Project description:Plant growth promoting test in A. thaliana by using biostimulant strain P. megaterium YC4-R4 in liquid inoculant A. thaliana mRNA profiles of 13-day old wild type (WT) mock and WT treated (inoculated with P. megaterium YC4-R4)
Project description:Pseudomonas fluorescens strain SS101 (Pf.SS101) promotes growth of Arabidopsis thaliana, enhances greening and lateral root formation, and induces systemic resistance (ISR) against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst). Here, targeted and untargeted approaches were adopted to identify bacterial determinants and underlying mechanisms involved in plant growth promotion and ISR by Pf.SS101. Based on targeted analyses, no evidence was found for volatiles, lipopeptides and siderophores in plant growth promotion by Pf.SS101. Untargeted, genome-wide analyses of 7,488 random transposon mutants of Pf.SS101 led to the identification of 21 mutants defective in both plant growth promotion and ISR. Many of these mutants, however, were auxotrophic and impaired in root colonization. Genetic analysis of three mutants followed by site-directed mutagenesis, genetic complementation and plant bioassays revealed the involvement of the phosphogluconate dehydratase gene edd, the response regulator gene colR and the adenylsulfate reductase gene cysH in both plant growth promotion and ISR. Subsequent comparative plant transcriptomics analyses strongly suggest that modulation of sulfur assimilation, auxin biosynthesis and transport, steroid biosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism in Arabidopsis are key mechanisms linked to growth promotion and ISR by Pf.SS101. Comparative transcriptome analysis of Arabidopsis treated with Pf. SS101, a growth and ISR promoting rhizobacteria and plants treated with cysH mutant of Pf.SS101 that fails to induce the afformentioned phenotypes
Project description:Trichoderma spp. are ubiquitous soil-borne ascomycetous fungi that have been used widely in the biological control of plant diseases. Certain strains also exhibit growth promotion of plants, but the mechanism for this phenomenon has not yet been elucidated. We have recently identified an isolate of T. hamatum that causes significant increases in the development of Arabidopsis root systems. The aim of this work is to elucidate the mechanism of root growth promotion. One approach is to analyse the transcriptome of plants grown in the presence and absence of the fungus. Experimenter name = Christopher Thornton Experimenter phone = 01392 264653 / 01392 264689 Experimenter department = Washington Singer Lab Experimenter address = School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Experimenter address = University of Exeter Experimenter address = Perry Road, Exeter, Experimenter zip/postal_code = EX4 4QG Experimenter country = UK Keywords: pathogenicity_design, stimulus_or_stress_design
Project description:Numerous Trichoderma strains are beneficial for plants, promote their growth and confer stress tolerance. A recently described novel Trichoderma strain strongly promotes growth of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings on media with 50 mM NaCl, while 150 mM NaCl strongly stimulated root colonization and induced salt-stress tolerance in the host without growth promotion. To understand the dynamics of plant-fungus interaction, we examined the secretome from both sides, and revealed a substantial change under different salt regimes, and during co-cultivation. Stress-related proteins, such as fungal Kp4-, WSC- and CFEM-domain-containing proteins, the plant calreticulin and cell-wall modifying enzymes, disappear when the two symbionts are co-cultured under high salt concentrations. More proteins involved in plant and fungal cell wall modifications and the battle of root colonization are found in the co-cultures under salt stress, while the number of plant antioxidant proteins decreased. We identified symbiosis- and salt concentration-specific proteins for both partners. The Arabidopsis PYK10 and a fungal prenylcysteine lyase are only found in the co-culture which promoted plant growth. The comparative analysis of the secretomes suggests that both partners profit from the interaction under salt stress but have to invest more in balancing the symbiosis. We discuss the role of the identified stage- and symbiosis-specific fungal and plant proteins for salt-stress and conditions promoting root colonization and plant growth.
Project description:Aspergillus flavus is one of the major fungal molds that colonize peanut in the field and during storage. The impact to human and animal health and to economy in agriculture and commerce are significant since this mold produces the most potent natural toxins, aflatoxins, which are carcinogenic, mutagenic, immunosuppressive, and teratogenic. A strain of marine Bacillus megaterium isolated from the Yellow Sea of East China was evaluated for its effect to inhibit aflatoxin formation through down-regulating aflatoxin pathway gene expression in A. flavus as demonstrated by genechip analysis in liquid medium and peanuts. The results showed that aflatoxin accumulation in potato dextrose broth liquid medium and liquid minimal medium was almost totally (more than 98%) inhibited by B. megaterium. The expression of many of the aflatoxin biosynthetic genes in the fungus was confirmed to be turned down. Some of the target genes down-regulated by B. megaterium within the whole genome and within the aflatoxin pathway gene cluster (aflF, aflT, aflS, aflJ, aflL, aflX) were identified. These target genes could be used for controlling aflatoxin contamination in crops such as corn, cotton, and peanut. Importantly, the expression of the regulatory gene aflS was found to be significantly down-regulated. The effect of B. megaterium on aflatoxin biosynthesis and genes expression of pathogen was firstly tested in potato dextrose broth (PDB) and glucose minimal salts medium (MM). The cell suspension of B. megaterium (concentration in PDB and MM was finally adjusted to 108 CFU/ml) or sterile distilled water as a control was added into the 100 ml beaker flask containing 15 ml PDB or MM, respectively. Then 100 M-NM-<l of spore suspension (5 M-CM-^W 106 spores/ml) of A. flavus were added into each beaker flask. After 48 h of incubation at 28M-BM-0C at 200 rpm, mycelia were collected, fresh frozen with liquid nitrogen, ground to a fine powder in liquid nitrogen, and stored at -80M-BM-0C for further analysis. The effect of B. megaterium on aflatoxin biosynthesis and genes expression in the A. flavus fungal pathogen was also tested in two types of peanut kernels, UF 715133-1 and Jinhua 1012, respectively. Peanut kernels were wounded (6 mm diameter and approximately 3 mm deep) using a sterile borer and then 20 M-NM-<l of 1 M-CM-^W 108 CFU/ml cell suspension of B. megaterium was inoculated on wounded peanut kernels respectively. Sterile distilled water was also used for inoculation as control. Two hours after bacterial inoculation, 10 M-NM-<l A. flavus spore suspension was inoculated into each wound at a concentration of 106 spores/ml. The kernels were placed in artificial weather chamber to maintain high humidity (85%) and incubated at 28M-BM-0C for 7 days. Each treatment was replicated three times with 20 peanut kernels in each test. The mycelia on kernels were harvested at day 7 and fresh frozen immediately in liquid nitrogen, ground into powder, and stored at -80M-BM-0C for further analysis.
Project description:First whole transcriptome assessment of a Bacillus megaterium strain. The B. megaterium DegU regulon was assessed for LB batch cultures with artificially induced degU expression. DegU is a pleiotropic regulator in B. subtilis governing adaptive responses such as secretory enzyme production.