Genetic Basis and Adaptive Trajectory of Host–Microbiome Association in Maize

宿主相关微生物组对于植物的健康和适应性具有压倒性的重要性。基于植物微生物组相互作用的创新为可持续农业提供了新的战略。土壤微生物组和植物根系之间的有益关联导致微生物的招募和活化，对提高作物生产力和生态系统功能具有广泛的益处。拟议项目的总体目标是获得对宿主根和根际微生物组的共同适应的机械理解，以及有助于提高玉米性能的有益根微生物协会的遗传基础。我们将探索宿主与根际微生物组的共适应优势，并确定不同的环境因素如何驱动玉米驯化过程中根际微生物组的组装和分化（工作包1）。其次，我们的目标是阐明根际微生物组，宿主遗传变异和宿主基因调控之间的因果关系的遗传基础，影响有利的根相关性状和玉米性能（工作包2）。到项目结束时，我们将通过反向遗传学和合成社区对代表性的关键基因和关键微生物进行功能验证。这些结果将为改进作物育种和微生物资源的应用铺平道路，以确保未来的粮食生产和农业资源的有效利用。

The host-associated microbiome is of overwhelming importance for the health and fitness of plants. Plant microbiome interaction-based innovations offer a new strategy for sustainable agriculture. Beneficial associations between the soil microbiome and the plant root system results in the recruitments and activation of microorganisms with broad benefits for enhancing crop productivity and ecosystem functioning. The overall goal of the proposed project is to obtain a mechanistic understanding of the co-adaptation of the host root and the rhizosphere microbiome as well as the genetic basis of beneficial root–microbe associations that contribute to improved maize performance. We will explore the co-adaptive advantage of host association with the rhizosphere microbiome and identify how distinct environmental factors drove the assemblage and differentiation of the rhizosphere microbiome during maize domestication (work package 1). Second, we aim to elucidate the genetic basis of causal relationships between the rhizosphere microbiome, host genetic variation, and host gene regulation influencing favorable root-associated traits and maize performance (work package 2). To the end of the project, we will functionally validate representative key genes and keystone microbes via reverse genetics and synthetic communities. These results will pave the way for improved crop breeding and the application of microbial resources to secure future food production and efficient resource usage in agriculture.