scholarly journals Legume tasters: symbiotic rhizobia host preference and smart inoculant formulations

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Cangioli ◽  
Alice Checcucci ◽  
Alessio Mengoni ◽  
Camilla Fagorzi

Mutualistic interactions have great importance in ecology, with genetic information that takes shape through interactions within the symbiotic partners and between the partners and the environment. It is known that variation of the host-associated microbiome contributes to buffer adaptation challenges of the host’s physiology when facing varying environmental conditions. In agriculture, pivotal examples are symbiotic nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, known to contribute greatly to host (legume plants) adaptation and host productivity. A holistic view of increasing crop yield and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses is that of microbiome engineering, the exploitation of a host-associated microbiome through its rationally designed manipulation with synthetic microbial communities. However, several studies highlighted that the expression of the desired phenotype in the host resides in species-specific, even genotype-specific interactions between the symbiotic partners. Consequently, there is a need to dissect such an intimate level of interaction, aiming to identify the main genetic components in both partners playing a role in symbiotic differences/host preferences. In the present paper, while briefly reviewing the knowledge and the challenges in plant–microbe interaction and rhizobial studies, we aim to promote research on genotype x genotype interaction between rhizobia and host plants for a rational design of synthetic symbiotic nitrogen-fixing microbial communities to be used for sustainably improving leguminous plants yield.

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-409
Author(s):  
Baizhen Gao ◽  
Rushant Sabnis ◽  
Tommaso Costantini ◽  
Robert Jinkerson ◽  
Qing Sun

Microbial communities drive diverse processes that impact nearly everything on this planet, from global biogeochemical cycles to human health. Harnessing the power of these microorganisms could provide solutions to many of the challenges that face society. However, naturally occurring microbial communities are not optimized for anthropogenic use. An emerging area of research is focusing on engineering synthetic microbial communities to carry out predefined functions. Microbial community engineers are applying design principles like top-down and bottom-up approaches to create synthetic microbial communities having a myriad of real-life applications in health care, disease prevention, and environmental remediation. Multiple genetic engineering tools and delivery approaches can be used to ‘knock-in' new gene functions into microbial communities. A systematic study of the microbial interactions, community assembling principles, and engineering tools are necessary for us to understand the microbial community and to better utilize them. Continued analysis and effort are required to further the current and potential applications of synthetic microbial communities.


2008 ◽  
Vol 53 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Zouhar ◽  
M. Marek ◽  
O. Douda ◽  
J. Mazáková ◽  
P. Ryšánek

<i>Ditylenchus dipsaci</i>, the stem nematode, is a migratory endoparasite of over 500 species of angiosperms. The main method of <i>D. dipsaci</i> control is crop rotation, but the presence of morphologically indistinguishable host races with different host preferences makes rotation generally ineffective. Therefore, a sensitive, rapid, reliable, as well as cost effective technique is needed for identification of <i>D. dipsaci</i> in biological samples. This study describes the development of species-specific pairs of PCR oligonucleotides for detection and identification of the <i>D. dipsaci</i> stem nematode in various plant hosts. Designed DIT-2 primer pair specifically amplified a fragment of 325 bp, while DIT-5 primer pair always produced a fragment of 245 bp in all <i>D. dipsaci</i> isolates. Two developed SCAR primer pairs were further tested using template DNA extracted from a collection of twelve healthy plant hosts; no amplification was however observed. The developed PCR protocol has proved to be quite sensitive and able to specifically detect <i>D. dipsaci</i> in artificially infested plant tissues.


2019 ◽  
Vol 366 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan R Pacheco ◽  
Daniel Segrè

ABSTRACTBeyond being simply positive or negative, beneficial or inhibitory, microbial interactions can involve a diverse set of mechanisms, dependencies and dynamical properties. These more nuanced features have been described in great detail for some specific types of interactions, (e.g. pairwise metabolic cross-feeding, quorum sensing or antibiotic killing), often with the use of quantitative measurements and insight derived from modeling. With a growing understanding of the composition and dynamics of complex microbial communities for human health and other applications, we face the challenge of integrating information about these different interactions into comprehensive quantitative frameworks. Here, we review the literature on a wide set of microbial interactions, and explore the potential value of a formal categorization based on multidimensional vectors of attributes. We propose that such an encoding can facilitate systematic, direct comparisons of interaction mechanisms and dependencies, and we discuss the relevance of an atlas of interactions for future modeling and rational design efforts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 218 ◽  
pp. 481-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay ◽  
Thomas J. Aspray ◽  
Mara Knapp ◽  
Umer Z. Ijaz

We present here a data-driven systems biology framework for the rational design of biotechnological solutions for contaminated environments with the aim of understanding the interactions and mechanisms underpinning the role of microbial communities in the biodegradation of contaminated soils.


Author(s):  
Sarah L. Sokol-Borrelli ◽  
Rachel S. Coombs ◽  
Jon P. Boyle

Stage conversion is a critical life cycle feature for several Apicomplexan parasites as the ability to switch between life forms is critical for replication, dissemination, pathogenesis and ultimately, transmission to a new host. In order for these developmental transitions to occur, the parasite must first sense changes in their environment, such as the presence of stressors or other environmental signals, and then respond to these signals by initiating global alterations in gene expression. As our understanding of the genetic components required for stage conversion continues to broaden, we can better understand the conserved mechanisms for this process and unique components and their contribution to pathogenesis by comparing stage conversion in multiple closely related species. In this review, we will discuss what is currently known about the mechanisms driving stage conversion in Toxoplasma gondii and its closest relatives Hammondia hammondi and Neospora caninum. Work by us and others has shown that these species have some important differences in the way that they (1) progress through their life cycle and (2) respond to stage conversion initiating stressors. To provide a specific example of species-specific complexities associated with stage conversion, we will discuss our recent published and unpublished work comparing stress responses in T. gondii and H. hammondi.


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