Dong-A University Unveils World's First Mechanism and Function of Symbiotic Interactions Among Plant Rhizosphere Microbes

Professor Lee Sunwoo's Research Team Publishes Paper in International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal

A domestic research team has, for the first time in the world, revealed the mechanisms and functions of symbiotic interactions between microorganisms in the plant rhizosphere (the area surrounding plant roots).

Dong-A University (President Lee Haewoo) announced on the 17th that a research team led by Professor Lee Sunwoo and Research Professor Lee Sangmoo from the Department of Applied Biotechnology, along with graduate students, has published a paper online in the ISME Journal (Impact Factor 10.8), the world's top journal in microbial ecology.

In this paper titled "Rhizobacterial syntrophy between a helper and a beneficiary promotes tomato plant health," Professor Lee's team was the first in the world to elucidate the mechanisms and applications of symbiotic interactions between rhizosphere microorganisms.

The plant rhizosphere refers to the area in the soil influenced by plant roots and encompasses the microbial community (mainly bacteria, actinomycetes, and filamentous fungi) found there.

Although some beneficial microorganisms naturally present in the environment are used as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides and fertilizers, most microorganisms cannot be cultured, making it extremely difficult to obtain useful microbial resources from the environment.

To overcome this, Professor Lee's team explored the interactions between helper bacteria and beneficiary bacteria that are difficult to culture.

Beneficiary bacteria that are difficult to culture can only be obtained through co-cultivation with helper bacteria that compensate for the loss of specific functional genes.

The Dong-A University research team, using microbial co-cultivation techniques and studies on helper bacterial mutants, was the first to prove that "succinate produced by the helper Pseudomonas putida H3 in rhizosphere soil supports the growth and complex II-dependent cellular respiration for energy generation of the difficult-to-culture beneficiary Niallia sp. RD1."

The symbiotic interaction between these two bacteria not only suppressed the occurrence of tomato bacterial wilt but also promoted tomato growth.

This study newly revealed the importance of energy auxotrophy between difficult-to-culture beneficiary and helper microorganisms in the plant root microbial community.

This is expected to provide new insights into microbial interdependence processes and bacterial culturability in various natural environments.

Professor Lee's team has long conducted research on "plant microbiome interactions," and this achievement, following their 2018 publication in Nature Biotechnology, stands out as an excellent result achieved through the dedication of graduate and doctoral researchers.

Research team at Dong-A University who first revealed the mechanism and function of symbiotic interactions between plant rhizosphere microorganisms in the world. (From left: Sangmu Lee, Research Professor; Roniya Tapamaga, PhD; Minkyeong Jeong, Master’s; Sunwoo Lee, Professor)

Authors of this paper include Professor Lee Sunwoo (corresponding author) and Research Professor Lee Sangmoo (co-first author) from Dong-A University, Dr. Roniya Thapamaga (Ph.D. in Applied Life Sciences, co-first author), Jung Min-kyung (M.S. in Applied Life Sciences, co-first author), Professor Gong Hyunki from Chungbuk National University (Ph.D. in Applied Life Sciences, Dong-A University), Kwon Juhwan and Choi Minseo (M.S. and Ph.D. candidates in Applied Life Sciences, Dong-A University), Lee Hyungju (Ph.D. in Applied Biotechnology), Dr. Lee Seungyeop from the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences (Ph.D. in Applied Life Sciences, Dong-A University), and Dr. Lace Khan (Applied Life Sciences, Dong-A University). Comparative analysis of microbial genomes was supported by Professors Kim Jihyun and Song Jooyeon from Yonsei University.

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (University-Centered Research Institute Support Program in Science and Engineering, Mid-Career Researcher Support Program), the Rural Development Administration's Woo Jangchun Project, and the Environmental Human Resources Training Project Group of the Ministry of Environment.

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