AI Insight
This study examined how root exudates from wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) and two cultivated Italian rice varieties (Oryza sativa Baldo and Vialone Nano) influence the transcriptional responses of two beneficial bacterial endophytes, Enterobacter asburiae RCA24 and Kosakonia sacchari RCA25. Results showed that wild rice more strongly stimulated bacterial gene expression, particularly in RCA25, with changes concentrated in metabolic, stress response, and signaling pathways. Conversely, when plants were inoculated with the bacteria, RCA24 induced broader transcriptional changes in rice than RCA25, affecting defense responses, hormone signaling, and ribosome biogenesis in a variety-dependent manner.
Why it matters
These findings indicate that domestication of rice may have reduced the plant's capacity to foster beneficial microbial associations, suggesting that traits from wild progenitors could potentially be reintroduced into modern cultivars to improve crop performance with reduced reliance on chemical inputs.
⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Beneficial interactions between plants and microorganisms strongly influence plant health and productivity, and root exudates play a central role in shaping these associations. This study analyzed the transcriptional responses of the bacterial endophytes Enterobacter asburiae RCA24 and Kosakonia sacchari RCA25 to root exudates from two commercial Italian rice accessions (Oryza sativa Baldo and Vialone Nano) and from an accession of the wild progenitor of tropical rice, Oryza rufipogon. Bacterial transcriptome analyses revealed that RCA24 responds differently to O. sativa varieties and that RCA25 was more stimulated by O. rufipogon. Changes in bacterial gene expression were mainly related to central metabolism, stress response, and signal transduction, highlighting a precise pattern of interaction. On the other hand, transcriptome analysis of inoculated rice revealed that RCA24 triggered broader transcriptional changes in plants than RCA25. Differentially expressed genes were related, especially in shoots, to defense responses, hormone-mediated signaling, and ribosome biogenesis, revealing that plants discriminate bacterial strains in a genotype-specific manner at the transcriptional level. Our findings suggest that traits beneficial to plant-soil microbiota interactions present in O. rufipogon and lost during domestication and diversification could be identified and reintroduced into modern rice varieties to improve sustainable field performance through beneficial microbial associations.