Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Microbe Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2024) | Viewed by 10224

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: bacterial virulence; histidine kinase; response regulator; two-component signal transduction system; predatory bacteria; transcription factor; ligand-receptor interaction

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Guest Editor
College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: fungi-plant intereaction

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Agro-Biotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Interests: virus-plant interaction

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics(Co-Established with Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: plant immunity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant-microbe interaction is an exciting research area in the frontiers of life sciences, especially in the background of the microbiomics era. Answering how microbes, including viruses, bacteria and fungi, interact with host plants will not only reveal the molecular basis of the fascinating processes between various organisms but also stimulate the development of creative biotechnology, such as transgenic approaches, RNA interference and gene editing. In addition, plant-microbe interaction studies provide theory and materials for plant breeding to cultivate disease resistance germplasms, which efficiently ensures our food security. In recent years, Chinese scientists have represented an extremely active research community in this area.

The aim of this Special Issue is to call for papers with a focus on plant-microbe interaction research in China. Topics include, but are not limited to, genetic polymorphism and evolution, microbial pathogenesis, plant immunity, vector-borne plant disease and creative approaches to promoting plant disease resistance. In addition, manuscripts investigating the function of plant-associated microbiomes are especially welcomed.

We invite you to submit research articles, review articles and short communications related to state-of-the-art plant-microbe interaction research in China.

Prof. Dr. Wei Qian
Dr. Huiquan Liu
Prof. Dr. Xianbing Wang
Prof. Dr. Jie Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • plant disease
  • virus
  • bacteria
  • fungi
  • microbiome
  • genome editing
  • vector-borne disease
  • pathogenesis
  • plant immunity
  • virulence regulation

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 6140 KiB  
Article
Bacterial Lipopeptides Are Effective against Pear Fire Blight
by Ihsan ud Din, Lina Hu, Yuan Jiang, Jie Wei, Muhammad Afzal and Li Sun
Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 896; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms12050896 (registering DOI) - 29 Apr 2024
Viewed by 182
Abstract
Fire blight, a devastating disease caused by Erwinia amylovora, poses a significant threat to pear and apple trees in Xinjiang province, China. In an effort to combat this pathogen, we isolated 10 bacteria from various components of apple and crabapple trees and [...] Read more.
Fire blight, a devastating disease caused by Erwinia amylovora, poses a significant threat to pear and apple trees in Xinjiang province, China. In an effort to combat this pathogen, we isolated 10 bacteria from various components of apple and crabapple trees and conducted screenings to assess their ability to inhibit E. amylovora in vitro. Through biochemical tests and partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we identified two promising strains, Priestia megaterium strain H1 and Bacillus subtilis strain I2. These strains were then evaluated for their efficacy in biocontrol under controlled laboratory conditions, focusing on immature fruits and leaves. Remarkably, all selected antagonists exhibited the capability to reduce the severity of the disease on both fruit and leaves. P. megaterium strain H1 and B. subtilis strain I2 exhibited significant reductions in disease incidence on both immature fruits and leaves compared to the control. Specifically, on immature fruits, they achieved reductions of 53.39% and 44.76%, respectively, while on leaves, they demonstrated reductions of 59.55% and 55.53%, respectively. Furthermore, during the study, we detected the presence of lipopeptides, including surfactin, iturins, bacillomycin D, and fengycins, in the methanol extract obtained from these two antagonistic bacteria using thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Based on the results obtained, B. subtilis strain I2 and P. megaterium strain H1 exhibit considerable potential for controlling fire blight. However, further evaluation of their efficacy under natural field conditions is essential to validate their practicality as a biocontrol method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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18 pages, 2585 KiB  
Article
Difference in the Effect of Applying Bacillus to Control Tomato Verticillium Wilt in Black and Red Soil
by Zhenhua Guo, Ziyu Lu, Zhongwang Liu, Wei Zhou, Shuangyu Yang, Jiayan Lv and Mi Wei
Microorganisms 2024, 12(4), 797; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms12040797 - 15 Apr 2024
Viewed by 471
Abstract
In practical applications, the effectiveness of biological control agents such as Bacillus is often unstable due to different soil environments. Herein, we aimed to explore the control effect and intrinsic mechanism of Bacillus in black soil and red soil in combination with tomato [...] Read more.
In practical applications, the effectiveness of biological control agents such as Bacillus is often unstable due to different soil environments. Herein, we aimed to explore the control effect and intrinsic mechanism of Bacillus in black soil and red soil in combination with tomato Verticillium wilt. Bacillus application effectively controlled the occurrence of Verticillium wilt in red soil, reducing the incidence by 19.83%, but played a limited role in black soil. Bacillus colonized red soil more efficiently. The Verticillium pathogen decreased by 71.13% and 76.09% after the application of Bacillus combinations in the rhizosphere and bulk of the red soil, respectively, while there was no significant difference in the black soil. Additionally, Bacillus application to red soil significantly promoted phosphorus absorption. Furthermore, it significantly altered the bacterial community in red soil and enriched genes related to pathogen antagonism and phosphorus activation, which jointly participated in soil nutrient activation and disease prevention, promoting tomato plant growth in red soil. This study revealed that the shaping of the bacterial community by native soil may be the key factor affecting the colonization and function of exogenous Bacillus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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15 pages, 2897 KiB  
Article
Multi-Omics Approaches Provide New Insights into the Identification of Putative Fungal Effectors from Valsa mali
by Gulnaz Kahar, Yakupjan Haxim, Abdul Waheed, Tohir A. Bozorov, Xiaojie Liu, Xuejing Wen, Mingqi Zhao and Daoyuan Zhang
Microorganisms 2024, 12(4), 655; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms12040655 - 26 Mar 2024
Viewed by 678
Abstract
Pathogenic fungi secrete numerous effectors into host cells to manipulate plants’ defense mechanisms. Valsa mali, a necrotrophic fungus, severely impacts apple production in China due to the occurrence of Valsa canker. Here, we predicted 210 candidate effector protein (CEP)-encoding genes from V. [...] Read more.
Pathogenic fungi secrete numerous effectors into host cells to manipulate plants’ defense mechanisms. Valsa mali, a necrotrophic fungus, severely impacts apple production in China due to the occurrence of Valsa canker. Here, we predicted 210 candidate effector protein (CEP)-encoding genes from V. mali. The transcriptome analysis revealed that 146 CEP-encoding genes were differentially expressed during the infection of the host, Malus sieversii. Proteome analysis showed that 27 CEPs were differentially regulated during the infection stages. Overall, 25 of the 146 differentially expressed CEP-encoding genes were randomly selected to be transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana. Pathogenicity analysis showed that the transient expression of VM1G-05058 suppressed BAX-triggered cell death while the expression of VM1G-10148 and VM1G-00140 caused cell death in N. benthamiana. In conclusion, by using multi-omics analysis, we identified potential effector candidates for further evaluation in vivo. Our results will provide new insights into the investigation of virulent mechanisms of V. mali. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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13 pages, 3662 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities of Pinus squamata, a Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations (PSESP) in Different Conservation Sites
by Fengrong Li, Shugang Lu and Weibang Sun
Microorganisms 2024, 12(4), 638; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms12040638 - 22 Mar 2024
Viewed by 509
Abstract
Pinus squamata is one of the most threatened conifer species in the world. It is endemic to northeastern Yunnan Province, China, and has been prioritized as a Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations (PSESP). The integrated study of soil properties and rhizosphere bacteria [...] Read more.
Pinus squamata is one of the most threatened conifer species in the world. It is endemic to northeastern Yunnan Province, China, and has been prioritized as a Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations (PSESP). The integrated study of soil properties and rhizosphere bacteria can assist conservation to understand the required conditions for the protection and survival of rare and endangered species. However, differences between the rhizospheric bacterial communities found in the soil surrounding P. squamata at different conservation sites remain unclear. In this study, Samples were collected from wild, ex situ, and reintroduced sites. Bacterial communities in different conservation sites of P. squamata rhizosphere soils were compared using Illumina sequencing. The soil physicochemical properties were determined, the relationships between the bacterial communities and soil physicochemical factors were analyzed, and the potential bacterial ecological functions were predicted. The reintroduced site Qiaojia (RQ) had the highest richness and diversity of bacterial community. Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteriota were the dominant phyla, and Bradyrhizobium, Mycobacterium, Acidothermus were the most abundant genera. Samples were scattered (R = 0.93, p = 0.001), indicating significant difference between the different conservation sites. The abundance of Mycobacterium differed between sites (0.01 < p ≤ 0.05), and the relative abundances of Bradyrhizobium and Acidothermus differed significantly among different sites (0.001 < p ≤ 0.01). Soil total potassium (TK) and available nitrogen (AN) were the main factors driving bacterial community at the phylum level (0.01 < p ≤ 0.05). This study generated the first insights into the diversity, compositions, and potential functions of bacterial communities associated with the rhizosphere soils of P. squamata in different conservation sites and provides a foundation to assess the effect of conservation based on bacterial diversity and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to guide future research into the conservation of P. squamata. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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19 pages, 5102 KiB  
Article
A Novel Strain of Bacillus cereus with a Strong Antagonistic Effect Specific to Sclerotinia and Its Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis
by Wanfu Ma, Jinhao Ding, Qingyun Jia, Qianru Li, Shanhai Jiao, Xupeng Guo, Chengming Fan, Yuhong Chen and Zanmin Hu
Microorganisms 2024, 12(3), 611; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms12030611 - 19 Mar 2024
Viewed by 661
Abstract
Sclerotinia, which is caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a severe disease of oilseed rape, which is an important oil crop worldwide. In this study, we isolated a novel strain of Bacillus cereus, named B. cereus HF10, from the rhizosphere soil of [...] Read more.
Sclerotinia, which is caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a severe disease of oilseed rape, which is an important oil crop worldwide. In this study, we isolated a novel strain of Bacillus cereus, named B. cereus HF10, from the rhizosphere soil of the reed on the seaside of Yagzhou Bay, Sanya city, Hainan Province, China. HF10 exhibited a significant antagonistic effect on Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, with an inhibition rate of 79%, and to other species in Sclerotinia, but no antagonistic effect was found on various other fungi or bacteria. HF10 had an 82.3% inhibitory effect on the S. sclerotiorum infection of oilseed rape leaves and a 71.7% control effect on Sclerotinia infection in oilseed rape based on in vitro and in vivo experiments, respectively. The genomics and transcriptomics of HF10 and its loss of the antifungal function mutant Y11 were analyzed, and the results provided insight into potential antifungal substances. Our work provides a novel strain, HF10, for developing a promising biological control agent against Sclerotinia, which infects oilseed rape and other plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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18 pages, 3903 KiB  
Article
Isolation and Identification of Biocontrol Bacteria against Atractylodes Chinensis Root Rot and Their Effects
by Shouyang Luo, Chunjie Tian, Hengfei Zhang, Zongmu Yao, Zhihui Guan, Yingxin Li, Jianfeng Zhang and Yanyu Song
Microorganisms 2023, 11(10), 2384; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms11102384 - 25 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1097
Abstract
Fusarium root rot (FRR) seriously affects the growth and productivity of A. chinensis. Therefore, protecting A. chinensis from FRR has become an important task, especially for increasing A. chinensis production. The purpose of this study was to screen FRR control strains from [...] Read more.
Fusarium root rot (FRR) seriously affects the growth and productivity of A. chinensis. Therefore, protecting A. chinensis from FRR has become an important task, especially for increasing A. chinensis production. The purpose of this study was to screen FRR control strains from the A. chinensis rhizosphere soil. Eighty-four bacterial strains and seven fungal strains were isolated, and five strains were identified with high inhibitory effects against Fusarium oxysporum (FO): Trichoderma harzianum (MH), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (CJ5, CJ7, and CJ8), and Bacillus subtilis (CJ9). All five strains had high antagonistic effects in vitro. Results showed that MH and CJ5, as biological control agents, had high control potential, with antagonistic rates of 86.01% and 82.78%, respectively. In the pot experiment, the growth levels of roots and stems of A. chinensis seedlings treated with MH+CJ were significantly higher than those of control plants. The total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, indoleacetic acid, and chlorophyll contents in A. chinensis leaves were also significantly increased. In the biocontrol test, the combined MH + CJ application significantly decreased the malondialdehyde content in A. chinensis roots and significantly increased the polyphenol oxidase, phenylalanine ammonolyase, and peroxidase ability, indicating a high biocontrol effect. In addition, the application of Bacillus spp. and T. harzianum increased the abundance and diversity of the soil fungal population, improved the soil microbial community structure, and significantly increased the abundance of beneficial strains, such as Holtermanniella and Metarhizium. The abundance of Fusarium, Volutella, and other pathogenic strains was significantly reduced, and the biocontrol potential of A. chinensis root rot was increased. Thus, Bacillus spp. and T. harzianum complex bacteria can be considered potential future biocontrol agents for FRR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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15 pages, 3123 KiB  
Article
Core Endophytic Bacteria and Their Roles in the Coralloid Roots of Cultivated Cycas revoluta (Cycadaceae)
by Jiating Liu, Haiyan Xu, Zhaochun Wang, Jian Liu and Xun Gong
Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2364; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms11092364 - 21 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1110
Abstract
As a gymnosperm group, cycads are known for their ancient origin and specialized coralloid root, which can be used as an ideal system to explore the interaction between host and associated microorganisms. Previous studies have revealed that some nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria contribute greatly to [...] Read more.
As a gymnosperm group, cycads are known for their ancient origin and specialized coralloid root, which can be used as an ideal system to explore the interaction between host and associated microorganisms. Previous studies have revealed that some nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria contribute greatly to the composition of the endophytic microorganisms in cycad coralloid roots. However, the roles of host and environment in shaping the composition of endophytic bacteria during the recruitment process remain unclear. Here, we determined the diversity, composition, and function prediction of endophytic bacteria from the coralloid roots of a widely cultivated cycad, Cycas revoluta Thunb. Using next-generation sequencing techniques, we comprehensively investigated the diversity and community structure of the bacteria in coralloid roots and bulk soils sampled from 11 sites in China, aiming to explore the variations in core endophytic bacteria and to predict their potential functions. We found a higher microbe diversity in bulk soils than in coralloid roots. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in the diversity and composition of endophytic bacteria across different localities, and the same result was found after removing cyanobacteria. Desmonostoc was the most dominant in coralloid roots, followed by Nostoc, yet these two cyanobacteria were not shared by all samples. Rhodococcus, Edaphobacter, Niastella, Nordella, SH-PL14, and Virgisporangium were defined as the core microorganisms in coralloid roots. A function prediction analysis revealed that endophytic bacteria majorly participated in the plant uptake of phosphorus and metal ions and in disease resistance. These results indicate that the community composition of the bacteria in coralloid roots is affected by both the host and environment, in which the host is more decisive. Despite the very small proportion of core microbes, their interactions are significant and likely contribute to functions related to host survival. Our study contributes to an understanding of microbial diversity and composition in cycads, and it expands the knowledge on the association between hosts and symbiotic microbes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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15 pages, 4223 KiB  
Article
Diversity and Network Relationship Construction of Soil Fungal Communities in Lactarius hatsudake Tanaka Orchard during Harvest
by Airong Shen, Baoming Shen, Lina Liu, Yun Tan, Liangbin Zeng, Zhuming Tan and Jilie Li
Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2279; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms11092279 - 11 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 892
Abstract
Lactarius hatsudake Tanaka is a mycorrhizal edible mushroom with rich economic and nutritional value. Although it is artificially planted, its yield is unstable. Soil fungi, including L. hatsudake, coexist with many other microorganisms and plants. Therefore, complex microbial communities have an influence [...] Read more.
Lactarius hatsudake Tanaka is a mycorrhizal edible mushroom with rich economic and nutritional value. Although it is artificially planted, its yield is unstable. Soil fungi, including L. hatsudake, coexist with many other microorganisms and plants. Therefore, complex microbial communities have an influence on the fruiting body formation of L. hatsudake. L. hatsudake and its interactions with the rest of the fungal community over time are not completely understood. In this study, we performed high-throughput sequencing of microorganisms in the basal soil of the fruiting body (JT), mycorrhizosphere soil (JG), and non-mushroom-producing soil (CK) in a 6-year-old L. hatsudake plantation at harvest. The results showed that the soil of the L. hatsudake plantation was rich in fungal communities and a total of 10 phyla, 19 classes, 53 orders, 90 families, 139 genera, and 149 species of fungi were detected. At the phylum level, the major groups were Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. At the genus level, the dominant groups were Lactarius, Trichoderma, Suillus, and Penicillium. Among them, L. hatsudake had an absolute dominant position in the soil fungal community of the plantation, and was the only group of Lactarius in the plantation soil. Penicillium cryptum and Penicillium adametzii were unique to the JT soil sample. Chaetopsphaeria, Myxocephala, Devriesia, and Psathyrella were positively correlated with L. hatsudake. In the constructed fungal network, the total number of nodes were ranked in descending order as JG (441) > CK (405) > JT (399), while the total number of edges were ranked in descending order as CK (1360) > JG (647) > JT (586). Analysis of the fungal assembly process revealed that groups CK and JG have determinative processes that dominated community building, while the JT group exhibited a dominant random process with a 0.60 probability. The results indicated that L. hatsudake was successfully colonized in the plantation soil. During harvest, the CK group exhibited the largest network size and the most complex fungal interactions, while the fungal community structure in the mushroom cultivation zone (JT and JG) was stable and less susceptible to external environmental interference. L. hatsudake affects the fungal community in the soil surrounding its fruiting body. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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15 pages, 2769 KiB  
Article
Nigrospora oryzae Causing Leaf Spot Disease on Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat and Screening of Its Potential Antagonistic Bacteria
by Haodong Sha, Xinyi Liu, Xiaoe Xiao, Han Zhang, Xueting Gu, Weiliang Chen and Bizeng Mao
Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2224; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms11092224 - 01 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1402
Abstract
Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. is a famous perennial herb with medicinal, edible, and ornamental purposes, but the occurrence of plant diseases can reduce its value. A serious disease that caused leaf spots in C. morifolium appeared in 2022 in Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province, [...] Read more.
Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. is a famous perennial herb with medicinal, edible, and ornamental purposes, but the occurrence of plant diseases can reduce its value. A serious disease that caused leaf spots in C. morifolium appeared in 2022 in Tongxiang City, Zhejiang Province, China. The C. morifolium leaves with brown spots were collected and used for pathogen isolation. By completing Koch’s postulates, it was proven that the isolate had pathogenicity to infect C. morifolium. It was determined that the pathogen isolated from chrysanthemum leaves was Nigrospora oryzae, through morphology and a multilocus sequence analysis method using a combination of the internal transcribed spacer gene (ITS), beta-tubulin gene (TUB2), and translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (TEF1-α). This is the first report of C. morifolium disease caused by N. oryzae in the world. Through dual culture assay on PDA plates, 12 strains of bacteria with antagonistic effects were selected from 231 strains from the C. morifolium phyllosphere, among which Bacillus siamensis D65 had the best inhibitory effect on N. oryzae growth. In addition, the components of a strain D65 fermentation broth were profiled by SPME-GC-Q-TOF analysis, providing a foundation for further application and research of biological control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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16 pages, 4612 KiB  
Article
Diversity and Abundance of Bacterial and Fungal Communities Inhabiting Camellia sinensis Leaf, Rhizospheric Soil, and Gut of Agriophara rhombata
by Hao Qu, Yaqin Long, Xuesong Wang, Kaibo Wang, Long Chen, Yunqiu Yang and Linbo Chen
Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2188; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms11092188 - 30 Aug 2023
Viewed by 978
Abstract
Agriophara rhombata is a tea leaf moth that is considered one of the most destructive pests of Camellia sinensis (tea plant). Several recent studies have shown that many insects acquire part of the microbiome from their host and soil, but the pattern and [...] Read more.
Agriophara rhombata is a tea leaf moth that is considered one of the most destructive pests of Camellia sinensis (tea plant). Several recent studies have shown that many insects acquire part of the microbiome from their host and soil, but the pattern and diversity of their microbiome have not been clearly demonstrated. The present study aimed to investigate the bacterial and fungal communities present in the rhizospheric soil and leaf of tea plant compared to the gut of tea moth at different developmental stages (larvae, pupae, adult female and male) using Illumina MiSeq technology. Alpha diversity (Shannon index) showed higher (p < 0.05) bacterial and fungal diversity in soil samples than in leaf and tea moth larvae, pupae, and adult gut samples. However, during different developmental stages of tea moth, bacterial and fungal diversity did not differ (p > 0.05) between larvae, pupae, female, and male guts. Beta diversity also revealed more distinct bacterial and fungal communities in soil and leaf samples compared with tea moth gut samples, which had a more similar microbiome. Furthermore, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Tenericutes were detected as the dominant bacterial phyla, while Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota were the most abundant fungal phyla among all groups, but their relative abundance was comparatively higher (p < 0.05) in soil and leaf samples compared to tea moth gut samples. Similarly, Klebsiella, Streptophyta, and Enterococcus were the top three bacterial genera, while Candida, Aureobasidium, and Strelitziana were the top three fungal genera, and their relative abundance varied significantly (p < 0.05) among all groups. The KEGG analysis also revealed significantly higher (p < 0.5) enrichment of the functional pathways of bacterial communities in soil and leaf samples than in tea moth gut samples. Our study concluded that the bacterial and fungal communities of soil and tea leaves were more diverse and were significantly different from the tea moth gut microbiome at different developmental stages. Our findings contribute to our understanding of the gut microbiota of the tea moth and its potential application in the development of pest management techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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14 pages, 7669 KiB  
Article
Phylogeny of Regulators of G-Protein Signaling Genes in Leptographium qinlingensis and Expression Levels of Three RGSs in Response to Different Terpenoids
by Tian Gan, Huanli An, Ming Tang and Hui Chen
Microorganisms 2022, 10(9), 1698; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/microorganisms10091698 - 24 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1250
Abstract
Leptographium qinlingensis is a bark beetle-vectored pine pathogen in the Chinese white pine beetle (Dendroctonus armandi) epidemic in Northwest China. L. qinlingensis colonizes pines despite the trees’ massive oleoresin terpenoid defenses. Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins modulate heterotrimeric G-protein signaling [...] Read more.
Leptographium qinlingensis is a bark beetle-vectored pine pathogen in the Chinese white pine beetle (Dendroctonus armandi) epidemic in Northwest China. L. qinlingensis colonizes pines despite the trees’ massive oleoresin terpenoid defenses. Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins modulate heterotrimeric G-protein signaling negatively and play multiple roles in the growth, asexual development, and pathogenicity of fungi. In this study, we have identified three L. qinlingensis RGS genes, and the phylogenetic analysis shows the highest homology with the regulators of G-protein signaling proteins sequence from Ophiostoma piceae and Grosmannia clavigera. The expression profiles of three RGSs in the mycelium of L. qinlingensis treated with six different terpenoids were detected, as well as their growth rates. Under six terpenoid treatments, the growth and reproduction in L. qinlingensis were significantly inhibited, and the growth inflection day was delayed from 8 days to 12–13 days. By analyzing the expression level of three RGS genes of L. qinlingensis with different treatments, results indicate that LqFlbA plays a crucial role in controlling fungal growth, and both LqRax1 and LqRgsA are involved in overcoming the host chemical resistances and successful colonization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China)
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