Project description:<p>Carbonate-type saline-alkaline stress severely constrains maize production; however, the synergistic response mechanisms between rhizosphere microorganisms and metabolites remain unclear. This study focused on maize fields in the carbonate chernozem region of the Songnen Plain in Northeast China. Through field experiments and the integration of soil chemical factor analysis, microbial high-throughput sequencing (16S rRNA and ITS), and non-targeted metabolomics (LC-MS), we systematically investigated the response mechanisms of the rhizosphere micro-ecosystem under saline-alkaline stress. The results indicated that saline-alkaline stress significantly increased soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC), and led to decreases in soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) contents. However, the rhizosphere zone exhibited a certain buffering capacity, maintaining a higher cation exchange capacity (CEC). Microbial community analysis revealed that bacterial alpha diversity increased under stress. In contrast, fungal diversity significantly decreased, and the community structure shifted towards a pathogen-dominated community, primarily within Ascomycota, especially the genus Fusarium. Co-occurrence network analysis further revealed that saline-alkaline conditions enhanced the complexity and connectivity of bacterial networks but led to the contraction and structural simplification of fungal networks. Metabolite analysis showed that saline-alkaline stress induced significant reprogramming of the rhizosphere metabolic profile. Organophosphorus compounds, nucleotides, and their analogs were significantly enriched, while defensive secondary metabolites such as Cajanol specifically accumulated in the saline-alkaline rhizosphere. Pathway analysis indicated the activation of stress resistance and oxidative stress mitigation-related pathways, including Betalain biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, tryptophan metabolism, and arginine metabolism. Multi-omics integration analysis identified soil EC and total potassium (TK) as key environmental factors driving the differentiation of microbial and metabolite communities. Key differential metabolites showed significant positive correlations with saline-alkaline-enriched microbial taxa (e.g., Sphingomonas), revealing a metabolite-mediated microbial recruitment mechanism. This study, through multi-omics analysis, discovered that the maize rhizosphere, under saline-alkaline stress, undergoes metabolic reprogramming (e.g., enriching defensive metabolites like Cajanol) to directionally recruit beneficial bacteria such as Sphingomonas and maintains higher bacterial network complexity, while also leading to the pathologization of the fungal community. Our study reveals that maize recruits beneficial microbes via rhizosphere metabolic reprogramming, providing a mechanistic basis for microbiome-assisted saline-alkaline soil remediation.</p>
2026-06-08 | MTBLS13956 | MetaboLights
Project description:Diversity of myxobacteria in saline-alkaline wetlands.
Project description:Plant roots are the primary site of perception and injury for saline-alkaline stress. The current knowledge of the saline-alkaline stress transcriptome is most focused on salt (NaCl) stress. Only a little alkaline (NaHCO3) stress transcriptome is limited to one time point after stress. Time-course analysis and comparative investigation on roots in the alkaline stress condition are needed to understand the gene response networks that are subject to alkaline tolerance. We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression underlying NaHCO3 treatment and identified distinct classes of regulated genes during this process.
Project description:<p>Background</p><p>Soil salinization and alkalization severely threaten soybean growth and yield. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), specifically Rhizophagus intraradices (Ri), enhance stress tolerance and soil quality, yet their mechanisms in regulating microbial-metabolite interactions during critical soybean growth stages remain unclear.</p><p>Results</p><p>This research employed partitioned (rhizosphere and hyphosphere) pot experiments in natural saline-alkaline soil, integrating high-throughput sequencing and untargeted metabolomics to analyze Ri effects on microbial communities and metabolic functions at branching (V5), pod development (R4), and mature pod (R8) stages. Results revealed V5 stage for Ri to activate host resistance, R4 for hyphal expansion (density 21.13 m/g), enhancing nutrient uptake, and R8 stage for increased spore and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) secretion to alleviate stress. Ri differentially regulates bacterial-fungal networks, enriching biomarker and driving stochastic microbial assembly. Ri shifted bacterial assembly toward stochasticity and enriched biomarkers. Bacterial richness peaked under RiRR4 (+Ri, R4 rhizosphere; +27.06% vs CRR4). Fungal assembly showed a different trend, peaking under RiRV5 (+Ri, V5 rhizosphere; +39.75% vs CRV5). Ri enhanced plant resistance and soybean growth via bacterial diversity in rhizosphere soil. Metabolomics identified phenylalanine metabolism as a core Ri-regulated pathway under saline-alkaline stress, facilitating carbon-nitrogen cycling and secondary metabolite accumulation.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>This research reveals how Ri coordinates microbial and metabolic processes to enhance saline-alkaline resistance in soybean.</p>