Host-guided microbiome-metabolite interactions enable cross-kingdom SynComs for disease suppression
Shanshan Liu1,2, Shuxian Wang1, Jingyuan Zhang1
1The Sanya Institute of the Nanjing Agricultural University, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource-Saving Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210095, China.
Microbiome
|June 4, 2026
Summary
Designing synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) based on natural interactions enhances plant disease resistance. Cross-kingdom SynComs, combined with key metabolites, offer potent protection against pathogens like Fusarium wilt.
Area of Science:
- Plant Pathology
- Microbiome Research
- Synthetic Biology
Background:
- The plant microbiome is vital for disease resistance, but effective microbiome-based protection is hindered by incomplete knowledge of host-microbe-environment interactions.
- Understanding how host selection, microbial dynamics, and soil chemistry influence pathogen suppression is key to developing novel plant protection strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) that mimic natural disease-suppressive interactions.
- To investigate the roles of bacterial, fungal, and cross-kingdom communities in conferring resistance to banana Fusarium wilt.
- To elucidate the mechanisms underlying microbiome-mediated plant disease suppression.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a "learning from nature" approach to construct SynComs from resistant and susceptible banana varieties.
- Employed high-throughput profiling to identify resistance-associated microbial taxa.
- Assembled bacterial, fungal, and cross-kingdom SynComs and tested their efficacy in suppressing Fusarium wilt.
- Conducted integrative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to understand host responses and identify key metabolites.
Main Results:
- SynComs derived from resistant banana varieties showed enhanced pathogen suppression compared to those from susceptible varieties.
- Cross-kingdom SynComs demonstrated the most significant disease suppression, reducing disease severity and altering rhizosphere microbiome composition and function.
- Host metabolic reprogramming, including increased accumulation of alkaloids, amino acids, and flavonoids, was observed.
- Supplementation with specific rhizosphere metabolites, like stearic acid and shikimic acid, further boosted disease suppression.
Conclusions:
- Host-guided microbiome assembly and metabolite-mediated interactions are crucial for effective cross-kingdom SynComs in disease suppression.
- Established a mechanistic framework for designing microbiome-based plant protection strategies.
- Identified ecological principles for developing advanced SynComs for sustainable agriculture.
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