Bacillus spp. have great agricultural potential as a plant growth promoter and biocontrol agent. However, little is known concerning the bacterial molecular basis for the improvement of plant ...fitness. Thus, it is highly desirable to develop techniques that can contribute to the elucidation of the genetic basis for the mechanisms involved in beneficial bacterium-plant interactions. In this context, CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas9 is a powerful tool based on programmable molecular scissors that perform precise incisions in any DNA sequence. CRISPR-Cas9 can alter gene sequences and constitutes a cutting-edge tool to elucidate the role and function of bacterial genes associated with the benefits of plant interactions. The method described here uses a feasible CRISPR-Cas9 system in a double plasmid, one plasmid harboring the Cas9 endonuclease and the other the sgRNA, to promote gene knockout/editing in the Bacillus genus. This approach favors high efficiency in generating mutants for one or more genes in continuous or multiplex editing. Additionally, due to its universality, it can be applied to genera other than Bacillus.
, the causal agent of myrtle rust, is a biotrophic pathogen whose growth and development depends on the host tissues. The uredospores of
infect
by engaging in close contact with the host surface and ...interacting with the leaf cuticle that provides important chemical and physical signals to trigger the infection process. In this study, the cuticular waxes of
spp. were analyzed to determine their composition or structure and correlation with susceptibility/resistance to
. Twenty-one
spp. in the field were classified as resistant or susceptible. The resistance/susceptibility level of six
spp. were validated in controlled conditions using qPCR, revealing that the pathogen can germinate on the eucalyptus surface of some species without multiplying in the host. CG-TOF-MS analysis detected 26 compounds in the
spp. cuticle and led to the discovery of the role of hexadecanoic acid in the susceptibility of
and
to
. We characterized the epicuticular wax morphology of the six previously selected
spp. using scanning electron microscopy and observed different behavior in
germination during host infection. It was found a correlation of epicuticular morphology on the resistance to
. However, in this study, we provide the first report of considerable interspecific variation in
spp. on the susceptibility to
and its correlation with cuticular waxes chemical compounds that seem to play a synergistic role as a preformed defense mechanism.
Austropuccinia psidii is a biotrophic fungus that causes myrtle rust. First described in Brazil, it has since spread to become a globally important pathogen that infects more than 480 myrtaceous ...species. One of the most important commercial crops affected by A. psidii is eucalypt, a widely grown forestry tree. The A. psidii–Eucalyptus spp. interaction is poorly understood, but pathogenesis is likely driven by pathogen-secreted effector molecules. Here, we identified and characterized a total of 255 virulence effector candidates using a genome assembly of A. psidii strain MF-1, which was recovered from Eucalyptus grandis in Brazil. We show that the expression of seven effector candidate genes is modulated by cell wax from leaves sourced from resistant and susceptible hosts. Two effector candidates with different subcellular localization predictions, and with specific gene expression profiles, were transiently expressed with GFP-fusions in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Interestingly, we observed the accumulation of an effector candidate, Ap28303, which was upregulated under cell wax from rust susceptible E. grandis and described as a peptidase inhibitor I9 domain-containing protein in the nucleus. This was in accordance with in silico analyses. Few studies have characterized nuclear effectors. Our findings open new perspectives on the study of A. psidii–Eucalyptus interactions by providing a potential entry point to understand how the pathogen manipulates its hosts in modulating physiology, structure, or function with effector proteins.
Diazotrophic Bacterial Community of Degraded Pastures Oliveira, João Tiago Correia; Figueredo, Everthon Fernandes; Diniz, Williane Patrícia da Silva ...
Applied and environmental soil science,
2017, Letnik:
2017
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Pasture degradation can cause changes in diazotrophic bacterial communities. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the culturable and total diazotrophic bacterial community, associated with regions of ...the rhizosphere and roots of Brachiaria decumbens Stapf. pastures in different stages of degradation. Samples of roots and rhizospheric soil were collected from slightly, partially, and highly degraded pastures. McCrady’s table was used to obtain the Most Probable Number (MPN) of bacteria per gram of sample, in order to determine population density and calculate the Shannon-Weaver diversity index. The diversity of total diazotrophic bacterial community was determined by the technique of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) of the nifH gene, while the diversity of the culturable diazotrophic bacteria was determined by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (BOX-PCR) technique. The increase in the degradation stage of the B. decumbens Stapf. pasture did not reduce the population density of the cultivated diazotrophic bacterial community, suggesting that the degradation at any degree of severity was highly harmful to the bacteria. The structure of the total diazotrophic bacterial community associated with B. decumbens Stapf. was altered by the pasture degradation stage, suggesting a high adaptive capacity of the bacteria to altered environments.
Strains of
Bacillus thuringiensis
(
Bt
) are commonly commercialized as bioinoculants for insect pest control, but their benefits go beyond their insecticidal property: they can act as plant ...growth-promoters. Auxins play a major role in the plant growth promotion. However, the mechanism of auxin production by the Bacilli group, and more specifically by
Bt
strains, is unclear. In previous work, the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR)
B. thuringiensis
strain RZ2MS9 increased the corn roots. This drew our attention to the strain’s auxin production trait, earlier detected in vitro. Here, we demonstrate that in its genome, RZ2MS9 harbours the complete set of genes required in two pathways that are used for Indole acetic acid (IAA) production. We also detected that the strain produces almost five times more IAA during the stationary phase. The bacterial application increased the shoot dry weight of the Micro-Tom (MT) tomato by 24%. The application also modified MT root architecture, with an increase of 26% in the average lateral root length and inhibition of the axial root. At the cellular level, RZ2MS9-treated MT plants presented elongated root cortical cells with intensified mitotic activity. Altogether, these are the best characterized auxin-associated phenotypes. Besides that, no growth alteration was detected in the auxin-insensitive
diageotropic
(
dgt
) plants either with or without the RZ2MS9 inoculation. Our results suggest that auxins play an important role in the ability of
B. thuringiensis
RZ2MS9 to promote MT growth and provide a better understanding of the auxin production mechanism by a
Bt
strain.
Abstract Grass from the genus Brachiaria spp. predominates in pastures with low fertile soils. This scenario highlights the importance of the association with microorganisms to foster plant growth, ...which becomes essential to the successful establishment of this forage in such environments. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic variability and identify the mechanisms of plant growth promotion, in vitro, of bacteria associated with Brachiaria decumbens Stapf. and Brachiaria humidicola (Rendle.) Schweickerdt in Pernambuco, Brazil. We evaluated 20 isolates of diazotrophic bacteria obtained from the endophyte or rhizosphere communities. The genetic characteristics were determined via sequencing the 16S rRNA region, which allowed us to identify ten different bacterial genera: Bacillus sp., Burkholderia sp., Enterobacter sp., Klebsiella sp., Microbacterium sp., Pantoea sp., Ralstonia sp., Rhizobium sp., Sinomonas sp., and Sphingomonas sp., with a specificity of the genus Rhizobium sp. to Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.. The phenotypic and functional characteristics revealed that 100% of the bacterial strains produced indol-3-acetic acid (IAA) with the addition of L-tryptophan, and 60% presented IAA production independent of the L-tryptophan pathway. We also detected that 70% of the isolated bacteria possessed the capacity to solubilize phosphorus. The analysis of the enzymatic output revealed that 30% of the bacterial isolates produced cellulase, 60% produced pectate lyase, 15% produced polygalacturonase, and 30% produced amylase. We also detected the production of N-acyl homoserine lactones in 65% of bacterial strains. In summary, our results showed that plants of B. decumbens Stapf. and B. humidicola (Rendle.) Schweickerdt interacted with different bacterial genera capable of promoting plant growth.
The bacterial biosynthesis of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is often related to the beneficial effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on plant development. In PGPR belonging to the ...Bacillus genus, the synthesis of IAA may occur through different metabolic pathways that are still poorly understood. B. thuringiensis (Bt) is well known for its insecticidal properties; however, its beneficial features are not limited to pest control. Our group has been studed the beneficial effects of Bt strain RZ2MS9 as growth promoter in a range of plant crops, including soybean, tomato, and maize. We recently demonstrated that bacterial IAA biosynthesis plays an important role in the ability of RZ2MS9 to benefit plant development. However, the molecular involved mechanisms in the IAA biosynthesis by this bacterium in the beneficial interaction with plants remain unclear. Here, we investigated the genetic basis of IAA biosynthesis by RZ2MS9. We knocked out the ipdC gene, involved in IAA biosynthesis via the tryptophan-dependent IPyA pathway, using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Our results showed that, by disrupting the IPyA pathway, the amount of IAA synthesized by the mutant RZ2MS9 (ΔipdC) in the presence of tryptophan drops 57%. The gene knockout did not affect the bacterial growth, but it did affect its ability to colonize maize. Moreover, deactivating the ipdC gene in RZ2MS9 significantly reduces its ability to promote maize growth. ΔipdC performed worse than RZ2MS9 in almost all evaluated plant parameters, including total root length, projected root area, lateral roots, aerial part dry matter, and germination speed index. Therefore, we demonstrated that tryptophan-dependent IAA biosynthesis via the IPyA pathway by RZ2MS9 is strongly influenced by the ipdC gene. Furthermore, IAA biosynthesis by RZ2MS9 is a major mechanism used by this PGPR to promote maize growth.
Austropuccinia psidii is a biotrophic fungus that causes myrtle rust. First described in Brazil, it has since spread to become a globally important pathogen that infects more than 480 myrtaceous ...species. One of the most important commercial crops affected by A. psidii is eucalypt, a widely grown forestry tree. The A. psidii–Eucalyptus spp. interaction is poorly understood, but pathogenesis is likely driven by pathogen-secreted effector molecules. Here, we identified and characterized a total of 255 virulence effector candidates using a genome assembly of A. psidii strain MF-1, which was recovered from Eucalyptus grandis in Brazil. We show that the expression of seven effector candidate genes is modulated by cell wax from leaves sourced from resistant and susceptible hosts. Two effector candidates with different subcellular localization predictions, and with specific gene expression profiles, were transiently expressed with GFP-fusions in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Interestingly, we observed the accumulation of an effector candidate, Ap28303, which was upregulated under cell wax from rust susceptible E. grandis and described as a peptidase inhibitor I9 domain-containing protein in the nucleus. This was in accordance with in silico analyses. Few studies have characterized nuclear effectors. Our findings open new perspectives on the study of A. psidii–Eucalyptus interactions by providing a potential entry point to understand how the pathogen manipulates its hosts in modulating physiology, structure, or function with effector proteins.
Dentre os mecanismos relacionados à interação bactéria-planta, a biossíntese bacteriana de ácido indol acético (AIA) exerce um papel fundamental na promoção do crescimento vegetal, uma vez que é ...capaz de influenciar inúmeros processos fisiológicos nas plantas. Diferentes vias metabólicas são utilizadas pelas bactérias para a biossíntese do AIA, sendo a via do ácido indol-3-pirúvico (IPyA) a mais comumente descrita. Nesta via encontra-se o gene indol-3-piruvato descarboxilase (ipdC) com vital função na produção de AIA utilizando como precursor o aminoácido L-triptofano. Nesse contexto, estudos moleculares acerca das vias metabólicas e dos genes envolvidos nesse processo são preponderantes para o entendimento da inter-relação das vias regulatórias com a síntese do fitormônio. A rizobactéria Bacillus sp. (RZ2MS9) vem apresentando satisfatória atividade na promoção de crescimento vegetal. O sequenciamento do seu genoma apontou a presença de uma vasta gama de genes relacionados à promoção do crescimento, com destaque para genes codificadores de auxinas. Assim, o estudo teve por objetivo comprovar a função do gene ipdC na biossíntese do AIA pela via dpendente do L-triptofano através do nocaute sítio dirigido do gene ipdC na Rizobactéria Promotora do Crescimento em Plantas (RPCP) Bacillus sp. (RZ2MS9). Para tanto, foi realizado o nocaute sítio dirigido por meio da técnica de CRISPR-Cas9. O nocaute do gene ipdC foi eficiente, gerando mutantes disruptivos para o referido gene. A biossíntese do AIA pela linhagem ipdC apresentou reduções nas concentrações do fitormônio, de acordo com o tempo de crescimento, sendo 87,96% em 24 horas, 88,25% em 48 horas e 58,27% em 72 horas do crescimento em comparação à linhagem selvagem (WT). Além disso, a biossíntese do AIA na ausência do aminoácido L-triptofano também foi avaliada, não sendo constatada síntese do fitormônio em nenhum dos tempos crescimento, tanto na linhagem selvagem, quanto na linhagem ipdC. O presente estudo foi pioneiro no nocaute do gene ipdC em uma linhagem de Bacillus utilizando a técnica de CRISPR-Cas9. Os resultados obtidos contribuem para um melhor entendimento da influência do gene ipdC e da via IPyA na biossíntese do AIA pela linhagem RZ2MS9 e futuramente sera comprovado seu papel na promoção de crescimento vegetal.
Among the mechanisms related to the bacterium-plant interaction, the bacterial biosynthesis of indole acetic acid (AIA) plays a fundamental role in the promotion of plant growth, since it is capable of influencing innumerable physiological processes in plants. Different metabolic pathways are used by bacteria for the biosynthesis of IAA, with the indole-3-pyruvic acid (IPyA) pathway being the most commonly described. In this pathway, the indole-3-pyruvate decarboxylase (ipdC) gene has a vital role in the production of IAA using the amino acid L-tryptophan as a precursor. In this context, molecular studies about the metabolic pathways and the genes involved in this process are preponderant for the understanding of the interrelationship of the regulatory pathways with the phytormonium synthesis. The rhizobacterium Bacillus sp. (RZ2MS9) has been showing satisfactory activity in promoting plant growth. The sequencing of its genome pointed to the presence of a wide range of genes related to growth promotion, especially genes encoding auxins. Thus, the objective of the present study was to verify the function of the ipdC gene in the IAA biosynthesis L-tryptophan dependent through the knockout of the ipdC in the plant growth-promoting rhizobateria (PGPR) Bacillus sp. (RZ2MS9). Therefore, the knockout was realized using the CRISPR-Cas9. The knockout of the ipdC gene was efficient, generating disruptive mutants for the said gene. IAA biosynthesis by the ipdC strain showed reductions in phytormonium concentrations, according to the growth time, being 87.96% in 24 hours, 88.25% in 48 hours and 58.27% in 72 hours of growth compared to the Wild Type (WT). In addition, the biosynthesis of IAA in the absence of the amino acid L-tryptophan was also evaluated, with no phytormonium synthesis being observed at any growth time, both in the wild type and ipdC strain. The present study pioneered the knockout of the ipdC gene in a Bacillus strain using the CRISPR-Cas9. The results obtained contribute to a better understanding of the influence of the ipdC gene and the IPyA pathway in the IAA biosynthesis through the RZ2MS9 strain, and its role in plant growth promoting will be demonstrated in the future.
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