Endophytic microorganisms Agrobacterium tumefaciens 6N2 and Meyerozyma guilliermondii 6N serve as models for the study of microbial interactions in colony biofilms

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is considered a prominent phytopathogen, though most isolates are nonpathogenic. Agrobacteria can inhabit plant tissues interacting with other microorganisms. Yeasts are likewise part of these communities. We analyzed the quorum sensing (QS) systems of A. tumefaciens strain 6N2, and its relevance for the interaction with the yeast Meyerozyma guilliermondii, both sugarcane endophytes. We show that strain 6N2 is nonpathogenic, produces OHC8-HSL, OHC10-HSL, OC12-HSL and OHC12-HSL as QS signals, and possesses a complex QS architecture, with one truncated, two complete systems, and three additional QS-signal receptors. A proteomic approach showed differences in QS-regulated proteins between pure (64 proteins) and dual (33 proteins) cultures. Seven proteins were consistently regulated by quorum sensing in pure and dual cultures. M. guilliermondii proteins influenced by QS activity were also evaluated. Several up- and down- regulated proteins differed depending on the bacterial QS. These results show the importance of the QS regulation in the bacteria-yeast interactions.

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Endophytic microorganisms in fundamental research and agriculture

Ecological genetics ◽

10.17816/ecogen17119-32 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 19-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ekaterina N. Vasileva ◽

Gulnar A. Akhtemova ◽

Vladimir A. Zhukov ◽

Igor A. Tikhonovich

Keyword(s):

Endophytic Bacteria ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Root Surface ◽

Nutrient Supply ◽

Microbial Interactions ◽

Mineral Fertilizers ◽

Aerial Parts ◽

Endophytic Microorganisms ◽

Key Points ◽

Fundamental Research

The ubiquity of endophytic microorganisms is an accepted fact nowadays and the possibility of using it in agriculture keeps attracting attention of scientific community. In contrast to rhizospheric (living on root surface) and phyllospheric (colonizing aerial parts of plants) members of plant-microbial interactions endophytes are able to establish closer relationships with host-plant, in some cases strongly influencing its phenotype, bringing benefits. However, these microorganisms do not form any specific structures like nodules in case of symbiosis between legumes and rhizobium bacteria. Having a great amount of functions including phytohormone level modulation, vitamins production and nutrient supply improving, endophytes could serve as a basis for biofertilizer, which could potentially minimize the necessity of mineral fertilizers, thus reducing the negative impact of the latter on soil fertility, biodiversity and human health. Our main aim here is to highlight the question of functional significance of endophytes and endophytic bacteria in particular, as well as the way of its application in agriculture and to identify key points in understanding biology of these organisms. In this review we will consider such aspects of plant-endophytic symbiosis as biodiversity of legume and non-legume endophytes, ecology of endophytes and some ways which are commonly in use by studying these microorganisms.

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A peek in the micro-sized world: a review of design principles, engineering tools, and applications of engineered microbial community

Biochemical Society Transactions ◽

10.1042/bst20190172 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 399-409

Author(s):

Baizhen Gao ◽

Rushant Sabnis ◽

Tommaso Costantini ◽

Robert Jinkerson ◽

Qing Sun

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Environmental Remediation ◽

Real Life ◽

Design Principles ◽

Microbial Interactions ◽

Potential Applications ◽

New Gene ◽

Global Biogeochemical Cycles ◽

Synthetic Microbial Communities

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.

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