| Title: | Biocontrol Potential of a Novel Endophytic Bacterium From Mulberry (Morus) Tree |
| Author(s): | Xie S; Vallet M; Sun C; Kunert M; David A; Zhang X; Chen B; Lu X; Boland W; Shao Y; |
| Address: | "Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. Max Planck Fellow Group on Plankton Community Interaction, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany. Analysis Center of Agrobiology and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany. Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany. Key Laboratory for Molecular Animal Nutrition, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou, China" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2296-4185 (Print) 2296-4185 (Electronic) 2296-4185 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Mulberry (Morus) is an economically important woody tree that is suitable for use in sericulture as forage and in medicine. However, this broad-leaved tree is facing multiple threats ranging from phytopathogens to insect pests. Here, a Gram-positive, endospore-forming bacterium (ZJU1) was frequently isolated from healthy mulberry plants by screening for foliar endophytes showing antagonism against pathogens and pests. Whole-genome sequencing and annotation resulted in a genome size of 4.06 Mb and classified the bacterium as a novel strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens that has rarely been identified from tree leaves. An integrative approach combining traditional natural product chemistry, activity bioassays, and high-resolution mass spectrometry confirmed that strain ZJU1 uses a blend of antimicrobials including peptides and volatile organic compounds to oppose Botrytis cinerea, a major phytopathogenic fungus causing mulberry gray mold disease. We showed that the inoculation of endophyte-free plants with ZJU1 significantly decreased both leaf necrosis and mortality under field conditions. In addition to the direct interactions of endophytes with foliar pathogens, in planta studies suggested that the inoculation of endophytes also induced plant systemic defense, including high expression levels of mulberry disease resistance genes. Moreover, when applied to the generalist herbivore Spodoptera litura, ZJU1 was sufficient to reduce the pest survival rate below 50%. A previously undiscovered crystal toxin (Cry10Aa) could contribute to this insecticidal effect against notorious lepidopteran pests. These unique traits clearly demonstrate that B. amyloliquefaciens ZJU1 is promising for the development of successful strategies for biocontrol applications. The search for new plant-beneficial microbes and engineering microbiomes is therefore of great significance for sustainably improving plant performance" |
| Keywords: | endophyte fungal pathogen lepidopteran pest mulberry symbiosis; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINEXie, Sen Vallet, Marine Sun, Chao Kunert, Maritta David, Anja Zhang, Xiancui Chen, Bosheng Lu, Xingmeng Boland, Wilhelm Shao, Yongqi eng Switzerland 2020/02/11 Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2020 Jan 23; 7:488. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00488. eCollection 2019" |
