Jaehyo Park
Department of Systems Biology, Division of Life Sciences, and Institute for Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University
Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea
Ju Yeon Song
Department of Systems Biology, Division of Life Sciences, and Institute for Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University
Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea
Boyoung Lee
Department of Systems Biology, Division of Life Sciences, and Institute for Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University
Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea
Soojin Kim
Department of Systems Biology, Division of Life Sciences, and Institute for Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University
Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea
Soon-kyeong Kwon
Division of Applied Life Science (Brain Korea 21), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea
Jinju-si, Kyongsang-namdo, Republic of Korea
Seon-Woo Lee
Department of Applied Biology, Dong-A University
Busan, Kyongsang-namdo, Republic of Korea
Jihyun F. Kim
Department of Systems Biology, Division of Life Sciences, and Institute for Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University
Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea
The plant microbiome can modulate plant’s physiology and phenotype, such as development, growth, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Previously, we demonstrated that a flavobacterial species isolated from the rhizosphere of a wilt-resistant tomato suppresses the disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. Bacterial species enriched in either tomatoes resistant or susceptible to the disease were identified using the 16S rRNA gene and whole metagenome data. Furthermore, a collection of rhizosphere microbes was established to constitute a synthetic microbial community to endow bacterial wilt resistance. Strains belonging to Flavobacteriaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, Rhizobiaceae, and Cyclobacteriaceae were selected as the community members. The synthetic community and individual strains were tested to assess their contribution to bacterial wilt resistance. To explore this further, we used metagenomic sequencing data from the rhizospheres of the two tomato cultivars to identify genetic functions enriched in the resistant cultivar and to evaluate whether these functions are present in the genomes of selected strains. In addition, we constructed a mutant pool of a bacterial strain that enhances tomato wilt resistance using a non-polar transposon vector, aiming to identify genes essential for rhizosphere colonization and their role in disease suppression. Our study on the rhizosphere microbiome for its involvement in disease resistance and plant health will shed light on understanding intricate relationships between plant, pathogen, and microbiome, and their applications.