玉米与叶际微生物组的互作遗传机制

为了解玉米(Zeamays)和其定植微生物组之间的相互作用,探究玉米与叶际微生物组之间的互作遗传机制,该研究采用数学模型量化微生物之间相互作用的4种方式:互利共生、拮抗、侵略、利他,分析230份玉米叶际微生物组数据,利用网络作图研究玉米与叶际微生物组之间的互作遗传机制。结果表明:在微生物互作网络中确定了67个中心节点微生物,通过网络作图筛选到玉米405个显著单核苷酸多态性(SNPs)位点,最终定位到23个枢纽基因,发现其在促进植物生长、抵御病原菌侵染、耐受非生物胁迫方面起到重要作用。研究结果有助于在作物遗传育种以及构建新型菌剂促进植物生长方面提供思路。     

二代测序技术(NGS)结合遗传统计模型在微生物分子生态学中的研究进展

近年来,二代测序技术(next generation sequencing, NGS)的出现,使得在短时间内准确获得微生物基因组数据成为可能, NGS已成为微生物分子生态学研究的有力工具. NGS具有非序列依赖性的优势,能同时检测样品中可培养或不可培养的、含量高或含量低的所有微生物.基因组数据的获得越来越容易,但人们对全基因组水平上基因如何参与微生物与其他生物相互作用的了解依然十分有限.遗传统计模型则有助于实现将表型数据和基因组数据相关联或将海量的基因组数据进行聚类分析、网络构建等,极大地促进了全基因组水平上生物群体作用机制的研究.本文对NGS结合遗传统计模型在微生物分子生态学中的应用和未来前景进行了概述和展望,探讨了两者结合对于促进微生物种间互作机制研究的重要性,并分析了两者结合在细菌表型可塑性机制方面的应用,最后阐述了其在构建微生物与植物互作基因调控网络中的作用,旨在挖掘关键基因以增强植物的抗病能力.     

影响微生物互作的重要基因研究进展：以大肠杆菌为例

微生物在自然界中广泛存在,微生物间的相互作用对群落结构和功能有重要影响。目前已经对微生物相互作用的机制给予了很大的关注,通过高通量测序技术和统计学分析方法的结合可以定位获得影响菌株互作的重要基因。为了深入研究微生物相互作用的遗传机制,本文以大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)为例,综述了与大肠杆菌运动性、耐药性、营养物质吸收和代谢调节相关的基因在互作条件下发挥的作用,并从这几个方面分别阐述了大肠杆菌互作遗传机制。总之,这些基因在大肠杆菌与其他微生物互作中发挥重要作用,同时增强了对细菌互作机制的理解,为今后研究更复杂的微生物群落互作遗传机制奠定了理论基础。     

主编导读

<正>本期主编导读主题：重要农艺性状功能基因及植物-微生物互作机制、病毒检测及疫苗研究、微生物与环境、多方位及混合式教学模式。重要农艺性状功能基因及植物-微生物互作机制阐明作物重要农艺性状分子控制的机理,以及植物-微生物(包括有益微生物和病原微生物)互作机制,能够为分子改良和设计重要农艺性状奠定理论基础,进而推动我国育种科学的可持续发展。     

生物逆境和共生状态下植物的蛋白质组学研究

蛋白质组技术已广泛应用于植物遗传、发育和生理生态等诸多生物学领域,主要研究植物的遗传多样性、植物发育、组织分化、植物对非生物逆境(包括高温、低温、高盐和干旱等)和生物逆境(病虫害)的适应机制和植物与微生物(根瘤共生体)相互作用机制。本文综述了微生物与植物互作的蛋白质组研究进展,包括有害和有益的相互作用,同时对植物蛋白质组学的发展前景进行了讨论。     

植物硼钙效应及其在细胞壁中互作机制的研究

植物营养元素之间存在着相互作用,其作用机理一直是相关学者研究的重点。硼是植物必需的营养元素,近年来,有关硼与其它元素之间的相关性研究已取得了一系列成果。本文综述了国内外关于植物在不同硼、钙条件下的形态发育、代谢组学、细胞壁果胶网络中的交联机制等方面的研究进展,并对如何充分利用代谢组学手段探究硼钙之间相互作用的机制以及硼钙互作对植物生长发育的调控作用,尤其是两者在细胞壁的互作机制方面的研究进行了展望。     

植物微生物组生态功能与群落构建过程研究进展

植物各个器官表面及内部定殖着高度多样化的微生物群落,这些微生物与植物长期共进化,作为宿主植物的“共生功能体”(holobiont)在植物生长发育、养分吸收、病害抵御和环境胁迫适应性等方面发挥了重要作用。得益于近10年来多组学技术的发展和应用,有关植物微生物群落的多样性、组成和功能特征、群落构建的驱动因素和植物–微生物互作机制等方面研究取得了一系列重要进展。然而,与土壤微生物组相比,目前对植物微生物组的认识及其应用尚且不足。本文系统总结了植物微生物组的组成特征,植物微生物在调节植物生长发育、促进养分吸收、提高病害抵御能力及环境胁迫适应性等方面的功能及作用机制,从宿主选择、环境因子以及生物互作3个方面总结了驱动植物微生物群落构建的因素,并着重阐述了植物–微生物互作如何塑造植物微生物群落以及如何调节对植物的有益功能。此外,我们对未来植物微生物组研究和应用面临的挑战进行了展望,如核心微生物组挖掘和合成群落构建,植物–微生物互作的分子调控机制,植物微生物群落水平上的互作机制等。深入理解植物微生物群落特征、生态功能以及构建过程对于精准调控植物微生物组以提高植物适应性和生产力以及维持生态系统健康具有...     

植物与病原菌互作的蛋白质组学研究进展

深入认识植物与病原菌的识别方式、亲和性或非亲和性的互作模式,对于揭示植物-病原菌互作机制研究具有重要意义.利用蛋白质组学方法研究病原菌侵染植物过程,分析相关的基因和蛋白,有助于从分子水平上探究植物-病原菌相互作用机制.本文概述了植物-病原菌的互作机制,系统介绍了差异蛋白质组学分析方法在植物-病原真菌、植物-病原细菌两类互作系统中的应用,分析了植物与病原菌互作过程中可能涉及的差异表达功能蛋白,并对当前蛋白质组学技术在植物与病原菌互作研究中存在的诸多问题进行了探讨.     

基于基因表达谱分析的乙肝阳性转移性肝细胞癌的分子机制分析

本研究旨在筛选与乙肝阳性转移性肝细胞癌相关的基因并揭示其潜在的分子机制。利用GEO数据库中GSE364数据集,筛选在肝内扩散转移组和门静脉癌栓转移组都差异表达的基因,DAVID对差异表达基因进行GO与信号通路富集分析,并用STRING和Cytoscape构建蛋白互作网络,随后用mi Rwalk 2.0筛选可能参与肝细胞癌转移的miRNAs,构建miRNA-枢纽基因调控网络。之后使用Smoami R DB 2.0和c Bio Portal分析枢纽基因突变与circRNA和肝细胞癌预后的关系。我们获得在肝内扩散转移组和门静脉癌栓转移组都差异表达的基因701个,富集分析发现这些基因主要涉及血管生成和血管内皮生长因子信号转导等信号通路。从构建的蛋白互作网络中获得参与蛋白互作模式1的15个枢纽基因,GO分析发现其主要参与RNA加工、代谢、剪接等生物过程。构建的miRNA-枢纽基因调控网络中有4个miRNA参与两个枢纽基因的调控,此外肝细胞癌中SRSF1基因有突变并可转录为hsa_circ_0044757,SNRNP200基因突变与患者预后相关。本研究发现的差异表达基因和枢纽基因,有助于我们认识乙肝相关性肝细胞癌转移的分子机制,并可作为新的用于诊断和预后判断的分子标志物。     

植物表皮毛发育控制基因GL2遗传互作因子的筛选和鉴定

表皮毛广泛存在于陆生植物的地上部分,是植物与环境之间的一道天然屏障,具有多种重要的生物学功能。拟南芥HD-Zip家族转录因子GLABRA 2(GL2)是调控表皮毛形成和发育的关键因子,通过筛选和鉴定GL2的遗传互作因子,可以为进一步研究植物表皮毛发育调控的分子机制奠定基础。通过大规模的遗传筛选和图位克隆,获得了一个叶片上完全没有表皮毛的突变体M12-01,遗传分析表明M12-01 single突变表型受隐性单核基因控制。M12-01 single突变体表型与拟南芥TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABKA 1(TTG1)基因的功能缺失突变体表型相似。对TTG1基因的测序结果显示其+445位碱基由鸟嘌呤突变为腺嘌呤,从而使编码的甘氨酸变为精氨酸。本研究证实TTG1突变能增强gl2-3突变体的表型,GL2基因与TTG1基因之间存在遗传互作,这为进一步研究GL2调控植物表皮毛发育的分子机制提供了新的遗传材料。     

Elevated O3 concentrations alter the compartment-specific microbial communities inhabiting rust-infected poplars

Elevated ozone (O₃) can affect the susceptivity of plants to rust pathogens. However, the collective role of microbiomes involved in such interaction remains largely elusive. We exposed two cultivated poplar clones exhibiting differential O₃ sensitivities, to non-filtered ambient air (NF), NF + 40 ppb or NF + 60 ppb O₃-enriched air in field open-top chambers and then inoculated Melampsora larici-populina urediniospores to study their response to rust infection and to investigate how microbiomes inhabiting four compartments (phyllosphere, rhizosphere, root endosphere, bulk soil) are involved in this response. We found that hosts with higher O₃ sensitivity had significantly lower rust severity than hosts with lower sensitivity. Furthermore, the effect of increased O₃ on the diversity and composition of microbial communities was highly dependent on poplar compartments, with the microbial network complexity patterns being completely opposite between the two clones. Notably, microbial source analysis estimated that phyllosphere fungal communities predominately derived from root endosphere and vice versa, suggesting a potential transmission mechanism between plant above- and below-ground systems. These promising results suggest that further investigations are needed to better understand the interactions of abiotic and biotic stresses on plant performance and the role of the microbiome in driving these changes.     

Genome‐wide association studies on the phyllosphere microbiome: Embracing complexity in host–microbe interactions

Environmental sequencing shows that plants harbor complex communities of microbes that vary across environments. However, many approaches for mapping plant genetic variation to microbe‐related traits were developed in the relatively simple context of binary host–microbe interactions under controlled conditions. Recent advances in sequencing and statistics make genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) an increasingly promising approach for identifying the plant genetic variation associated with microbes in a community context. This review discusses early efforts on GWAS of the plant phyllosphere microbiome and the outlook for future studies based on human microbiome GWAS. A workflow for GWAS of the phyllosphere microbiome is then presented, with particular attention to how perspectives on the mechanisms, evolution and environmental dependence of plant–microbe interactions will influence the choice of traits to be mapped.     

A heat-activated calcium-permeable channel--Arabidopsis cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel 6--is involved in heat shock responses

An increased concentration of cytosolic calcium ions (Ca²⁺) is an early response by plant cells to heat shock. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the heat‐induced initial Ca²⁺ response in plants is unclear. In this study, we identified and characterized a heat‐activated Ca²⁺‐permeable channel in the plasma membrane of Arabidopsis thaliana root protoplasts using reverse genetic analysis and the whole‐cell patch‐clamp technique. The results indicated that A. thaliana cyclic nucleotide‐gated ion channel 6 (CNGC6) mediates heat‐induced Ca²⁺ influx and facilitates expression of heat shock protein (HSP) genes and the acquisition of thermotolerance. GUS and GFP reporter assays showed that CNGC6 expression is ubiquitous in A. thaliana, and the protein is localized to the plasma membrane of cells. Furthermore, it was found that the level of cytosolic cAMP was increased by a mild heat shock, that CNGC6 was activated by cytosolic cAMP, and that exogenous cAMP promoted the expression of HSP genes. The results reveal the role of cAMP in transduction of heat shock signals in plants. The correlation of an increased level of cytosolic cAMP in a heat‐shocked plant with activation of the Ca²⁺ channels and downstream expression of HSP genes sheds some light on how plants transduce a heat stimulus into a signal cascade that leads to a heat shock response.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi reduce growth and infect roots of the non‐host plant Arabidopsis thaliana

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is widespread throughout the plant kingdom and important for plant nutrition and ecosystem functioning. Nonetheless, most terrestrial ecosystems also contain a considerable number of non‐mycorrhizal plants. The interaction of such non‐host plants with AM fungi (AMF) is still poorly understood. Here, in three complementary experiments, we investigated whether the non‐mycorrhizal plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the model organism for plant molecular biology and genetics, interacts with AMF. We grew A. thaliana alone or together with a mycorrhizal host species (either Trifolium pratense or Lolium multiflorum) in the presence or absence of the AMF Rhizophagus irregularis. Plants were grown in a dual‐compartment system with a hyphal mesh separating roots of A. thaliana from roots of the host species, avoiding direct root competition. The host plants in the system ensured the presence of an active AM fungal network. AM fungal networks caused growth depressions in A. thaliana of more than 50% which were not observed in the absence of host plants. Microscopy analyses revealed that R. irregularis supported by a host plant was capable of infecting A. thaliana root tissues (up to 43% of root length colonized), but no arbuscules were observed. The results reveal high susceptibility of A. thaliana to R. irregularis, suggesting that A. thaliana is a suitable model plant to study non‐host/AMF interactions and the biological basis of AM incompatibility.     

Drought and Salt Tolerance in Plants

Agricultural productivity worldwide is subject to increasing environmental constraints, particularly to drought and salinity due to their high magnitude of impact and wide distribution. Traditional breeding programs trying to improve abiotic stress tolerance have had some success, but are limited by the multigenic nature of the trait. Tolerant plants such as Craterostigma plantagenium, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, Thellungiella halophila and other hardy plants could be valuable tools to dissect the extreme tolerance nature. In the last decade, Arabidopsis thaliana, a genetic model plant, has been extensively used for unravelling the molecular basis of stress tolerance. Arabidopsis also proved to be extremely important for assessing functions for individual stress-associated genes due to the availability of knock-out mutants and its amenability for genetic transformation. In this review, the responses of plants to salt and water stress are described, the regulatory circuits which allow plants to cope with stress are presented, and how the present knowledge can be applied to obtain tolerant plants is discussed.     

A Synthetic Community Approach Reveals Plant Genotypes Affecting the Phyllosphere Microbiota

The identity of plant host genetic factors controlling the composition of the plant microbiota and the extent to which plant genes affect associated microbial populations is currently unknown. Here, we use a candidate gene approach to investigate host effects on the phyllosphere community composition and abundance. To reduce the environmental factors that might mask genetic factors, the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana was used in a gnotobiotic system and inoculated with a reduced complexity synthetic bacterial community composed of seven strains representing the most abundant phyla in the phyllosphere. From a panel of 55 plant mutants with alterations in the surface structure, cell wall, defense signaling, secondary metabolism, and pathogen recognition, a small number of single host mutations displayed an altered microbiota composition and/or abundance. Host alleles that resulted in the strongest perturbation of the microbiota relative to the wild-type were lacs2 and pec1. These mutants affect cuticle formation and led to changes in community composition and an increased bacterial abundance relative to the wild-type plants, suggesting that different bacteria can benefit from a modified cuticle to different extents. Moreover, we identified ein2, which is involved in ethylene signaling, as a host factor modulating the community''s composition. Finally, we found that different Arabidopsis accessions exhibited different communities, indicating that plant host genetic factors shape the associated microbiota, thus harboring significant potential for the identification of novel plant factors affecting the microbiota of the communities.     

The Sphagnum microbiome supports bog ecosystem functioning under extreme conditions

Sphagnum‐dominated bogs represent a unique yet widely distributed type of terrestrial ecosystem and strongly contribute to global biosphere functioning. Sphagnum is colonized by highly diverse microbial communities, but less is known about their function. We identified a high functional diversity within the Sphagnum microbiome applying an Illumina‐based metagenomic approach followed by de novo assembly and MG‐RAST annotation. An interenvironmental comparison revealed that the Sphagnum microbiome harbours specific genetic features that distinguish it significantly from microbiomes of higher plants and peat soils. The differential traits especially support ecosystem functioning by a symbiotic lifestyle under poikilohydric and ombrotrophic conditions. To realise a plasticity–stability balance, we found abundant subsystems responsible to cope with oxidative and drought stresses, to exchange (mobile) genetic elements, and genes that encode for resistance to detrimental environmental factors, repair and self‐controlling mechanisms. Multiple microbe–microbe and plant–microbe interactions were also found to play a crucial role as indicated by diverse genes necessary for biofilm formation, interaction via quorum sensing and nutrient exchange. A high proportion of genes involved in nitrogen cycle and recycling of organic material supported the role of bacteria for nutrient supply. 16S rDNA analysis indicated a higher structural diversity than that which had been previously detected using PCR‐dependent techniques. Altogether, the diverse Sphagnum microbiome has the ability to support the life of the host plant and the entire ecosystem under changing environmental conditions. Beyond this, the moss microbiome presents a promising bio‐resource for environmental biotechnology – with respect to novel enzymes or stress‐protecting bacteria.     

Genetic regulation of flower development

Flower development provides a model system to study mechanisms that govern pattern formation in plants. Most flowers consist of four organ types that are present in a specific order from the periphery to the centre of the flower. Reviewed here are studies on flower development in two model species:Arabidopsis thaliana andAntirrhinum majus that focus on the molecular genetic analysis of homeotic mutations affecting pattern formation in the flower. Based on these studies a model was proposed that explains how three classes of regulatory genes can together control the development of the correct pattern of organs in the flower. The universality of the basic tenets of the model is apparent from the analysis of the homologues of theArabidopsis genes from other plant species     

Heteromerization of short-chain trans-prenyltransferase controls precursor allocation within a plastidial terpenoid network

Terpenes are the largest and most diverse class of plant specialized metabolites. Sesterterpenes(C25), which are derived from the plastid methylerythritol phosphate pathway,were recently characterized in plants. In Arabidopsis thaliana, four genes encoding geranylfarnesyl diphosphate synthase(GFPPS)(AtGFPPS1 to 4) are responsible for the production of GFPP, which is the common precursor for sesterterpene biosynthesis. However,the interplay between sesterterpenes and other known terpenes remain e...