Publication - Journal Article Visualizing the Hidden Half: Plant-Microbe Interactions in the Rhizosphere

"Visualizing the Hidden Half: Plant-Microbe Interactions in the Rhizosphere"

Plant roots and the associated rhizosphere constitute a dynamic environment that fosters numerous intra- and interkingdom interactions, including metabolite exchange between plants and soil mediated by root exudates and the rhizosphere microbiome. These interactions affect plant fitness and performance, soil health, and the belowground carbon budget. Exploring and understanding the molecular mechanisms governing ecosystem responses via rhizosphere interactions allow the rational and sustainable design of future ecosystems. However, visualizing the plant root system architecture with spatially resolved root exudate and microbiome profiles along the root in its native state remains an ambitious grand challenge in rhizosphere biology. To address this challenge, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) root cartography platform to accurately visualize molecular and microbial constituents and their interactions in the root-rhizosphere zone.

Keywords: 3D visualization of roots, metabolomics, plant-microbe interactions, rhizosphere hot spots, root exudates

Citation

Handakumbura PP, Rivas Ubach A, Battu AK. Visualizing the Hidden Half: Plant-Microbe Interactions in the Rhizosphere. mSystems. 2021 Oct 26;6(5):e0076521. doi: 10.1128/mSystems.00765-21. Epub 2021 Sep 14. PMID: 34519527; PMCID: PMC8547458.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), as part of BER’s Genomic Science Program (GSP), and is a contribution of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Secure Biosystems Design Science Focus Area Persistence Control of Engineered Functions in Complex Soil Microbiomes and the EMSL strategic science area under project 22142. A portion of the PerCon project research was performed on a project award (10.46936/cpcy.proj.2021.60242/60007227) from the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a DOE Office of Science User Facility sponsored by the Biological and Environmental Research program under Contract No. DE-AC05-76RL01830.