensive sequence and expression profile analysis of the phosphate transporter gene family in soybean. Sci. Rep. 12, 20883. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25378-w (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  45. Wen, H.-G. et al. Microbe-induced gene silencing boosts crop protection against soil-borne fungal pathogens. Nat. Plants 9, 1409–1418. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-023-01507-9 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  46. Xie, X. et al. A SPX domain-containing phosphate transporter from Rhizophagus irregularis handles phosphate homeostasis at symbiotic interface of arbuscular mycorrhizas. New Phytol. 234, 650–671. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17973 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  47. Xu, L. et al. Identification of vacuolar phosphate efflux transporters in land plants. Nat. Plants 5, 84–94. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-018-0334-3 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  48. Yang, S.-Y. et al. Nonredundant regulation of rice arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis by two members of the PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER1 gene family. Plant Cell. 24, 4236–4251. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.112.104901 (2012).

    Google Scholar 

  49. Zhang, Y. et al. Integrative analysis of the wheat PHT1 gene family reveals a novel member involved in arbuscular mycorrhizal phosphate transport and immunity. Cells 8, 490. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8050490 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  50. Zhang, Y. et al. Abscisic acid facilitates phosphate acquisition through the transcription factor ABA INSENSITIVE5 in Arabidopsis. Plant J. 111, 269–281. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.15791 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  51. Zhang, Y. et al. Revealing the underlying molecular basis of phosphorus recycling in the green manure crop Astragalus sinicus. J. Clean. Prod. 341, 130924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130924 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  52. Zhao, B. et al. Microbe-dependent and independent nitrogen and phosphate acquisition and regulation in plants. New. Phytol. NPH https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19263 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  53. Zhu, W. et al. The mitochondrial phosphate transporters modulate plant responses to salt stress via affecting ATP and gibberellin metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLoS One 7, e43530. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0043530 (2012).

    Google Scholar 

  54. Zin, N. A. & Badaluddin, N. A. Biological functions of Trichoderma spp. for agriculture applications. Ann. Agric. Sci. 65, 168–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aoas.2020.09.003 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the members of the lab for their assistance and helpful discussions. We sincerely thank the editor and reviewers for critically evaluating this manuscript and providing constructive comments for its improvement. We thank Dr. Qi Luo (Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, China) for providing the pathogenic strain of Fusarium graminearum PH-1.

Funding

This work was supported by Henan Province science and technology research and development joint fund (industry) major project (Grant No. 235101610015); Key Research and Development Project of Henan Province (Grant No. 251111110900); The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 32402458); Scientific Research Foundation for High-level Talents, Zhoukou Normal University (Grant No. ZKNU2023080).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Yibo Zhang and Chaofeng Dong contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henan Province Key Laboratory of Efficient Crop Production and Food Quality Safety, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, 466001, China

    Yibo Zhang, Zhen Liu, Huifang Zhang, Qingdi Yan, Junchang Li, Cunjie Li & Fuli Zhang

  2. Modern Agricultural Industry Research Institute of Henan Zhoukou Agricultural High-tech Industry Demonstration Zone, Dancheng Country, Zhoukou, 477100, China

    Yibo Zhang, Chaofeng Dong, Zhen Liu, Xiaodong Yang, Dongxu Lu, Li Wang, Huifang Zhang, Qingdi Yan, Junchang Li, Cunjie Li & Fuli Zhang

  3. Wheat Technology Innovation Center of Henan Zhoukou Agricultural High-tech Industry Demonstration Zone, Dancheng Country, Zhoukou, 477100, China

    Yibo Zhang, Chaofeng Dong, Zhen Liu, Dongxu Lu, Li Wang, Huifang Zhang, Qingdi Yan, Junchang Li, Cunjie Li & Fuli Zhang

Authors
  1. Yibo Zhang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chaofeng Dong
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhen Liu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Xiaodong Yang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Dongxu Lu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Li Wang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Huifang Zhang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Qingdi Yan
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Junchang Li
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Cunjie Li
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Fuli Zhang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

**Yibo Zhang: ** Formal analysis, Data curation, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing. **Chaofeng Dong: ** Formal analysis, Methodology, Visualization. **Zhen Liu: ** Formal analysis, Validation. **Xiaodong Yang: ** Formal analysis, Methodology, Data curation. **Dongxu Lu: ** Formal analysis, Investigation. **Li Wang: ** Formal analysis, Methodology, Investigation. **Huifang Zhang: ** Formal analysis, Validation; **Qingdi Yan: ** Formal analysis, Visualization. **Junchang Li: ** Formal analysis, Software. **Cunjie Li: ** Data curation, Visualization. **Fuli Zhang: ** Supervision, Conceptualization, Writing – review and editing, Funding acquisition.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fuli Zhang.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary Material 1 (download DOCX )

Supplementary Material 2 (download DOCX )

Supplementary Material 3 (download XLSX )

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, Y., Dong, C., Liu, Z. et al. Genome-wide identification of phosphate transporter gene family in Trichoderma harzianum and expression in response to biotic and abiotic stress. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43829-6

Download citation

  • Received: 30 October 2025

  • Accepted: 06 March 2026

  • Published: 01 April 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43829-6

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Keywords

  • Trichoderma
  • Phosphate transporters
  • Biotic stress
  • Abiotic stress
  • Fusarium graminearum
Download PDF

Advertisement

Explore content

  • Research articles
  • News & Comment
  • Collections
  • Subjects
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on X
  • Sign up for alerts
  • RSS feed

About the journal

  • About Scientific Reports
  • Contact
  • Journal policies
  • Guide to referees
  • Calls for Papers
  • Editor's Choice
  • Journal highlights
  • Open Access Fees and Funding

Publish with us

  • For authors
  • Language editing services
  • Open access funding
  • Submit manuscript

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

  • Explore articles by subject
  • Find a job
  • Guide to authors
  • Editorial policies

Scientific Reports (Sci Rep)

ISSN 2045-2322 (online)

nature.com footer links

About Nature Portfolio

  • About us
  • Press releases
  • Press office
  • Contact us

Discover content

  • Journals A-Z
  • Articles by subject
  • protocols.io
  • Nature Index

Publishing policies

  • Nature portfolio policies
  • Open access

Author & Researcher services

  • Reprints & permissions
  • Research data
  • Language editing
  • Scientific editing
  • Nature Masterclasses
  • Research Solutions

Libraries & institutions

  • Librarian service & tools
  • Librarian portal
  • Open research
  • Recommend to library

Advertising & partnerships

  • Advertising
  • Partnerships & Services
  • Media kits
  • Branded content

Professional development

  • Nature Awards
  • Nature Careers
  • Nature Conferences

Regional websites

  • Nature Africa
  • Nature China
  • Nature India
  • Nature Japan
  • Nature Middle East
  • Privacy Policy
  • Use of cookies
  • Legal notice
  • Accessibility statement
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Your US state privacy rights
Springer Nature

© 2026 Springer Nature Limited

Nature Briefing Microbiology

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Microbiology newsletter — what matters in microbiology research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Microbiology