The role of microRNAs in modulating the rhizospheric microbiome throughout plant development

• Grant number: 24/05579-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Fabio Tebaldi Silveira Nogueira
• Grantee: Ana Julia de Moraes Silva
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Rhizospheric interactions are based on complex exchanges between different organisms, which occur in the soil around plant roots. Microorganisms present immense genetic and functional heterogeneity, being crucial for the maintenance of ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. Being home to a rich diversity of microorganisms, which benefit plants by helping them acquire nutrients from the soil and resist to pathogen attacks, the rhizosphere can be modulated by plants, selecting beneficial microorganisms through the release of exudates derived from photosynthesis and, possibly, through the secretion of other molecules, such as microRNAs, by the roots. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that control the expression of target genes, through complementary sequences, and recently, their participation in inter-kingdom communication and signaling has been proven, including in the modulation of the human intestinal microbiome through microRNAs from ingested plants. Among the various microRNAs known in plants, miR156 and miR172 act antagonistically during plant development. The expression of miR156 is temporally opposite to the expression of miR172, the first being related to the maintenance of plant juvenility and the second associated with the adult phase and flowering. Therefore, the proposal of this project aims to understand the role of these microRNAs in modulating plants' rhizosphere microbiome through the analysis of the taxonomic profile of a bacterial community inhabiting the roots of mutant genotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana. Thus, we intend to contribute to the discovery of a new molecular strategy for sustainable management that aims to optimize the constitution of the rhizospheric microbiota throughout plant development.