Diverse soil protists show auxin regulated growth in partnership with auxin-producing bacteria.

ABSTRACT: Predatory protists are single-cell eukaryotic organisms capable of hunting and ingesting bacteria and other microorganisms, which are thought to enrich populations of beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere, potentially influencing plant health. However, the mechanisms underpinning protist interactions with plant growth promoting bacteria are not well understood. We examined the conservation of plant beneficial traits in bacteria associated with 10 protists of diverse lineages that were isolated from the maize rhizosphere. Metagenomics, whole-genome sequence analysis, and functional assays of 61 groups of protist-associated bacteria identified tryptophan-dependent biosynthesis of the auxin hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) as the most prevalent predicted trait. Mass spectrometry confirmed

SUBMITTER: Patel RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12663960 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature