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Migration of endophytic diazotroph Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571 inside wheat (Triticum aestivum L) and its effect on microRNAs

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Abstract

Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571, a novel rhizobium, forms endosymbionts with its nature host Sesbania rostrata, a semi-aquatic leguminous tree. Recent studies showed that A. caulinodans ORS571, as endophytic rhizobium, disseminated and colonized inside of cereal plants. However, how this rhizobium infects monocot plants and the regulatory mechanism remains unknown. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenous RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional levels. In this study, we employed laser scanning confocal microscope to monitor the pathway that rhizobium invade wheat; we also investigated the potential role of miRNAs during A. caulinodans ORS571 infecting wheat. Our results showed that gfp-labeled A. caulinodans ORS571 infected wheat root hairs and emerged lateral roots, then disseminated and colonized within roots and migrated to other plant tissues, such as stems and leaves. Endophytic rhizobium induced the aberrant expression of miRNAs in wheat with a tissue- and time-dependent manner with a peak at 12–24 h after rhizobium infection. Some miRNAs, such as miR167 and miR393 responded more in roots than that in shoots. In contrast, miR171 responded higher in shoots than that in roots. These results suggested that miRNAs could be responsive to A. caulinodans ORS571 infection and played important role in plant growth, nutrient metabolisms, and wheat-rhizobium interactions.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Professor Yuxiang Jing for presenting the gfp-A. caulinodans ORS571. This work was partially supported by the Agricultural Key Science and Technology Program of Shaanxi Province (2015NY006), the International Cooperation and Exchanges Project of Shaanxi Province (2015KW-028), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31071870, 30700489).

Authors’ contributions

HL and BZ were the principal investigators and took primary responsibility for the paper. HL, BZ, and LQ conceived and designed the experiments. LQ, QL, JZ, YC, XL, CS, and WW performed the experiments. LQ, QL, JZ, and YC analyzed the data. HL, BZ, QL, JZ, and YC wrote the paper and prepared figures. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China

    Li Qiu

  2. College of Life Sciences, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China

    Qiang Li, Junbiao Zhang, Yongchao Chen, Xiaojun Lin, Chao Sun, Weiling Wang & Huawei Liu

  3. Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA

    Baohong Zhang

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  1. Li Qiu
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This article forms part of a special issue of Functional and Integrative Genomics entitled “miRNA in model and complex organisms” (Issue Editors: Hikmet Budak and Baohong Zhang)

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Qiu, L., Li, Q., Zhang, J. et al. Migration of endophytic diazotroph Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571 inside wheat (Triticum aestivum L) and its effect on microRNAs. Funct Integr Genomics 17, 311–319 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10142-016-0534-8

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