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Special Issue "Plant-Microbe Interaction State-of-the-Art Research in China"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 April 2024 | Viewed by 4959

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Wei Qian

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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

Dr. Huiquan Liu
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

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

Prof. Dr. Xianbing Wang
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Guest Editor

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

Prof. Dr. Jie Zhang

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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

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

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

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3903 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Isolation and Identification of Biocontrol Bacteria against Atractylodes Chinensis Root Rot and Their Effects

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Microorganisms 2023, 11(10), 2384; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11102384 - 25 Sep 2023

Viewed by 624

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 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

Open AccessArticle

Core Endophytic Bacteria and Their Roles in the Coralloid Roots of Cultivated Cycas revoluta (Cycadaceae)

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Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2364; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11092364 - 21 Sep 2023

Viewed by 660

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 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

Open AccessArticle

Diversity and Network Relationship Construction of Soil Fungal Communities in Lactarius hatsudake Tanaka Orchard during Harvest

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Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2279; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11092279 - 11 Sep 2023

Viewed by 570

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 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

Open AccessArticle

Nigrospora oryzae Causing Leaf Spot Disease on Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat and Screening of Its Potential Antagonistic Bacteria

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Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2224; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11092224 - 01 Sep 2023

Viewed by 695

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, 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

Open AccessArticle

Diversity and Abundance of Bacterial and Fungal Communities Inhabiting Camellia sinensis Leaf, Rhizospheric Soil, and Gut of Agriophara rhombata

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Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2188; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11092188 - 30 Aug 2023

Viewed by 671

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 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

Open AccessArticle

Phylogeny of Regulators of G-Protein Signaling Genes in Leptographium qinlingensis and Expression Levels of Three RGSs in Response to Different Terpenoids

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Microorganisms 2022, 10(9), 1698; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10091698 - 24 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1037

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 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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