Diazotrophic Bacterial Community of Degraded Pastures

Pasture degradation can cause changes in diazotrophic bacterial communities. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the culturable and total diazotrophic bacterial community, associated with regions of the rhizosphere and roots of Brachiaria decumbens Stapf. pastures in different stages of degradation. Samples of roots and rhizospheric soil were collected from slightly, partially, and highly degraded pastures. McCrady’s table was used to obtain the Most Probable Number (MPN) of bacteria per gram of sample, in order to determine population density and calculate the Shannon-Weaver diversity index. The diversity of total diazotrophic bacterial community was determined by the technique of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) of the nifH gene, while the diversity of the culturable diazotrophic bacteria was determined by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (BOX-PCR) technique. The increase in the degradation stage of the B. decumbens Stapf. pasture did not reduce the population density of the cultivated diazotrophic bacterial community, suggesting that the degradation at any degree of severity was highly harmful to the bacteria. The structure of the total diazotrophic bacterial community associated with B. decumbens Stapf. was altered by the pasture degradation stage, suggesting a high adaptive capacity of the bacteria to altered environments

The Eucalyptus Cuticular Waxes Contribute in Preformed Defense Against Austropuccinia psidii

Austropuccinia psidii, the causal agent of myrtle rust, is a biotrophic pathogen whose growth and development depends on the host tissues. The uredospores of A. psidii infect Eucalyptus by engaging in close contact with the host surface and interacting with the leaf cuticle that provides important chemical and physical signals to trigger the infection process. In this study, the cuticular waxes of Eucalyptus spp. were analyzed to determine their composition or structure and correlation with susceptibility/resistance to A. psidii. Twenty-one Eucalyptus spp. in the field were classified as resistant or susceptible. The resistance/susceptibility level of six Eucalyptus spp. were validated in controlled conditions using qPCR, revealing that the pathogen can germinate on the eucalyptus surface of some species without multiplying in the host. CG-TOF-MS analysis detected 26 compounds in the Eucalyptus spp. cuticle and led to the discovery of the role of hexadecanoic acid in the susceptibility of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus phaeotricha to A. psidii. We characterized the epicuticular wax morphology of the six previously selected Eucalyptus spp. using scanning electron microscopy and observed different behavior in A. psidii germination during host infection. It was found a correlation of epicuticular morphology on the resistance to A. psidii. However, in this study, we provide the first report of considerable interspecific variation in Eucalyptus spp. on the susceptibility to A. psidii and its correlation with cuticular waxes chemical compounds that seem to play a synergistic role as a preformed defense mechanism

Knockout of the ipdC gene in Bacillus sp. (RZ2MS9) with a CRISPR-Cas9 and influence on the IAA biosynthesis L-tryptophan dependent

Dentre os mecanismos relacionados à interação bactéria-planta, a biossíntese bacteriana de ácido indol acético (AIA) exerce um papel fundamental na promoção do crescimento vegetal, uma vez que é capaz de influenciar inúmeros processos fisiológicos nas plantas. Diferentes vias metabólicas são utilizadas pelas bactérias para a biossíntese do AIA, sendo a via do ácido indol-3-pirúvico (IPyA) a mais comumente descrita. Nesta via encontra-se o gene indol-3-piruvato descarboxilase (ipdC) com vital função na produção de AIA utilizando como precursor o aminoácido L-triptofano. Nesse contexto, estudos moleculares acerca das vias metabólicas e dos genes envolvidos nesse processo são preponderantes para o entendimento da inter-relação das vias regulatórias com a síntese do fitormônio. A rizobactéria Bacillus sp. (RZ2MS9) vem apresentando satisfatória atividade na promoção de crescimento vegetal. O sequenciamento do seu genoma apontou a presença de uma vasta gama de genes relacionados à promoção do crescimento, com destaque para genes codificadores de auxinas. Assim, o estudo teve por objetivo comprovar a função do gene ipdC na biossíntese do AIA pela via dpendente do L-triptofano através do nocaute sítio dirigido do gene ipdC na Rizobactéria Promotora do Crescimento em Plantas (RPCP) Bacillus sp. (RZ2MS9). Para tanto, foi realizado o nocaute sítio dirigido por meio da técnica de CRISPR-Cas9. O nocaute do gene ipdC foi eficiente, gerando mutantes disruptivos para o referido gene. A biossíntese do AIA pela linhagem ΔipdC apresentou reduções nas concentrações do fitormônio, de acordo com o tempo de crescimento, sendo 87,96% em 24 horas, 88,25% em 48 horas e 58,27% em 72 horas do crescimento em comparação à linhagem selvagem (WT). Além disso, a biossíntese do AIA na ausência do aminoácido L-triptofano também foi avaliada, não sendo constatada síntese do fitormônio em nenhum dos tempos crescimento, tanto na linhagem selvagem, quanto na linhagem ΔipdC. O presente estudo foi pioneiro no nocaute do gene ipdC em uma linhagem de Bacillus utilizando a técnica de CRISPR-Cas9. Os resultados obtidos contribuem para um melhor entendimento da influência do gene ipdC e da via IPyA na biossíntese do AIA pela linhagem RZ2MS9 e futuramente sera comprovado seu papel na promoção de crescimento vegetal.Among the mechanisms related to the bacterium-plant interaction, the bacterial biosynthesis of indole acetic acid (AIA) plays a fundamental role in the promotion of plant growth, since it is capable of influencing innumerable physiological processes in plants. Different metabolic pathways are used by bacteria for the biosynthesis of IAA, with the indole-3-pyruvic acid (IPyA) pathway being the most commonly described. In this pathway, the indole-3-pyruvate decarboxylase (ipdC) gene has a vital role in the production of IAA using the amino acid L-tryptophan as a precursor. In this context, molecular studies about the metabolic pathways and the genes involved in this process are preponderant for the understanding of the interrelationship of the regulatory pathways with the phytormonium synthesis. The rhizobacterium Bacillus sp. (RZ2MS9) has been showing satisfactory activity in promoting plant growth. The sequencing of its genome pointed to the presence of a wide range of genes related to growth promotion, especially genes encoding auxins. Thus, the objective of the present study was to verify the function of the ipdC gene in the IAA biosynthesis L-tryptophan dependent through the knockout of the ipdC in the plant growth-promoting rhizobateria (PGPR) Bacillus sp. (RZ2MS9). Therefore, the knockout was realized using the CRISPR-Cas9. The knockout of the ipdC gene was efficient, generating disruptive mutants for the said gene. IAA biosynthesis by the ΔipdC strain showed reductions in phytormonium concentrations, according to the growth time, being 87.96% in 24 hours, 88.25% in 48 hours and 58.27% in 72 hours of growth compared to the Wild Type (WT). In addition, the biosynthesis of IAA in the absence of the amino acid L-tryptophan was also evaluated, with no phytormonium synthesis being observed at any growth time, both in the wild type and ΔipdC strain. The present study pioneered the knockout of the ipdC gene in a Bacillus strain using the CRISPR-Cas9. The results obtained contribute to a better understanding of the influence of the ipdC gene and the IPyA pathway in the IAA biosynthesis through the RZ2MS9 strain, and its role in plant growth promoting will be demonstrated in the future

Diazotrophic bacteria isolated from Brachiaria spp.: genetic and physiological diversity

Resumen Pastos del género Brachiaria spp. predomina en pasturas con suelos poco fértiles. Este escenario resalta la importancia de la asociación con microorganismos para fomentar el cultivo de plantas. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar la variabilidad genética e identificar los mecanismos de promoción del crecimiento de las plantas, in vitro, de bacterias asociadas con Brachiaria decumbens Stapf. y Brachiaria humidicola (Rendle.) Schweickerdt en Pernambuco, Brasil. Evaluamos 20 aislamientos de bacterias diazotróficas obtenidas de la comunidad de endofitas o rizosfera. Las características genéticas se determinaron mediante la secuenciación de la región 16S rRNA, lo que permitió identificar diez géneros bacterianos diferentes: Bacillus sp., Burkholderia sp., Enterobacter sp., Klebsiella sp., Microbacterium sp., Pantoea sp., Ralstonia sp., Rhizobium sp., Sinomonas sp., y Sphingomonas sp., con una especificidad del género Rhizobium sp. a Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.. Las características fenotípicas y funcionales revelaron que el 100% de las cepas bacterianas producían ácido indol-3-acético (AIA) con la adición de L-triptófano y el 60% presentaban producción de AIA independientemente de la vía de L-triptófano. También detectamos que el 70% de las bacterias aisladas poseían la capacidad de solubilizar el fósforo. El análisis de la producción enzimática reveló que el 30% de los aislados producían celulasa, 60% pectato liasa, 15% poligalacturonasa y el 30% producía amilasa. También detectamos la producción de N-acyl homoserine lactones en el 65% de las cepas bacterianas. En resumen, las plantas de B. decumbens Stapf. y B. humidicola (Rendle.) Schweickerdt interactuó con diferentes géneros de bacterias capaces de promover el crecimiento de la planta.Abstract Grass from the genus Brachiaria spp. predominates in pastures with low fertile soils. This scenario highlights the importance of the association with microorganisms to foster plant growth, which becomes essential to the successful establishment of this forage in such environments. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic variability and identify the mechanisms of plant growth promotion, in vitro, of bacteria associated with Brachiaria decumbens Stapf. and Brachiaria humidicola (Rendle.) Schweickerdt in Pernambuco, Brazil. We evaluated 20 isolates of diazotrophic bacteria obtained from the endophyte or rhizosphere communities. The genetic characteristics were determined via sequencing the 16S rRNA region, which allowed us to identify ten different bacterial genera: Bacillus sp., Burkholderia sp., Enterobacter sp., Klebsiella sp., Microbacterium sp., Pantoea sp., Ralstonia sp., Rhizobium sp., Sinomonas sp., and Sphingomonas sp., with a specificity of the genus Rhizobium sp. to Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.. The phenotypic and functional characteristics revealed that 100% of the bacterial strains produced indol-3-acetic acid (IAA) with the addition of L-tryptophan, and 60% presented IAA production independent of the L-tryptophan pathway. We also detected that 70% of the isolated bacteria possessed the capacity to solubilize phosphorus. The analysis of the enzymatic output revealed that 30% of the bacterial isolates produced cellulase, 60% produced pectate lyase, 15% produced polygalacturonase, and 30% produced amylase. We also detected the production of N-acyl homoserine lactones in 65% of bacterial strains. In summary, our results showed that plants of B. decumbens Stapf. and B. humidicola (Rendle.) Schweickerdt interacted with different bacterial genera capable of promoting plant growth