Adaptation of Bacillus thuringiensis to Plant Colonization Affects Differentiation and Toxicity

Yang, Lin; Alstrup, Monica; Pang, Janet Ka Yan; Maróti, Gergely; Er-Rafik, Mériem; Tourasse, Nicolas J.; Økstad, Ole Andreas; Kovács, Ákos T.

doi:10.1128/msystems.00864-21

Cited by 26 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 108 publications

(131 reference statements)

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“…We established an experimental evolution approach inspired by the bead transfer model of Poltak and Cooper (2011) to study B. subtilis evolution on plant roots, similar to the setup exploited for Bacillus thuringiensis (Lin et al ., 2020). Therefore, every other day, a previously colonized plant seedling was transferred to a new sterile seedling, allowing only bacterial cells that attach to the new root to continue in the experiment, enabling selection for a continuous cycle of dispersal, chemotaxis towards the plant root and biofilm formation on the root.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversification of Bacillus subtilis during experimental evolution on Arabidopsis thaliana and the complementarity in root colonization of evolved subpopulations

Blake

Nordgaard

Maróti

et al. 2021

Environmental Microbiology

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The soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis is known to suppress pathogens as well as promote plant growth. However, in order to fully exploit the potential as natural fertilizer, we need a better understanding of the interactions between B. subtilis and plants. Here, B. subtilis was examined for root colonization through experimental evolution on Arabidopsis thaliana. The populations evolved rapidly, improved in root colonization and diversified into three distinct morphotypes. In order to better understand the adaptation that had taken place, single evolved isolates from the final transfer were randomly selected for further characterization, revealing changes in growth and pellicle formation in medium supplemented with plant polysaccharides. Intriguingly, certain evolved isolates showed improved root colonization only on the plant species they evolved on, but not on another plant species, namely tomato, suggesting A. thaliana specific adaption paths. Finally, the mix performed better than the sum of its constituents in monoculture, which was demonstrated to be caused by complementarity effects. Our results suggest that genetic diversification occurs in an ecological relevant setting on plant roots and proves to be a stable strategy for root colonization.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversification of Bacillus subtilis during experimental evolution on Arabidopsis thaliana and the complementarity in root colonization of evolved subpopulations

Blake

Nordgaard

Maróti

et al. 2021

Environmental Microbiology

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“…When cultivated in an excess of nutrients, many Bacillus species can lose their sporulation capacity according to different laboratory evolution experiments 46 – 48 . Likewise, our previous evolution experiment showed a decreased sporulation efficiency in evolved isolates compared with Bt407 31 . Notably, compared to the ancestor and the N variants, all six FS isolates contained an insertion element in the BTB_c54660 gene, annotated as cupin domain-containing protein.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…Previously, we have investigated the evolution of B. thuringiensis 407 biofilms on plants by repeated selection for root-associated biofilm cycles 31 . The bead biofilm model provides a simpler, abiotic selection system to reveal how adaption to the biofilm life cycle influences bacterial evolution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For RNA extraction 31 , overnight cultures were diluted to an OD 600 of 1 in LB medium and cultivated to late log phase. Cells were collected and total RNA was purified by using a phenol–chloroform–isopropanol method with a High Pure RNA isolation kit (Roche, Germany) 124 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, reduced spatial heterogeneity or hampered motility can also select for higher matrix production 28 . Recent works started to exploit Bacilli to understand how the colonization of a plant host influence bacterial evolution 29 – 31 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adaptation and phenotypic diversification of Bacillus thuringiensis biofilm are accompanied by fuzzy spreader morphotypes

Yang

Maróti

et al. 2022

npj Biofilms Microbiomes

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Bacillus cereus group (Bacillus cereus sensu lato) has a diverse ecology, including various species that produce biofilms on abiotic and biotic surfaces. While genetic and morphological diversification enables the adaptation of multicellular communities, this area remains largely unknown in the Bacillus cereus group. In this work, we dissected the experimental evolution of Bacillus thuringiensis 407 Cry- during continuous recolonization of plastic beads. We observed the evolution of a distinct colony morphotype that we named fuzzy spreader (FS) variant. Most multicellular traits of the FS variant displayed higher competitive ability versus the ancestral strain, suggesting an important role for diversification in the adaptation of B. thuringiensis to the biofilm lifestyle. Further genetic characterization of FS variant revealed the disruption of a guanylyltransferase gene by an insertion sequence (IS) element, which could be similarly observed in the genome of a natural isolate. The evolved FS and the deletion mutant in the guanylyltransferase gene (Bt407ΔrfbM) displayed similarly altered aggregation and hydrophobicity compared to the ancestor strain, suggesting that the adaptation process highly depends on the physical adhesive forces.

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Bacillus thuringiensis as a biofertilizer in crops and their implications in the control of phytopathogens and insect pests

Gomis-Cebolla

Berry

2023

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUND Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a spore‐forming bacterium that produces insecticidal proteins and other virulence factors and is considered one of the most successful bioinsecticides available to control pests in agriculture. Currently, some Bt strains have been reported as endophyte or rhizospheric bacteria. RESULTS Little is known about the implications of plant‐Bt interaction in crop protection. Here, we review if Bt can establish as an endophyte/rhizobacterium and evaluate if Bt as an endophyte/rhizobacterium can simultaneously act against different phytopathogens (fungi, bacteria, insects and viruses) plus promote plant growth. CONCLUSION Although Bt produce an arsenal of proteins with toxic effects against insect, the current knowledge suggests that Bt can be considered as a promising new plant growth promotion bacterium (PGPB). The implications of the proposed review will broaden our understanding of Bt as a versatile entomopathogen that may be able to exhibit differential behavior depending on context. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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Adaptation of Bacillus thuringiensis to Plant Colonization Affects Differentiation and Toxicity

Abstract: Biologicals-based plant protection relies on the use of safe microbial strains. During application of biologicals to the rhizosphere, microbes adapt to the niche, including genetic mutations shaping the physiology of the cells.

Cited by 26 publications

References 108 publications

Diversification of Bacillus subtilis during experimental evolution on Arabidopsis thaliana and the complementarity in root colonization of evolved subpopulations

Diversification of Bacillus subtilis during experimental evolution on Arabidopsis thaliana and the complementarity in root colonization of evolved subpopulations

Adaptation and phenotypic diversification of Bacillus thuringiensis biofilm are accompanied by fuzzy spreader morphotypes

Bacillus thuringiensis as a biofertilizer in crops and their implications in the control of phytopathogens and insect pests

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