The conserved iol gene cluster in Pseudomonas is involved in rhizosphere competence

Juan J Sánchez-Gil, Sanne W M Poppeliers, Jordan Vacheron, Hao Zhang, Bart Odijk, Christoph Keel, Ronnie de Jonge

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The Pseudomonas genus has shown great potential as a sustainable solution to support agriculture through its plant-growth-promoting and biocontrol activities. However, their efficacy as bioinoculants is limited by unpredictable colonization in natural conditions. Our study identifies the iol locus, a gene cluster in Pseudomonas involved in inositol catabolism, as a feature enriched among superior root colonizers in natural soil. Further characterization revealed that the iol locus increases competitiveness, potentially caused by an observed induction of swimming motility and the production of fluorescent siderophore in response to inositol, a plant-derived compound. Public data analyses indicate that the iol locus is broadly conserved in the Pseudomonas genus and linked to diverse host-microbe interactions. Together, our findings suggest the iol locus as a potential target for developing more effective bioinoculants for sustainable agriculture.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3097-3110.e6
Number of pages14
JournalCurrent Biology
Volume33
Issue number15
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Aug 2023

Keywords

  • Pseudomonas/genetics
  • Rhizosphere
  • Agriculture
  • Soil Microbiology
  • Plant Development
  • Plant Roots/genetics

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