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09:55
Exploring the Root Microbiome: Extracting Bacterial Community Data from the Soil, Rhizosphere, and Root Endosphere
Published on: May 2, 2018
28.1K
Engineering transkingdom signalling in plants to control gene expression in rhizosphere bacteria
Barney A Geddes1, Ponraj Paramasivan2, Amelie Joffrin3
1Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK.
Nature Communications
|August 2, 2019
Summary
Scientists engineered plants to produce a bacterial signal, scyllo-inosamine, to control root microbes. This synthetic signaling approach aims to enhance agricultural productivity by optimizing the plant root microbiome.
Area of Science:
- Plant-microbe interactions
- Synthetic biology
- Agricultural science
Background:
- Root microbiota is crucial for crop yield, offering functions like nutrient solubilization and pathogen defense.
- Plants actively regulate their root environment through immune responses and microbial interactions.
- Optimizing root microbiota is key to enhancing agricultural productivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a synthetic signaling system for targeted regulation of root bacteria.
- To engineer plants for the production of a specific bacterial signal (rhizopine scyllo-inosamine).
- To demonstrate the perception of this synthetic signal by rhizosphere bacteria.
Main Methods:
- Expression of a synthetic pathway for scyllo-inosamine production in *Medicago truncatula* and barley.
- Utilizing bioluminescent and fluorescent biosensors in rhizosphere bacteria to detect the signal.
- Investigating plant control over the root microbiome.
Main Results:
- Successfully produced scyllo-inosamine in two plant species, *Medicago truncatula* and barley.
- Demonstrated that rhizosphere bacteria can perceive the synthetic scyllo-inosamine signal.
- Established proof-of-concept for plant-mediated bacterial gene regulation.
Conclusions:
- This study establishes a foundation for synthetic signaling networks between plants and bacteria.
- Enables targeted control of bacterial gene expression in the rhizosphere.
- Paves the way for delivering beneficial functions to crops via engineered microbial communities.
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