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Vaccaro F, Passeri I, Ajijah N, Bettini P, Courty PE, Dębiec-Andrzejewska K, Joshi N, Kowalewska Ł, Stasiuk R, Musiałowski M, Pranaw K, Mengoni A. Genotype-by-genotype interkingdom cross-talk between symbiotic nitrogen fixing Sinorhizobium meliloti strains and Trichoderma species. Microbiol Res 2024; 285:127768. [PMID: 38820702 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
In the understanding of the molecular interaction between plants and their microbiome, a key point is to identify simplified models of the microbiome including relevant bacterial and fungal partners which could also be effective in plant growth promotion. Here, as proof-of-concept, we aim to identify the possible molecular interactions between symbiotic nitrogen-fixing rhizobia and soil fungi (Trichoderma spp.), hence shed light on synergistic roles rhizospheric fungi could have in the biology of symbiotic nitrogen fixation bacteria. We selected 4 strains of the model rhizobium Sinorhizobium meliloti and 4 Trichoderma species (T. velutinum, T. tomentosum, T. gamsii and T. harzianum). In an experimental scheme of 4 ×4 strains x species combinations, we investigated the rhizobia physiological and transcriptomic responses elicited by fungal spent media, as well as spent media effects on rhizobia-host legume plant (alfalfa, Medicago sativa L.) symbiosis. Fungal spent media had large effects on rhizobia, specific for each fungal species and rhizobial strains combination, indicating a generalized rhizobia genotype x fungal genotype interaction, including synergistic, neutral and antagonistic effects on alfalfa symbiotic phenotypes. Differential expression of a high number of genes was shown in rhizobia strains with up to 25% of total genes differentially expressed upon treatment of cultures with fungal spent media. Percentages over total genes and type of genes differentially expressed changed according to both fungal species and rhizobial strain. To support the hypothesis of a relevant rhizobia genotype x fungal genotype interaction, a nested Likelihood Ratio Test indicated that the model considering the fungus-rhizobium interaction explained 23.4% of differentially expressed genes. Our results provide insights into molecular interactions involving nitrogen-fixing rhizobia and rhizospheric fungi, highlighting the panoply of genes and genotypic interactions (fungus, rhizobium, host plant) which may concur to plant symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nur Ajijah
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
| | | | | | | | - Namrata Joshi
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
| | - Łucja Kowalewska
- Department of Plant Anatomy and Cytology, Institute of Plant Experimental Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
| | - Robert Stasiuk
- Department of Geomicrobiology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marcin Musiałowski
- Department of Geomicrobiology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kumar Pranaw
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland; School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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Carvia-Hermoso C, Cuéllar V, Bernabéu-Roda LM, van Dillewijn P, Soto MJ. Sinorhizobium meliloti GR4 Produces Chromosomal- and pSymA-Encoded Type IVc Pili That Influence the Interaction with Alfalfa Plants. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:628. [PMID: 38475474 DOI: 10.3390/plants13050628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Type IVc Pili (T4cP), also known as Tad or Flp pili, are long thin microbial filaments that are made up of small-sized pilins. These appendages serve different functions in bacteria, including attachment, biofilm formation, surface sensing, motility, and host colonization. Despite their relevant role in diverse microbial lifestyles, knowledge about T4cP in bacteria that establish symbiosis with legumes, collectively referred to as rhizobia, is still limited. Sinorhizobium meliloti contains two clusters of T4cP-related genes: flp-1 and flp-2, which are located on the chromosome and the pSymA megaplasmid, respectively. Bundle-forming pili associated with flp-1 are involved in the competitive nodulation of alfalfa plants, but the role of flp-2 remains elusive. In this work, we have performed a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of T4cP genes in the highly competitive S. meliloti GR4 strain and investigated the role of its flp clusters in pilus biogenesis, motility, and in the interaction with alfalfa. Single and double flp-cluster mutants were constructed on the wild-type genetic background as well as in a flagellaless derivative strain. Our data demonstrate that both chromosomal and pSymA flp clusters are functional in pili biogenesis and contribute to surface translocation and nodule formation efficiency in GR4. In this strain, the presence of flp-1 in the absence of flp-2 reduces the competitiveness for nodule occupation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Carvia-Hermoso
- Department of Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, 18008 Granada, Spain
| | - Virginia Cuéllar
- Department of Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, 18008 Granada, Spain
| | - Lydia M Bernabéu-Roda
- Department of Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, 18008 Granada, Spain
| | - Pieter van Dillewijn
- Department of Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, 18008 Granada, Spain
| | - María J Soto
- Department of Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC, 18008 Granada, Spain
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Nishida H, Shimoda Y, Win KT, Imaizumi-Anraku H. Rhizosphere frame system enables nondestructive live-imaging of legume-rhizobium interactions in the soil. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2023; 136:769-780. [PMID: 37402088 PMCID: PMC10421814 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-023-01476-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Most plants interact with various soil microorganisms as they grow through the soil. Root nodule symbiosis by legumes and rhizobia is a well-known phenomenon of plant-microbe interactions in the soil. Although microscopic observations are useful for understanding the infection processes of rhizobia, nondestructive observation methods have not been established for monitoring interactions between rhizobia and soil-grown roots. In this study, we constructed Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens strains that constitutively express different fluorescent proteins, which allows identification of tagged rhizobia by the type of fluorophores. In addition, we constructed a plant cultivation device, Rhizosphere Frame (RhizoFrame), which is a soil-filled container made of transparent acrylic plates that allows observation of roots growing along the acrylic plates. Combining fluorescent rhizobia with RhizoFrame, we established a live imaging system, RhizoFrame system, that enabled us to track the nodulation processes with fluorescence stereomicroscope while retaining spatial information about roots, rhizobia, and soil. Mixed inoculation with different fluorescent rhizobia using RhizoFrame enabled the visualization of mixed infection of a single nodule with two strains. In addition, observation of transgenic Lotus japonicus expressing auxin-responsive reporter genes indicated that RhizoFrame system could be used for a real-time and nondestructive reporter assay. Thus, the use of RhizoFrame system is expected to enhance the study of the spatiotemporal dynamics of plant-microbe interactions in the soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Nishida
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Shimoda
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604, Japan
| | - Khin Thuzar Win
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604, Japan
| | - Haruko Imaizumi-Anraku
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604, Japan.
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Montoya AP, Wendlandt CE, Benedict AB, Roberts M, Piovia-Scott J, Griffitts JS, Porter SS. Hosts winnow symbionts with multiple layers of absolute and conditional discrimination mechanisms. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222153. [PMID: 36598018 PMCID: PMC9811631 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In mutualism, hosts select symbionts via partner choice and preferentially direct more resources to symbionts that provide greater benefits via sanctions. At the initiation of symbiosis, prior to resource exchange, it is not known how the presence of multiple symbiont options (i.e. the symbiont social environment) impacts partner choice outcomes. Furthermore, little research addresses whether hosts primarily discriminate among symbionts via sanctions, partner choice or a combination. We inoculated the legume, Acmispon wrangelianus, with 28 pairs of fluorescently labelled Mesorhizobium strains that vary continuously in quality as nitrogen-fixing symbionts. We find that hosts exert robust partner choice, which enhances their fitness. This partner choice is conditional such that a strain's success in initiating nodules is impacted by other strains in the social environment. This social genetic effect is as important as a strain's own genotype in determining nodulation and has both transitive (consistent) and intransitive (idiosyncratic) effects on the probability that a symbiont will form a nodule. Furthermore, both absolute and conditional partner choice act in concert with sanctions, among and within nodules. Thus, multiple forms of host discrimination act as a series of sieves that optimize host benefits and select for costly symbiont cooperation in mixed symbiont populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angeliqua P. Montoya
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
| | - Camille E. Wendlandt
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
| | - Alex B. Benedict
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Miles Roberts
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
| | - Jonah Piovia-Scott
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
| | - Joel S. Griffitts
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Stephanie S. Porter
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
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Cangioli L, Vaccaro F, Fini M, Mengoni A, Fagorzi C. Scent of a Symbiont: The Personalized Genetic Relationships of Rhizobium—Plant Interaction. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063358. [PMID: 35328782 PMCID: PMC8954435 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Many molecular signals are exchanged between rhizobia and host legume plants, some of which are crucial for symbiosis to take place, while others are modifiers of the interaction, which have great importance in the competition with the soil microbiota and in the genotype-specific perception of host plants. Here, we review recent findings on strain-specific and host genotype-specific interactions between rhizobia and legumes, discussing the molecular actors (genes, gene products and metabolites) which play a role in the establishment of symbiosis, and highlighting the need for research including the other components of the soil (micro)biota, which could be crucial in developing rational-based strategies for bioinoculants and synthetic communities’ assemblage.
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