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Research Project: Regulation, Biosynthesis, and Function of Plant Chemical Defenses and their Role in Climate-Resilient Agriculture

Location: Chemistry Research

Title: Genome analysis and hyphal movement characterization of the hitchhiker endohyphal Enterobacter sp. from Rhizoctonia solani

Author
item ZHANG, PEIQI - University Of Florida
item HUGUET-TAPIA, JOSE - University Of Florida
item PENG, ZHAO - University Of Florida
item OBASA, KEN - Texas A&M University
item Block, Anna
item WHITE, FRANK - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/5/2024
Publication Date: 2/6/2024
Citation: Zhang, P., Huguet-Tapia, J., Peng, Z., Obasa, K., Block, A.K., White, F.F. 2024. Genome analysis and hyphal movement characterization of the hitchhiker endohyphal Enterobacter sp. from Rhizoctonia solani. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02245-23.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02245-23

Interpretive Summary: Fungal diseases are a major problem for agricultural crops as they cause root and stem rot, and death of young plants. Certain fungi are aided in their ability to cause disease by bacteria that live around or even inside the fungus. Scientists at the University of Florida, Texas A&M University, and the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in Gainesville FL sequenced the genome of one of these bacteria to help understand how the bacteria aids the fungus to cause disease. These data could help develop pest management strategies to better control fungal diseases and protect agriculture.

Technical Abstract: Bacterial-fungal interactions are pervasive in the rhizosphere. While an increasing number of endohyphal bacteria (EHB) have been identified, little is known about their ecology and impact on the associated fungal hosts and the surrounding environment. In this study, we characterized the genome of an Enterobacter sp. (En-Cren) isolated from the generalist fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. Overall, the En-Cren genome size was not atypical for members of the genus and was capable of free-living growth. The genome was 4.6 MB in size, and no plasmids were detected. Several prophage regions and genomic islands were identified that harbor unique genes in comparison with phylogenetically closely related Enterobacter spp. Type VI secretion system and cyanate assimilation genes were identified from the bacterium, while common heavy metal resistance genes were absent. En-Cren contains the key genes for IAA and PAA biosynthesis, and produces IAA and PAA in vitro, which may impact the ecology or pathogenicity of the fungal pathogen in vivo. En-Cren was observed to move along hyphae of R. solani and on other basidiomycetes and ascomycetes in culture. The bacterial flagellum is essential for hyphal movement, while other pathways and genes may also be involved.