1. BIOREpository

Functional characterization of the type III secretion system in plant-beneficial Pseudomonas associated with sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.)

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Primary Data

Project title
Functional characterization of the type III secretion system in plant-beneficial Pseudomonas associated with sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.)
Project Coordinator
Participant Organization(s)
Faculty of Biology
 
Status
In progress
Start date
01-01-2024
Expected Completion
01-01-2027
 
Co-Investigator(s)

Description

Abstract
The interactions between plants and microbes play a central role in agriculture as they influence plant growth and resistance to environmental stressors. Understanding how bacteria promote plant growth is crucial for the development of sustainable agricultural practises. The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a protein machinery found in Gram-negative bacteria and is known to inject effector proteins directly into host cells to influence host functions. Although the T3SS has been extensively studied in pathogenic contexts, it also exists in plant-beneficial bacteria, such as certain Pseudomonas species. In the study proposed here, we aim to elucidate the role of T3SS in beneficial interactions between plants and microbes using sugar beet and plant-beneficial Pseudomonas as a model system. By investigating how T3SS affects the growth and transcriptome of sugar beet, we aim to understand the mechanisms by which plant-beneficial bacteria promote plant growth. Specifically, we want to: 1. Optimise culture conditions for T3SS expression in plant-beneficial Pseudomonas isolates. 2. Evaluate the efficiency of plant colonisation and in planta expression of T3SS during sugar beet development. 3. Delete the T3SS system in selected isolates and evaluate its effects on plant colonisation and growth. 4. Determine how T3SS affects sugar beet growth parameters, hormone production and stress responses. 5. Perform RNA-seq analysis to identify differentially expressed genes in sugar beet treated with T3SS-positive and -negative isolates. 6. To investigate the effects of T3SS-positive, plant-beneficial Pseudomonas isolates on the transcriptome of Arabidopsis thaliana. By achieving these goals, we aim to deepen our understanding of the role of T3SS in beneficial plant-microbe interactions, providing insights that are critical for the development of sustainable agricultural practises to increase crop productivity and environmental sustainability.