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Latest recommendations
Id | Title * | Authors * | Abstract * | Picture * ▼ | Thematic fields * | Recommender | Reviewers | Submission date | |
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20 Sep 2023
Transmission of synthetic seed bacterial communities to radish seedlings: impact on microbiota assembly and plant phenotypeMarie Simonin, Anne Preveaux, Coralie Marais, Tiffany Garin, Gontran Arnault, Alain Sarniguet, Matthieu Barret https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.02.14.527860Seed synthetic community matters and its impact on seedling is strain- and not species-dependantRecommended by Sebastien Massart based on reviews by Cindy Morris, Sebastian Pfeilmeier and 1 anonymous reviewerEngineering plant microbiota can improve plant health and growth sustainably. Emergent approaches include rational Synthetic Communities (SynCom) design or soil amendments and specific agricultural practices to shift resident microbiota and to understand its impact (Moreira et al. 2023). In this context, the impact of seed microbiota on the early stages of plant development is becoming an essential topic in the study of plant–microbiota interactions. Behind the well-studied seed-borne pathogens, the seed microbiota can host many other commensal and beneficial organisms that have been neglected in the past. The study of Simonin et al. (2023) applies single isolates and synthetic communities (SynCom) on radish seeds to answer two key questions: what is the role of seed microbiota during the early stages of plant development? How can SynCom influence the seedling health and its microbiota? The study describes an elegant approach to cope with the variability of natural microbiota using SynCom following a gradient of complexity. Overall, the study highlighted a contrasted impact of the bacterial strains when applied in isolation or SynCom. The composition and complexity of the SynCom had also an impact on plant seedlings. Importantly, contrasting evolution from seeds to seedlings was observed for 3 strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens within the SynComs, underlining the importance of intra-species level diversity and precluding any generalization of results at species level. References Moreira, Z. P. M., Chen, M. Y., Ortuno, D. L. Y., & Haney, C. H. (2023). Engineering plant microbiomes by integrating eco-evolutionary principles into current strategies. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 71, 102316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102316 Simonin, M., Préveaux, A., Marais, C., Garin, T., Arnault, G., Sarniguet, A., & Barret, M. (2023). Transmission of synthetic seed bacterial communities to radish seedlings: impact on microbiota assembly and plant phenotype. bioRxiv, 2023-02. ver. 3 peer-reviewed and recommended by Peer Community in Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.02.14.527860 | Transmission of synthetic seed bacterial communities to radish seedlings: impact on microbiota assembly and plant phenotype | Marie Simonin, Anne Preveaux, Coralie Marais, Tiffany Garin, Gontran Arnault, Alain Sarniguet, Matthieu Barret | <p style="text-align: justify;">Seed-borne microorganisms can be pioneer taxa during germination and seedling emergence. Still, the identity and phenotypic effects of these taxa that constitute a primary inoculum of plant microbiota is mostly unkn... | Microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions, Microbial ecology and environmental microbiology, Microbiomes | Sebastien Massart | 2023-02-15 10:27:26 | View | ||
12 Apr 2024
Bacterial pathogens dynamic during multi-species infectionsMarie-Anne Barny, Sylvia Thieffry, Christelle Gomes de Faria, Elisa Thebault, Jacques Pedron https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.06.570389Unraveling disease ecology: insights from soft rot Pectobacteriaceae co-infectionsRecommended by Clara Torres-Barceló based on reviews by 2 anonymous reviewersFew studies deal with the understanding of disease ecology, especially in the agricultural domain. Soft rot Pectobacteriaceae are major plant pathogens that frequently co-infect potato tubers. Exploring their ecological relationships can provide valuable insights for effective monitoring and preventing disease. The study of Barny et al (2024) explores the dynamics of synthetic communities of soft rot Pectobacterium species (SRP) following in vitro and in vivo inoculations, focusing on the implications for disease development. To delve into co-infection dynamics, the authors constructed mixed populations comprising six strains, with three strains from each of two species. Through inoculations of both liquid cultures and potatoes, they observed outcomes using amplicon sequencing targeting the gapA gene, along with monitoring bacterial population sizes and symptoms on potato tubers. Results reveal intriguing patterns: competition among strains of the same species, cooperation through trophic interactions, and interference due to toxicity. Thanks to a modelling approach, they suggest that the presence of a cheater strain may be favoured when it is associated with an aggressive strain. This finding is crucial for field sampling strategies, as there is a risk that during an outbreak, only the cheater strain may be detected, potentially overlooking the problematic aggressive strain. While the study conducted by Barny et al. (2024) provides valuable insights into strain interactions, it also highlights areas for further exploration to enhance understanding. First, the extent to which different species occupy similar niches in real agricultural scenarios remains unclear. Additionally, comparative genomics analysis on strains and investigating specific gene candidates could offer valuable mechanistic insights into strain dynamics. These areas for future research offer chances to build up our knowledge base in this field and improve how we understand the interactions between bacteria in nature. The implications of the study extend beyond plant pathogens like SRP. Similar scenarios of complex diseases involving closely related species or strains competing within the same niche are observed in human pathogens as well. Reference Barny, M.-A., Thieffry, S., Gomes de Faria, C., Thebault, E., Pedron, J. (2024). Bacterial pathogens dynamic during multi-species infections. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.06.570389
| Bacterial pathogens dynamic during multi-species infections | Marie-Anne Barny, Sylvia Thieffry, Christelle Gomes de Faria, Elisa Thebault, Jacques Pedron | <p>Soft rot Pectobacteriacea (SRP) gathers more than 30 bacterial species that collectively rot a wide range of plants by producing and secreting a large set of plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs). Worldwide potato field surveys identified ... | Microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions, Microbial ecology and environmental microbiology | Clara Torres-Barceló | 2023-12-12 17:54:07 | View | ||
19 Jul 2024
Microbiome turnover during offspring development varies with maternal care, but not moult, in a hemimetabolous insectMarie-Charlotte Cheutin, Manon Boucicot, Joel Meunier https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.26.586808Stability in a microbe-insect interactionRecommended by Konstantinos (Kostas) Kormas based on reviews by Guillame Minard and Enric FragoThe degree of fidelity between microbes and their hosts varies considerably among different animal groups but also along the host's developmental stages and depends on the stability of their microbial communities. Cheutin et al. showcase experimentally the stability of whole body bacterial microbiome in a dermapteran insect species, the European earwig Forficula auricularia. The carefully designed experiments, which include a large number of investigated families and the related methodologies along with the data analysis, revealed that the bacterial communities of this insect are highly dynamic during the early developmental stages, but these changes are rather specific to each developmental stage and rather irrelevant to moulting. Some of these changes were reflected in the dominant predicted metabolic pathways. Another important finding of this study was that maternal care of the eggs has a detectable impact on the future shaping of the adult insect bacterial microbiome. The findings of this paper clearly answer its working hypotheses, but they also generate a set of specific novel hypotheses for future studies. These hypotheses are of interest to the general field of animal-microbe interactions and, more specifically, to the driving forces of transmissability of microbes from one generation to the next one. This study also depicts some of the most likely important metabolic pathways in this insect-microbe relationship that could be the focus of future studies with more specific methodologies. References Cheutin M-C, Boucicot M, Meunier J. (2024). Microbiome turnover during offspring development varies with maternal care, but not moult, in a hemimetabolous insect. bioRxiv, ver.3, peer-reviewed and recommended by Peer Community In Microbiology. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.26.586808v3 | Microbiome turnover during offspring development varies with maternal care, but not moult, in a hemimetabolous insect | Marie-Charlotte Cheutin, Manon Boucicot, Joel Meunier | <p>The ecological success of insects often depends on their association with beneficial microbes. However, insect development involves repeated moults, which can have dramatic effects on their microbial communities. Here, we investigated whether a... | Microbial ecology and environmental microbiology, Microbial physiology, ecophysiology and metabolism, Microbiomes | Konstantinos (Kostas) Kormas | 2024-03-28 12:24:50 | View | ||
04 Jan 2024
Diversity of bacterial symbionts associated with the tropical plant bug Monalonion velezangeli (Hemiptera: Miridae) revealed by high-throughput 16S-rRNA sequencingLucio Navarro-Escalante, Pablo Benavides, Flor Edith Acevedo https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2022560/v7Shedding light on bacteria associated with an agricultural pest, the tropical plant bug Monalonion velezangeli: a foundational descriptive studyRecommended by Jean-Marie Volland based on reviews by 2 anonymous reviewersThe paper "Diversity of bacterial symbionts associated with the tropical plant bug Monalonion velezangeli (Hemiptera: Miridae) revealed by high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing" by Navarro-Escalante et al. (2023) is a valuable contribution to entomological research, particularly in the context of pest management. This descriptive study, while not delving into the functional characterization of the associated bacterial strains, lays an essential groundwork for understanding the bacterial components of the microbiota of this agricultural pest. This study is interesting because it provides new information on insect microbiota, especially in a family for which the knowledge of the diversity of bacterial symbionts is very limited. One of the study's core strengths lies in its exploration and definition of the core microbiota of M. velezangeli, which could serve as a foundation for future research aimed at pest control strategies. The use of 16S rRNA sequencing, despite its known limitations, has enabled the profiling of these bacterial communities. The paper highlights the absence of differences in the bacterial communities associated with the nymph and adult stages of the pest, indicating a stable association of these microbes throughout the insect's life cycle. A standout point in the study is the overwhelming presence of the symbiont Wolbachia, accounting for approximately 92% of the bacterial composition. However, intriguingly, the authors also note the absence of Wolbachia in some individuals, suggesting a more complex dynamic that warrants further investigation. This finding is particularly noteworthy, as it opens up questions about the role of Wolbachia and its impact on the biology and ecology of M. velezangeli. The researchers have carefully addressed all the reviewers’ comments and suggestions. They also addressed a potential bias in their study - the overwhelming presence of Wolbachia - by analyzing the bacterial community after the removal of Wolbachia sequences. This careful approach enriches the study's credibility and ensures a more accurate representation of the pest's microbiota. The identification of potentially culturable strains within the core microbiome represents an interesting perspective of this research. This information could be used in future efforts to develop pest control strategies, particularly those employing paratransgenic approaches. The possibility of manipulating these culturable strains to combat M. velezangeli presents an exciting avenue for sustainable pest management. While the study does not investigate the localization of these associated bacteria, whether in the gut or elsewhere, including potentially in dedicated symbiotic organs, it nevertheless offers a valuable descriptive account. This baseline knowledge will be useful for any subsequent functional or localization studies, which could further unravel the complex interactions between M. velezangeli and its microbial partners. In conclusion, the work of Navarro-Escalante et al. is a notable effort to set the stage for future research into the biology of M. velezangeli and its associated microbiota. The findings from this study provide a good reference point for further investigations aimed at pest's biology and exploring innovative pest control strategies. It also represents a valuable contribution to understanding the basic biology of insect-bacteria interactions.
| Diversity of bacterial symbionts associated with the tropical plant bug *Monalonion velezangeli* (Hemiptera: Miridae) revealed by high-throughput 16S-rRNA sequencing | Lucio Navarro-Escalante, Pablo Benavides, Flor Edith Acevedo | <p>Insects and microbes have developed complex symbiotic relationships that evolutionarily and ecologically play beneficial roles for both, the symbiont and the host. In most Hemiptera insects, bacterial symbionts offer mainly nutritional, defensi... | Microbial ecology and environmental microbiology, Microbial symbiosis | Jean-Marie Volland | 2022-10-31 20:31:54 | View |
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