Metabolomic applications for understanding complex tripartite plant-microbes interactions: Strategies and perspectives

Abstract

Phytopathogens from the Alternaria sp., Fusarium sp., Penicillium sp., and Pseudomonas sp. and their toxigenic metabolites - alternariol, fumonisin, citrinin, and coronatine respectively, negatively impact crop yields and sales by eliciting plant diseases and/or causing human and veterinary toxicoses upon the consumption of contaminated food. These phytopathogens and their associated toxins, however, are present and most likely in undetectable concentrations pre-harvest and post-harvest of many major staple crops. Metabolomic approaches have been used extensively for better characterizing and diagnosing human disease, plant disease and, their etiological agents. Their use in agro-industrial research focusing specifically on tripartite (plant - toxicogenic microbe - beneficial microbe) interactions is, however, limited. Since new approaches for eradicating food-borne pathogens, increasing crop productivity and improving agro-international trade are being sought worldwide, the consequent integration of metabolomic approaches and perspectives in crop protection strategies for better understanding plant - toxicogenic microbe - beneficial microbe interaction in tandem is discussed.

Keywords: Beneficial microbe; Crop protection; Metabolomics; Phytopathogen; Plant-microbe interaction.

Fig. 1

Example of the complex multi-comparative metabolomic profiling perspectives for tripartite plant-microbe interactions. This comparison should facilitate metabolite source attribution. Key: Solid Phase Microextraction: (SPME); QTOF: Quadruple Time of Flight; GC: Gas Chromatography; LC: Liquid Chromatography; HR: High Resolution; MS: Mass spectrometry; UHP: Ultra-High Performance; NMR: Magnetic Resonance, FT-IR: Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy, and MALDI TOF MS: matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization, time-of-flight mass spectrometry analyzer.