Root hair developmental regulators orchestrate drought induced microbiome changes and affect the interactions with stress alleviating Rhizobiaceae

ABSTRACT:

Drought is one of the most severe abiotic stresses. However, there is a lack of genetic evidence regarding whether and how plants coordinate the dynamic assembly of the microbiome in response to drought. Through the use of mutants with enhanced or reduced root hair densities (rsl2 rsl4, hairless mutant; Col-0, wild type; gl2, hairy mutant), we discovered that regulators of root hair development also influence changes in the root microbiome under drought conditions. The abundance of Rhizobiaceae, a specific group of microorganisms, was significantly affected by mutations related to root hair development. Since mutations in root hair-related genes can affect transportation and metabolic functions in the root microbiome, we performed non-targeted metabolomics analysis to investigate potential metabolic cues associated with changes in the root microbiome during drought. Our results revealed significant differences in the composition of root metabolites among these genotypes. The overall abundance of amino acids, flavonoids and indoles or their derivatives gradually increased from the rsl2 rsl4 mutant to the gl2 mutant. Subsequently, we identified differentially abundant metabolites (DMs) based on their variable importance in projection scores (VIP > 1.0) and fold changes (log2FC > 0) in relative abundances. Enrichment analysis was further conducted based on these DMs in the rsl2 rsl4 and gl2 mutants. Consistent with the increased content of flavonoids, the DMs in the roots of the gl2 mutant were enriched in metabolites associated with flavonoid biosynthesis. Flavonoids are well-known for their ability to induce the expression of rhizobia nodulation genes and the attraction of rhizobia towards the roots. In our study, several flavonoid molecules, including tangeretin, glyceollin, quercetin and gallocatechin, were found to be enriched in the roots of the gl2 mutant compared to those of the Col-0 wild type. We will further investigate whether there is a specific association between specific metabolites and microorganisms in the Rhizobiaceae family.

INSTRUMENT(S): Liquid Chromatography MS - negative - reverse phase, Liquid Chromatography MS - positive - reverse phase

PROVIDER: MTBLS11360 | MetaboLights | 2024-10-28

REPOSITORIES: MetaboLights