Exploring the Biochemical Links between Arabidopsis Roots and Natural Soil Microbial Communities

智力优势：植物通过根系分泌物与土壤微生物群产生相互作用。因此，控制植物根系分泌物提供了一个独特的机会，以一种最终有利于植物/作物健康的方式影响土壤微生物群落。该项目将通过描述模式植物拟南芥编码atp结合盒（ABC）转运体的突变体（Atpdr2）提供这样的工具，其中根分泌物中糖与次级代谢物的比例与野生型（wt）相比发生了变化。我们发现，当Atpdr2在原生拟南芥土壤中生长时，与野生型拟南芥根系相比，微生物群落发生了彻底的变化。Atpdr2突变体促进有益菌的生长，如植物生长和促进根瘤菌（PGPRs）、固氮菌和参与重金属修复的细菌。首先，该项目将研究Atpdr2和wt植物根分泌化合物和家族对原生微生物群落中有益土壤微生物生长的影响。该项目的第二个目标是表征Atpdr2突变体，以确定突变体改变根分泌的糖和次生代谢物比例的机制。这些研究具有变革性，因为它们将为开发新的方法提供机械知识，通过这些方法可以对作物进行基因操纵，以培养有益的土壤微生物。更广泛的影响：该项目将为本科生和研究生提供培训，并为研究活动的博士后培训生提供培训。这些活动将辅以职业发展和指导讲习班，特别是针对研究生和博士后。此外，该项目还将为纽约城市大学约翰·杰伊刑事司法学院的少数民族本科生提供暑期研究和培训活动，并为柯林斯堡的小学生提供教育活动。在该项目的第三年，将举行一次讨论会，讨论科学、能源问题、第三世界国家参与能源议题、知识产权以及与微生物多样性有关的国际条约。

Intellectual Merit:Plants initiate interactions with soil microbiota through root exudation. Thus, manipulating root exudation of plants presents a unique opportunity to influence soil microbial communities in a manner that will ultimately benefit plant/crop health. This project will provide such tools by characterizing a mutant (Atpdr2) of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana coding for an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter in which the ratio of sugars to secondary metabolites in the root exudates is altered compared to the wild-type (wt). We found that when Atpdr2 is grown in native Arabidopsis soils, a complete overhaul of the microbial community compared with wild-type Arabidopsis roots is seen. The Atpdr2 mutant promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as plant growth and promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs), nitrogen fixers and bacteria involved in heavy metal remediation. First, the project will address the influence of root-secreted chemical compounds and families from Atpdr2 and wt plants on the growth of beneficial soil microbes within the native microbial community. The second objective of the project is to characterize the Atpdr2 mutant to determine mechanisms used by the mutant to alter the ratio of sugars and secondary metabolites exuded by roots. These studies are transformative because they will provide mechanistic knowledge to develop new approaches by which crops can be genetically manipulated to culture soil microbes for beneficial purposes. Broader Impacts:This project will provide training for undergraduate and graduate students, and a post-doctoral trainee in research activities. These activities will be complemented with career development and mentoring workshops particularly targeted to graduate students and postdocs. In addition, the project will provide summer research and training activities for minority undergraduate students from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York and educational activities for elementary students in Fort Collins. In the third year of the project, a colloquium will be conducted to discuss science, energy issues, third-world country involvement in energy topics, intellectual property, and international treaties related to microbial diversity.