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Liu Z, Xia Q, Cai J, Wang Z, Yang K, Chen D, Wei J, Chen C, Liu C, Chang W, Li Z, Li X, Yang Y, Yang L, Tan X. Nitrogen Fertilizers Affect Microbial Hitchhiking to the Plant Roots. J Agric Food Chem 2024; 72:4639-4648. [PMID: 38377485 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c07623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
The phenomenon of microbial hitchhiking, where nonmotile microbes utilize transspecies motility to navigate within their environment, has been observed. However, the underlying factors driving microbial hitchhiking remain unclear. Our study explored how nitrogen fertilizers affect microbial hitchhiking in soil through an in situ planting experiment. We established twelve treatments encompassing the presence and absence of plants, the presence and absence of a filter membrane that is used to prevent hitchhiking, and three nitrogen levels. Results showed that nitrogen influenced bacterial diversity in all soils, an effect thwarted by filter membranes. In the presence of plants, nitrogen significantly affected the bacterial mobility, Bacillus abundance, and plant biomass, but these effects vanished when filters were used. The correlation between motile Bacillus and rhizosphere bacteria was strong without filters at the proper nitrogen levels but weakened with membrane treatments. Thus, plants and nitrogen together, not nitrogen alone, alter the soil microbiome via hitchhiking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhibin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China
| | - Qini Xia
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China
| | - Jing Cai
- West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Ziyuan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China
| | - Kexin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China
| | - Dixu Chen
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China
| | - Jiahong Wei
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China
| | - Cun Chen
- College of Chemistry and Life Science, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Chao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
- College of Water Resource and Hydropower, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
| | - Wei Chang
- Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Variety Improvement Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province/Horticulture Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
| | - Zhi Li
- Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Variety Improvement Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province/Horticulture Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
| | - Xufeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, China
| | - Liang Yang
- Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Variety Improvement Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province/Horticulture Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China
| | - Xiao Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
- College of Water Resource and Hydropower, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
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Muok AR, Briegel A. Inter microbial Hitchhiking: How Nonmotile Microbes Leverage Communal Motility. Trends Microbiol 2020; 29:542-550. [PMID: 33160853 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Motility allows many microbes to traverse their environment to find nutrient sources or escape unfavorable environments. However, some microbes are nonmotile and are restricted to their immediate conditions. Intriguingly, sporadic reports have demonstrated that many nonmotile microbes can utilize the motility machinery of other microbes in their vicinity. This form of transportation, called hitchhiking, has been observed with both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes. Importantly, many hitchhiking microbes are pathogenic to humans or plants. Here, we discuss reports of intermicrobial hitchhiking to generate a comprehensive view of hitchhiking mechanisms and how such interactions may influence human and plant health. We hypothesize that microbial hitchhiking is ubiquitous in nature and may become the subject of an independent subfield of research in microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R Muok
- Institute for Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333, BE, Leiden, The Netherlands; Centre for Microbial Cell Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333, BE, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - A Briegel
- Institute for Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333, BE, Leiden, The Netherlands; Centre for Microbial Cell Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333, BE, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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