Additional microarray experiments were performed in a similar way as before to investigate the effect of the soil extract on gene expression of FZB42. The result showed that no gene was significantly up-regulated by the soil extract during exponential growth phase of OD1.0, whereas five genes were repressed in the presence of the soil extract at OD3.0 (Table 4). This negligible number of genes that were differentially transcribed indicates that the supplement of a soil extract did not have major effects on gene transcription 10058-F4 nmr under the growth conditions used. Table 4 FZB42 genes repressed by soil extract at OD3.0 (Refer to experiment “Response to SE”: E-MEXP-3551) Gene Fold change Product Function involved
ypeQ −2.6 hypothetical PF-01367338 mw protein YpeQ unknown yurV −2.4 iron-sulfur cofactor synthesis protein nifU homolog YurV miscellaneous iolS −2.2 inositol utilization protein S (IolS) metabolism of carbohydrates and
related molecules yaaA −2.0 conserved hypothetical protein YaaA unknown ahpF −2.0 alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (large subunit) and NADH dehydrogenase AhpF detoxification Effect of exudates prepared from maize plants colonized by FZB42 Typically, most root exudates studied were collected from plants grown in axenic systems. The release of root exudates is not only determined by the plant species, but also by plant age, physiological status, and the biotic environment that plants thrive including the rhizosphere microflora that influence the composition and quantity of root exudates [60–66]. It was reported that P. aeruginosa produces N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) signaling compounds that induce changes in the root Cell Cycle inhibitor exudation of Medicago truncatula [[67]. Exudate compounds that are specifically induced or repressed by rhizobacteria may in turn affect bacterial gene expression. Such an effect cannot be demonstrated using root exudates collected from a gnotobiotic system, therefore, a batch of “interaction exudates (IE)” was collected from maize roots which were previously inoculated with FZB42. The transcriptional responses of
FZB42 to the IE were compared with responses to the root exudates (RE) collected Ibrutinib from axenic culture. No significant differences (q ≤ 0.01 and FCH ≥ 1.5) were found between the effect of IE and RE at OD1.0, while four genes were differentially expressed at OD3.0 (Additional file 2: Table S5). When a less stringent selection filter was applied (q ≤ 0.05 and FCH ≥ 1.5), a total of nine genes were differentially expressed (Additional file 2: Table S5). The four genes, significantly enhanced in presence of FZB42 at maize roots, encode enzymes involved in the degradation of macromolecules or cellular compounds, such as ggt, nprE, clpP, RBAM00438 (ycsN). Among all four genes, expression of the ggt gene was found most enhanced, bearing a fold change of 2.2 in presence of the rhizobacterium (Additional file 2: Table S5). GGT, γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) (EC 2.3.2.