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. 2024 May 8;12(5):956.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms12050956.

The Impact of Aboveground Epichloë Endophytic Fungi on the Rhizosphere Microbial Functions of the Host Melica transsilvanica

Chuanzhe Wang  1 , Chong Shi  1 , Wei Huang  1 , Mengmeng Zhang  1 , Jiakun He  1
Affiliations

The Impact of Aboveground Epichloë Endophytic Fungi on the Rhizosphere Microbial Functions of the Host Melica transsilvanica

Chuanzhe Wang et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

In nature, the symbiotic relationship between plants and microorganisms is crucial for ecosystem balance and plant growth. This study investigates the impact of Epichloë endophytic fungi, which are exclusively present aboveground, on the rhizosphere microbial functions of the host Melica transsilvanica. Using metagenomic methods, we analyzed the differences in microbial functional groups and functional genes in the rhizosphere soil between symbiotic (EI) and non-symbiotic (EF) plants. The results reveal that the presence of Epichloë altered the community structure of carbon and nitrogen cycling-related microbial populations in the host's rhizosphere, significantly increasing the abundance of the genes (porA, porG, IDH1) involved in the rTCA cycle of the carbon fixation pathway, as well as the abundance of nxrAB genes related to nitrification in the nitrogen-cycling pathway. Furthermore, the presence of Epichloë reduces the enrichment of virulence factors in the host rhizosphere microbiome, while significantly increasing the accumulation of resistance genes against heavy metals such as Zn, Sb, and Pb. This study provides new insights into the interactions among endophytic fungi, host plants, and rhizosphere microorganisms, and offers potential applications for utilizing endophytic fungi resources to improve plant growth and soil health.

Keywords: Epichloë; Melica transsilvanica; metagenomics; rhizosphere microbial functions; symbiosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total abundance of gene sets in the three main pathways of the carbon cycle (A); different lowercase letters above the bars indicate significant differences, as determined by one-way ANOVA (p < 0.05) and the principal component analysis (PCA) of carbon cycle gene sets (B).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Intergroup variations in pathway gene sets for map00710 (A), map00680 (B), and map00720 (C) analysis.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis of functional class groups by map00710 (A), map00720 (B), and map00680 (C).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Variations in microorganisms’ lefse analyses in the routes map00710 (A), map00720 (B), and map00680 (C) (LDA > 2).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Principal component analysis (PCA) of the gene set associated with the nitrogen cycle (map00910) (A), differential gene abundance in major pathways (C), and the taxonomic origins of functional groups related to the nitrogen cycle (D) alongside a non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis (B).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Principal component analysis (PCA) of the gene set associated with phosphorus metabolism (A), and the variation in gene abundance within key pathways (B).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Variations in the rhizosphere microorganisms of EI and EF plants with respect to the virulence factor (A) and heavy metal resistance (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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