RESUMO
Under environmental conditions, plants are constantly exposed to a wide range of biotic interactions, which include insects, and pathogens. Usually scientists are tempted to study each association individually, which reduces the complexity of the interaction. This restricted view of the problem does not consider that plants are the ballroom in which a multitude of organisms are constantly interacting with each other affecting not only plant responses but also how one organism responds to the other. Plants attacked by insects and pathogens display profound physiological, morphological and chemical changes or adaptations that result in organism attraction or avoidance, depending on the species involved. Therefore, many researchers worldwide have decided to study this phenomenon in a more holistic view, integrating genetics, ecology and physiology to depict these complex interactions. In this review, we will discuss how plant infection by pathogens may affect insect behavior and vice-versa and how plants cope with these multitude of biotic stresses.
Assuntos
Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita , Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno , Insetos/fisiologia , Plantas/microbiologia , Plantas/parasitologia , Adaptação Fisiológica , Animais , Doenças das Plantas/imunologia , Doenças das Plantas/microbiologia , Doenças das Plantas/parasitologia , Plantas/imunologiaRESUMO
The deconstruction of lignin to enhance the release of fermentable sugars from plant cell walls presents a challenge for biofuels production from lignocellulosic biomass. The discovery of novel lignin-degrading enzymes from bacteria could provide advantages over fungal enzymes in terms of their production and relative ease of protein engineering. In this study, 140 bacterial strains isolated from soils of a biodiversity-rich rainforest in Peru were screened based on their oxidative activity on ABTS, a laccase substrate. Strain C6 (Bacillus pumilus) and strain B7 (Bacillus atrophaeus) were selected for their high laccase activity and identified by 16S rDNA analysis. Strains B7 and C6 degraded fragments of Kraft lignin and the lignin model dimer guaiacylglycerol-ß-guaiacyl ether, the most abundant linkage in lignin. Finally, LC-MS analysis of incubations of strains B7 and C6 with poplar biomass in rich and minimal media revealed that a higher number of compounds were released in the minimal medium than in the rich one. These findings provide important evidence that bacterial enzymes can degrade and/or modify lignin and contribute to the release of fermentable sugars from lignocellulose.
Assuntos
Bactérias/enzimologia , Bactérias/isolamento & purificação , Ecossistema , Lignina/metabolismo , Microbiologia do Solo , Bactérias/genética , Bactérias/metabolismo , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Biocombustíveis , Biomassa , DNA Bacteriano/análise , DNA Bacteriano/genética , Lacase/genética , Lignina/análise , Lignina/química , Peru , Populus , RNA Ribossômico 16S/genética , ÁrvoresRESUMO
A Gram-negative bacterium that formed cream-colored colonies designated strain LF7 was isolated from soil collected in the Tambopata National Reserve in Madre de Dios, Peru. 16S rRNA sequence comparisons indicate that LF7 is a novel Enterobacter sp. closely related to E. asburiae JCM 6051(T) [AB004744] and E. aerogenes JCM 1235(T) [AB004750] based on their sequence homologies (p-distance: 1.06 and 1.19%, respectively). DNA G + C content was 52.8 mol% which is within the range reported for E. asburiae (55-57 mol%). The major cellular fatty acids present in the LF7 strain were C(16:0) (27.3%), C(16:1) ω7c and/or C(16:1) ω6c (16.3%), C(18:1) ω7c (16.1%), C(17:0) cyclo (12.4%), C(14:0) 3-OH and/or C(16:1) iso-I (8.9%), C(14:0) (7.6%), C(12:0) (3.9%), C(17:0) (2.4%), C(13:0) 3-OH and/or C(15:1) iso-H (1.7%), C(13:0) (1.1%), and C(18:2) ω6,9c and/or C(18:0) ante (0.5%). The cellular fatty acid profile, G + C content, phenotypic and biochemical characteristics were consistent with its placement in the genus Enterobacter. The name Enterobacter soli is proposed for this bacterium.
Assuntos
Enterobacter/classificação , Enterobacter/isolamento & purificação , Microbiologia do Solo , Técnicas de Tipagem Bacteriana , Composição de Bases , Análise por Conglomerados , DNA Bacteriano/química , DNA Bacteriano/genética , DNA Ribossômico/química , DNA Ribossômico/genética , Enterobacter/genética , Enterobacter/fisiologia , Ácidos Graxos/análise , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Peru , Filogenia , RNA Ribossômico 16S/genética , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
Sesbania virgata (Cav.) Pers (wand riverhemp) is a fast-growing tropical legume species that has been used for revegetation of riparian forests and rehabilitation of degraded areas and that exhibits an invasive behavior in certain regions of Brazil. Preliminary studies have shown that seed leachates inhibit the germination and development of seedlings of some crop species. In this study, we report that the seed leachates of S. virgata inhibit the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana and rice. The flavonoid (+)-catechin is found in high amounts in these leachates. It was active at concentrations of 50 microg ml(-1), and its effect was not distinguishable from the (+)-catechin obtained from a commercial source. We found that (+)-catechin is located in the seed coat and is rapidly released in high concentrations (235 microg per seed) at the beginning of imbibition. Quercetin was also detected in the seed coat of S. virgata, but it was not released from the seeds. Other phytotoxic compounds in the seed leachates were also detected. The fact that S. virgata releases high amounts of (+)-catechin, which also has antimicrobial activity, and other phytotoxins from its seeds at the earliest stages of its development might represent some adaptative advantage to the seedling that contributes to its invasive behavior and successful establishment in different soils.
Assuntos
Catequina/toxicidade , Sementes/química , Sesbania/embriologia , Bioensaio , Dicroísmo CircularRESUMO
Root exudation, the process by which plants secrete compounds into the soil, is becoming accepted as a communicative process that determines organismal interactions in the rhizosphere. However, the mechanistic processes involved in the root exudation of phytochemicals have not been elucidated; traditionally, exudation has been regarded as a passive process. There is evidence that transporters in plants (and other organisms) have been involved in the movement of chemicals across different membranes. Here, we describe the involvement of different transporters in root exudation of phytochemicals by employing a pharmacological approach. We used a range of concentrations of several compounds known to inhibit different transporters, including potassium cyanide, orthovanadate, quinidine, glibenclamide, nifedipine and verapamil, to examine the effects of transporter inhibition on root exudation profiles in Arabidopsis. Generally, the exudation profile of phenolic compounds in 18-day-old plants shows more than 15 major phytochemicals. In contrast, the inhibitors listed above caused differences in the secretion of specific compounds. For instance, nifedipine and verapamil completely inhibited the exudation of the phytochemicals with molecular masses of 142 and 294, respectively. These results highlight that root exudation of phytochemicals is an active process controlled at the biochemical level and that different transporters may be involved in this root-specific mechanism.