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Low nitrogen stress stimulating the indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis of Serratia sp. ZM is vital for the survival of the bacterium and its plant growth-promoting characteristic

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Abstract

Serratia sp. ZM is a plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacterial strain isolated from the rhizospheric soil of Populus euphratica in northwestern China. In this study, low nitrogen supply significantly stimulated the production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in Serratia sp.ZM. The inoculation of the bacterium to wheat seedlings improved plant growth compared with the uninoculated group, and the stimulating effect was more prominent under low nitrogen stress. Inactivation of the predicted key gene in the IAA biosynthesis pathway impaired IAA production and significantly hampered mutant growth in poor medium. Furthermore, the IAA-deficient mutant lost the PGP effect under either normal or low nitrogen conditions in plant experiments. This study revealed the significant impact of environmental nitrogen levels on IAA production in the PGP strain and the vital effect of IAA on resistance physiology of both the bacterium and host plant. The characteristics of Serratia sp. ZM also indicated its application potential as a biofertilizer for plants, especially those suffering from poor nitrogen soil.

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Acknowledgements

The plasmid pMJ-1 was a generous gift from Professor Huizhan Zhang, East China University of Science and Technology. Thanks to Dr. Shiyou Ding (Michigan State University) for his kind review of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

    Liming Ouyang & Haiyan Pei

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, USA

    Zhaohui Xu

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  1. Liming Ouyang
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  2. Haiyan Pei
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  3. Zhaohui Xu
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Correspondence to Liming Ouyang.

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Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt.

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Ouyang, L., Pei, H. & Xu, Z. Low nitrogen stress stimulating the indole-3-acetic acid biosynthesis of Serratia sp. ZM is vital for the survival of the bacterium and its plant growth-promoting characteristic. Arch Microbiol 199, 425–432 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-016-1312-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-016-1312-7

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