Engineered Root Bacteria Release Plant-Available Phosphate from Phytate.

ABSTRACT: Microorganisms that release plant-available phosphate from natural soil phosphate stores may serve as biological alternatives to costly and environmentally damaging phosphate fertilizers. To explore this possibility, we engineered a collection of root bacteria to release plant-available orthophosphate from phytate, an abundant phosphate source in many soils. We identified 82 phylogenetically diverse phytase genes, refactored their sequences for optimal expression in Proteobacteria, and then synthesized and engineered them into the genomes of three root-colonizing bacteria. Liquid culture assays revealed 41 engineered strains with high levels of phytate hydrolysis. Among these, we identified 12 strains across three bacterial hosts that confer a growth advantage on the model plant

SUBMITTER: Shulse CN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6715853 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature