Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria V. Aparicio Chacon, Judith Van Dingenen, Sofie Goormachtig
Summary: Plants can be colonized by fungi with both harmful and beneficial effects. One way the fungi colonize is by secreting effector proteins that change the plant's physiology to suit the fungus. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), the oldest plant symbionts, may benefit from using effectors. Recent research has focused on understanding the function, evolution, and diversification of AMF effectors through genome analysis and transcriptomic studies. However, only a small fraction of the predicted effector proteins have been characterized, limiting our understanding of how they manipulate their host plants and which plant proteins they interact with.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lea Marie, Lorraine S. Symington
Summary: This study reveals the recombination mechanism of repeated sequences under replication stress and proposes a model for generating chromosome rearrangements.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Iver Jakobsen, Lisa Munkvold Murmann, Soren Rosendahl
Summary: The study investigated the impact of two fungicides on the performance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and found that low doses of the fungicides enhanced root colonization by AMF, while high doses suppressed their performance. The fungicides generated biphasic response curves in irradiated soil, indicating a hormetic effect on AMF.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Eva F. Leifheit, Anika Lehmann, Matthias C. Rillig
Summary: Microplastics have diverse effects on soil and plant growth, altering soil structure and microbial activity, which in turn affects the abundance and activity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The impacts of microplastics may also change how plants respond to other global change factors, highlighting the need for further research on their overall impact on ecosystems.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anastasiya Kishkevich, Sanjeeta Tamang, Michael O. Nguyen, Judith Oehler, Elena Bulmaga, Christos Andreadis, Carl A. Morrow, Fekret Osman, Matthew C. Whitby
Summary: Genomic rearrangements associated with congenital diseases and cancers may result from mistakes made during the restart of collapsed replication forks. Researchers have found that template switching during the elongation phase of restart relies more on Rad52, providing evidence for a transition hypothesis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Agronomy
Xiaozhe Bao, Jixiang Zou, Bin Zhang, Longmei Wu, Taotao Yang, Qing Huang
Summary: Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and microorganisms in the rice mycorrhizosphere have significant impacts on the paddy ecosystem, and may play a crucial role in sustainable, low-input productivity.
Article
Ecology
Fiona Jevon, Ashley K. Lang
Summary: The allocation of tree biomass to leaves, roots, and wood has implications for carbon residence time and storage in ecosystems. This study found that the type of mycorrhizal association, along with climate and leaf habit, significantly influenced biomass allocation. Trees associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi allocated more biomass to root tissue compared to trees associated with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. Considering mycorrhizal associations could improve our understanding of ecosystem carbon storage.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ruwanthika Kalamulla, Samantha C. Karunarathna, Saowaluck Tibpromma, Mahesh C. A. Galappaththi, Nakarin Suwannarach, Steven L. Stephenson, Suhail Asad, Ziad Salman Salem, Neelamanie Yapa
Summary: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play important roles in soil and plant productivity through their nutritional and non-nutritional functionalities. They maintain soil structure, change nutrient acquisition, alleviate stress, and interact with other microorganisms and plants, all of which contribute to plant growth and productivity.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Elisabeth B. Ward, Alexander Polussa, Mark A. Bradford
Summary: Plant mycorrhizal associations impact the accumulation and persistence of soil organic matter, which can affect how ecosystems respond to global changes. The co-occurrence of trees and shrubs with different mycorrhizal associations can influence soil organic matter pools, but more research is needed to understand these effects.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Sulaimon Basiru, Hopkins Pachalo Mwanza, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: Efficient management of root-associated microbiomes is crucial for improving crop yield and reducing environmental footprint. Various plant symbionts, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, have entered large-scale applications in agriculture. Research on the combination of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi with other beneficial microbes should be further conducted to maximize their potential in crop production.
Article
Plant Sciences
Stephanie J. Watts-Williams, Stefanie Wege, Sunita A. Ramesh, Oliver Berkowitz, Bo Xu, Matthew Gilliham, James Whelan, Stephen D. Tyerman
Summary: Soil micronutrient availability, particularly zinc (Zn), is a limiting factor in crop yield. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi facilitate nutrient uptake in host plants through the mycorrhizal pathway. In this study, RNA-seq analysis revealed that the putative Zn transporter gene, MtZIP14, was up-regulated in Medicago truncatula roots during colonization by Rhizophagus irregularis. Loss-of-function mutant plants lacking MtZIP14 showed reduced shoot biomass when grown under low Zn concentration and colonized by AM fungi, implicating a role for MtZIP14 in plant Zn nutrition and AM colonization.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Wenli Sun, Mohamad Hesam Shahrajabian
Summary: Biostimulant application is an effective and sustainable way to supplement crop nutrition, reduce excessive fertilization, and protect plants from environmental stresses. Biostimulants, both microbial and non-microbial, provide beneficial properties to plants, promote crop yield and quality, and enhance soil fertility. Among microbial biostimulants, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture by improving nutrient availability, uptake, and assimilation, increasing plant stress tolerance, and reducing soil erosion. Further research is needed to better understand the effectiveness of different biostimulants in sustainable agriculture.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zengyu Zhang, Bei Li, Yongxian Liu, Lixin He, Ting Pang, Zongdao Chen, Md Jahidul Islam Shohag, Xiuyan Miao, Xi Li, Minghua Gu, Yanyan Wei
Summary: Selenium is an essential trace element for humans, and AMF inoculation and selenium fertilizer application have a promoting effect on selenium uptake in soybean. Fertilization with selenite and inoculation with different AMF strains affect the speciation, biomass and accumulation of selenium in soybean. The combined use of AMF inoculation and selenium fertilizer increases the bioavailable selenium in soil and promotes the total selenium concentration and organic selenium accumulation in soybean. These results suggest that AMF inoculation combined with selenium fertilizer can be a promising strategy for selenium biofortification in soybean.
Review
Plant Sciences
Mostafa Amani Machiani, Abdollah Javanmard, Reyhaneh Habibi Machiani, Amir Sadeghpour
Summary: Medicinal and aromatic plants are capable of synthesizing a variety of secondary metabolites. The symbiotic association between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and medicinal and aromatic plants can enhance the production and quality of the secondary metabolites, making it a new eco-friendly technology in sustainable agricultural systems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xinyu Xu, Yunpeng Qiu, Kangcheng Zhang, Fei Yang, Mengfei Chen, Xi Luo, Xuebin Yan, Peng Wang, Yi Zhang, Huaihai Chen, Hui Guo, Lin Jiang, Shuijin Hu
Summary: The research showed that warming affects the composition and diversity of AMF communities, reducing their abundance and utilization of N and P in the soil. Changes in precipitation increased the quantity of AMF but did not significantly impact the composition of the communities.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Sulaimon Basiru, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: Interventions with commercial inoculants have the potential to reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture, but their indiscriminate deployment has raised questions on the unintended consequences of microbial invasion. This article examines the present framework used to define arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) invasion and offers perspectives on the steps needed to avoid negative impacts. It suggests strategies to reduce overdependence on introduced inoculants and recommends policies and regulations to monitor inoculant value chains.
Article
Microbiology
Maxime Fortin Faubert, Michel Labrecque, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: This study examined the microbial communities in the roots and rhizospheres of two Salix miyabeana cultivars grown in a soil contaminated with discharged from a petrochemical factory. The results showed that the rhizosphere had a higher microbial diversity than the roots, and that the microbial community structures were influenced by the cultivars and habitats. This study provides valuable information for understanding the microbial basis of plant phytoremediation.
Article
Microbiology
Andrew J. C. Blakney, Luke D. Bainard, Marc St-Arnaud, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: Soil history plays a crucial role in shaping the structure and biodiversity of soil bacterial communities. This study evaluated the impact of different soil histories on the bacterial communities associated with five Brassicaceae host plants. The results showed that the Brassicaceae hosts consistently influenced the bacterial community structure, while the previous year's soil history only had a significant effect when the host plant feedback was weakened. Understanding soil history is essential for utilizing microbiome technologies to improve agricultural systems.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Fahad Alotaibi, Marc St-Arnaud, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: This study identified rhizobacteria that promote plant growth and have the ability to degrade hydrocarbons through screening and genetic characterization. These bacteria have the potential for remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soils.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jean-Baptiste Floc'h, Chantal Hamel, Mario Laterriere, Breanne Tidemann, Marc St-Arnaud, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: The presence of AMF community in canola rhizosphere and bulk soils sheds new light on AMF ecology, especially considering that canola belongs to non-mycorrhizal plants. Additionally, the sharing of bacterial cohorts between two AMF species in bulk soil provides new perspectives for research in AMF-bacteria interactions.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Amandine Ducousso-Detrez, Joel Fontaine, Anissa Lounes-Hadj Sahraoui, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: Bioavailability of phosphorus is a limiting factor for crop production in many soils. Plants can rely on their rhizospheric microbial partners to facilitate the absorption of phosphorus. Microbial P-solubilizing inoculants are proposed to improve soil P fertility, but a better understanding of the interactions between the soil-plant-microorganism continuum and the phosphorus cycle is needed. This knowledge will enable the development of advanced microbial-based inoculant engineering for sustainable agriculture.
Article
Ecology
Jean Legeay, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: This review provides an overview of large-scale projects on soil microbial diversity conducted in the last decade, highlighting the challenges faced and the potential future developments. It discusses the need for standardization in protocols and results, the consideration of temporal variation in microbiomes, and the legal constraints limiting such studies. The arguments for and against exhaustive description of soil microbiomes are also presented, with emphasis on the important role of cultivation techniques.
Article
Microbiology
Zineb Rchiad, Mulan Dai, Chantal Hamel, Luke D. Bainard, Barbara J. Cade-Menun, Yves Terrat, Marc St-Arnaud, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: This study investigates the composition and functions of microbial communities in agricultural soils of a semiarid agroecosystem, and their relationship with soil depth and physicochemical properties. The results show significant effects of soil depth on microbial community composition and functions, with the middle soil depth exhibiting higher taxonomic diversity.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Andrew J. C. Blakney, Luke D. Bainard, Marc St-Arnaud, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: Oomycetes play a critical role in soil microbial communities and have significant impacts on agriculture. However, they are understudied compared to bacteria and fungi, and our understanding of their biodiversity and community structure in soil over time is limited. This study investigated the influence of soil history on Oomycetes communities in the roots and rhizosphere of different Brassicaceae crops. The results showed that soil history and chemistry had a significant impact on the structure and biodiversity of Oomycetes communities, highlighting the importance of agricultural practices in shaping future microbial communities.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Sulaimon Basiru, Khadija Ait Si Mhand, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important components of the plant root mycobiome and have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that contribute to plant growth and soil fertility. This review examines the diversity, factors influencing community composition, and the potential applications of AMF-associated bacteria (AAB) in agriculture.
Review
Microbiology
Thulani P. Makhalanyane, Oliver K. I. Bezuidt, Rian E. Pierneef, Eshchar Mizrachi, Adolphe Zeze, Romain K. Fossou, Claude Ghislaine Kouadjo, Samuel Duodu, Chioma B. Chikere, Olubukola O. Babalola, Ashwil Klein, Marshall Keyster, Morne du Plessis, Nourou S. Yorou, Mohamed Hijri, Theresa Rossouw, Casper N. Kamutando, Stephanus Venter, Lucy N. Moleleki, Colin Murrell
Summary: African microbiomes have been underestimated in the past, with an overemphasis on research in the Global North. Africa possesses significant genetic diversity in its ecosystems, humans, and animals. In this Comment, we address the lack of available microbiome datasets from Africa and suggest measures to promote microbiome research in the region.
NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Mohamed Hijri, Amadou Ba
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Qiang-Sheng Wu, Fabio S. B. Silva, Mohamed Hijri, Rupam Kapoor
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Mohamed Hijri
Article
Plant Sciences
Bulbul Ahmed, Frantisek Benes, Jana Hajslova, Lenka Fisarova, Miroslav Vosatka, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: The root microbiome of medical cannabis plants has been relatively unexplored until now due to legal restrictions. This study found that the use of inoculants can increase plant biomass and blossom dry weight, and also affect the production of different phytocannabinoids. Additionally, shared microbial species were discovered among different cultivars.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)