RNA-seq analysis in simulated microgravity unveils down-regulation of the beta-rhizobial siderophore phymabactin

Exploiting the symbiotic interaction between crops and nitrogen-fixing bacteria is a simple and ecological method to promote plant growth in prospective extraterrestrial human outposts. In this study, we performed an RNA-seq analysis to investigate the adaptation of the legume symbiont Paraburkholderia phymatum STM815^T to simulated microgravity (s0-g) at the transcriptome level. The results revealed a drastic effect on gene expression, with roughly 23% of P. phymatum genes being differentially regulated in s0-g. Among those, 951 genes were upregulated and 858 downregulated in the cells grown in s0-g compared to terrestrial gravity (1 g). Several genes involved in posttranslational modification, protein turnover or chaperones encoding were upregulated in s0-g, while those involved in translation, ribosomal structure and biosynthesis, motility or inorganic ions transport were downregulated. Specifically, the whole phm gene cluster, previously bioinformatically predicted to be involved in the production of a hypothetical malleobactin-like siderophore, phymabactin, was 20-fold downregulated in microgravity. By constructing a mutant strain (ΔphmJK) we confirmed that the phm gene cluster codes for the only siderophore secreted by P. phymatum as assessed by the complete lack of iron chelating activity of the P. phymatum ΔphmJK mutant on chrome azurol S (CAS) agar plates. These results not only provide a deeper understanding of the physiology of symbiotic organisms exposed to space-like conditions, but also increase our knowledge of iron acquisition mechanisms in rhizobia.