{
  "id": 14761459,
  "title": "Plants use a molecular measuring tape to tell fungal friend from foe",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/plants-use-a-molecular-measuring-tape-to-tell-fungal-friend-from-foe",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-15T18:21:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-molecular-tape-fungal-friend-foe.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Plants employ a sophisticated mechanism to distinguish between harmful fungal chitin and beneficial short chitin fragments, according to new research published in Science. Scientists discovered that a receptor protein called CHIP13 serves as a \"molecular measuring tape\" to identify long chitin chains associated with potential fungal attacks. CHIP13's unique \"bridge domain\" enables it to tightly bind and recognize only long chitin chains, distinguishing them from shorter fragments typically found in symbiotic interactions. When long chitin is detected, CHIP13 recruits a second receptor, CERK6, to transmit the immune signal, activating the plant's defense response. Both receptors play distinct roles in the plant immune system, with CHIP13 recognizing the signal and CERK6 amplifying it. This cooperative mechanism, conserved across different plant species, showcases the intricate way plants interpret their microbial surroundings to safeguard themselves.",
  "summary": "Chitin, a chain of repeating sugar molecules, is the main building block of fungal cell walls. When fungi grow or are broken down, fragments of chitin chains of different lengths end up in the soil, and plants detect them to monitor the microbes around them.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}