Proline transporters coordinate immune activation and regenerative capacity after injury in plants.

Genetic disruption of wound-induced proline transporters ProT2 and ProT3 enhances de novo root regeneration and abolishes salicylic acid–mediated suppression while preserving SA-responsive gene expression and antibacterial resistance.

• Why it matters: Injury survival depends on balancing immune activation with tissue regeneration, but the molecular mechanisms coordinating this trade-off in plants are unclear.
• What they did: The study genetically disrupted ProT2 and ProT3 and used mechanistic analysis showing a ProT3-CPK1 complex modulates wound-induced ROS, sustaining ROS that restricts DNRR after wounding; it also used pharmacological inhibition across multiple plant species.
• The result: Proline transport inhibition functionally separates immune activation from regenerative suppression and promotes regeneration across multiple plant species, supporting proline transporters as a regulatory hub linking proline metabolism, SA signaling, and ROS homeostasis.