Amino Acids From Root Exudates Induce Bacillus Spore Germination to Enhance Root Colonisation and Plant Growth Promotion
ABSTRACT Strains of Bacillus species, plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria, have been commercialised as biofertilisers; they are ideal for this because these species form spores that can be stored stably for a long time. However, for these spores to exert their full beneficial effects, they must ger...
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Wiley
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Microbial Biotechnology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.70172 |
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| author | Lili Tao Xinli Sun Pascale B. Beauregard Taimeng Tan Yuling Zhang Jiyu Xie Guidong Huang Nan Zhang Youzhi Miao Qirong Shen Zhihui Xu Ruifu Zhang |
| author_facet | Lili Tao Xinli Sun Pascale B. Beauregard Taimeng Tan Yuling Zhang Jiyu Xie Guidong Huang Nan Zhang Youzhi Miao Qirong Shen Zhihui Xu Ruifu Zhang |
| author_sort | Lili Tao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Strains of Bacillus species, plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria, have been commercialised as biofertilisers; they are ideal for this because these species form spores that can be stored stably for a long time. However, for these spores to exert their full beneficial effects, they must germinate. The specific germination signals in the rhizosphere, particularly those from plant root exudates, remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the germination signals from different growth states of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) for spores of Bacillus velezensis SQR9 and Bacillus subtilis NCIB 3610. We identified the corresponding germination receptors and compared them biochemically between the Bacillus species. Larger plants better stimulated spore germination. Five amino acids—L‐isoleucine, L‐ornithine, L‐valine, L‐serine and β‐alanine were—identified as spore germination signals. Combined application of a mixture of these amino acids with bacterial spores markedly enhanced the cucumber growth‐promoting properties of B. velezensis SQR9. The germination receptor for these amino acids was GerA in both Bacillus species. Differences in spore germination efficiency between B. subtilis and B. velezensis may be attributable to variations in the GerA ligand‐recognition sites. Expression of GerA from B. subtilis NCIB 3610 in B. velezensis SQR9 enhanced the spore germination rate of the latter. Our study highlights the pivotal role of amino acids in regulating spore germination of Bacillus and subsequent plant root colonisation, emphasising their potential to enhance the efficacy of Bacillus‐based biofertilisers. Engineering of germination receptors is a promising approach to enhance the spore germination efficiency of biofertiliser strains. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a46e2c41576c4332bc36072699f4e07b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1751-7915 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microbial Biotechnology |
| spelling | doaj-art-a46e2c41576c4332bc36072699f4e07b2025-08-20T03:30:02ZengWileyMicrobial Biotechnology1751-79152025-06-01186n/an/a10.1111/1751-7915.70172Amino Acids From Root Exudates Induce Bacillus Spore Germination to Enhance Root Colonisation and Plant Growth PromotionLili Tao0Xinli Sun1Pascale B. Beauregard2Taimeng Tan3Yuling Zhang4Jiyu Xie5Guidong Huang6Nan Zhang7Youzhi Miao8Qirong Shen9Zhihui Xu10Ruifu Zhang11Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu ChinaDépartement de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Quebec CanadaJiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu ChinaDepartment of Food Science Foshan University Foshan ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Saline Soil Resources Utilization and Ecological Conservation, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐Saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu ChinaABSTRACT Strains of Bacillus species, plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria, have been commercialised as biofertilisers; they are ideal for this because these species form spores that can be stored stably for a long time. However, for these spores to exert their full beneficial effects, they must germinate. The specific germination signals in the rhizosphere, particularly those from plant root exudates, remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated the germination signals from different growth states of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) for spores of Bacillus velezensis SQR9 and Bacillus subtilis NCIB 3610. We identified the corresponding germination receptors and compared them biochemically between the Bacillus species. Larger plants better stimulated spore germination. Five amino acids—L‐isoleucine, L‐ornithine, L‐valine, L‐serine and β‐alanine were—identified as spore germination signals. Combined application of a mixture of these amino acids with bacterial spores markedly enhanced the cucumber growth‐promoting properties of B. velezensis SQR9. The germination receptor for these amino acids was GerA in both Bacillus species. Differences in spore germination efficiency between B. subtilis and B. velezensis may be attributable to variations in the GerA ligand‐recognition sites. Expression of GerA from B. subtilis NCIB 3610 in B. velezensis SQR9 enhanced the spore germination rate of the latter. Our study highlights the pivotal role of amino acids in regulating spore germination of Bacillus and subsequent plant root colonisation, emphasising their potential to enhance the efficacy of Bacillus‐based biofertilisers. Engineering of germination receptors is a promising approach to enhance the spore germination efficiency of biofertiliser strains.https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.70172amino acidBacillusgermination receptorsroot exudatesspore germination |
| spellingShingle | Lili Tao Xinli Sun Pascale B. Beauregard Taimeng Tan Yuling Zhang Jiyu Xie Guidong Huang Nan Zhang Youzhi Miao Qirong Shen Zhihui Xu Ruifu Zhang Amino Acids From Root Exudates Induce Bacillus Spore Germination to Enhance Root Colonisation and Plant Growth Promotion Microbial Biotechnology amino acid Bacillus germination receptors root exudates spore germination |
| title | Amino Acids From Root Exudates Induce Bacillus Spore Germination to Enhance Root Colonisation and Plant Growth Promotion |
| title_full | Amino Acids From Root Exudates Induce Bacillus Spore Germination to Enhance Root Colonisation and Plant Growth Promotion |
| title_fullStr | Amino Acids From Root Exudates Induce Bacillus Spore Germination to Enhance Root Colonisation and Plant Growth Promotion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Amino Acids From Root Exudates Induce Bacillus Spore Germination to Enhance Root Colonisation and Plant Growth Promotion |
| title_short | Amino Acids From Root Exudates Induce Bacillus Spore Germination to Enhance Root Colonisation and Plant Growth Promotion |
| title_sort | amino acids from root exudates induce bacillus spore germination to enhance root colonisation and plant growth promotion |
| topic | amino acid Bacillus germination receptors root exudates spore germination |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.70172 |
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