Does biological rhythm transmit from plants to rhizosphere microbes?

Area of Science:

• Plant Biology
• Microbiology
• Genetics

Background:

• Plant physiological and metabolic processes are largely controlled by rhythmic gene expression.
• Rhizosphere microorganisms, influenced by root exudates, provide essential functions to plants.
• The connection between plant biorhythms and rhizosphere microbial communities is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of the Arabidopsis circadian clock on the rhizosphere microbial community.
• To understand how disruptions in the plant circadian clock affect root exudates and microbial interactions.
• To explore the feedback mechanisms between plant rhythms, root exudates, and microbial community structure.

Main Methods:

• Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of wild-type and clock mutant Arabidopsis plants (cca1-1, toc1-101) over a 24-hour period.
• 16S rRNA gene sequencing to profile the rhizosphere bacterial community.
• Comparative analysis of diurnal rhythms in gene expression, root exudates, and microbial composition.

Main Results:

• Circadian clock deficiencies in plants caused abnormal diurnal rhythms in thousands of genes and dozens of root exudates.
• The rhizosphere bacterial community in clock mutants did not exhibit clear 24-hour patterns.
• A lack of coordination between plant growth and microbial community dynamics was observed in clock mutants.

Conclusions:

• The plant circadian clock's regulation of gene expression and root exudation is crucial for establishing rhythmic rhizosphere microbial communities.
• Disrupting the plant circadian clock impairs the development and coordination of the rhizosphere microbiome.
• Plant biorhythms play a significant role in shaping the rhizosphere, with potential feedback effects on plant development.