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. 2022 Apr;29(16):23026-23040.
doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-17353-1. Epub 2021 Nov 19.

Root-associated microbiota drive phytoremediation strategies to lead of Sonchus Asper (L.) Hill as revealed by intercropping-induced modifications of the rhizosphere microbiome

Xinyue Mei #  1   2 , Ying Wang #  1 , Zuran Li  3 , Marie Larousse  4 , Arthur Pere  4 , Martine da Rocha  4 , Fangdong Zhan  1 , Yongmei He  1 , Linlong Pu  1 , Franck Panabières  5 , Yanqun Zu  6
Affiliations

Root-associated microbiota drive phytoremediation strategies to lead of Sonchus Asper (L.) Hill as revealed by intercropping-induced modifications of the rhizosphere microbiome

Xinyue Mei et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Intercropping or assistant endophytes promote phytoremediation capacities of hyperaccumulators and enhance their tolerance to heavy metal (HM) stress. Findings from a previous study showed that intercropping the hyperaccumulator Sonchus asper (L.) Hill grown in HM-contaminated soils with maize improved the remediating properties and indicated an excluder-to-hyperaccumulator switched mode of action towards lead. In the current study, RNA-Seq analysis was conducted on Sonchus roots grown under intercropping or monoculture systems to explore the molecular events underlying this shift in lead sequestering strategy. The findings showed that intercropping only slightly affects S. asper transcriptome but significantly affects expression of root-associated microbial genomes. Further, intercropping triggers significant reshaping of endophytic communities associated with a 'root-to-shoot' transition of lead sequestration and improved phytoremediation capacities of S. asper. These findings indicate that accumulator activities of a weed are partially attributed to the root-associated microbiota, and a complex network of plant-microbe-plant interactions shapes the phytoremediation potential of S. asper. Analysis showed that intercropping may significantly change the structure of root-associated communities resulting in novel remediation properties, thus providing a basis for improving phytoremediation practices to restore contaminated soils.

Keywords: Hyperaccumulator; Intercropping; Microbiome; RNA-Seq; Sonchus asper; Zea mays.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Taxonomic assignment of the most significant DEGs from Sonchus roots that were upregulated after intercropping with maize
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Analysis of Sonchus root transcripts that are downregulated upon intercropping with maize. A: Taxonomic assignment of DEGs that were present in MS libraries and absent from IS libraries. B: Functional annotation of genes of potential fungal origin based on the Eukaryotic orthologous group (KOG) classification. Transposable elements constitute an additional category (AA). C: Taxonomic assignment of DEGs that were downregulated upon intercropping. D: KOG classification of the unigenes from plants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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