Transcriptional Analysis of <i>Pseudomonas stutzeri</i> A1501 Associated with Host Rice

Abstract

Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501, associative and endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacterium showed the capacity of colonization in the rice roots and considered as the good colonizer in the rice plant. The experiment was conducted to study the expression of genes potentiality relevant to the association of nitrogen fixing Pseudomonas stutzeri with host rice and reveal the molecular mechanism by which underlying interaction between bacteria and host rice. The bacteria were shown to be uniformly distributed on the rhizoplane of the root and the density of bacteria was found at the intercellular junction and micro colony developed on the surface of the epidermal cells and on the cellular junctions. Root exudates of rice were the major components of carbon and energy sources for bacteria. RT-PCR analyses of pilK, metE, rpoN and fdhE genes expression of P. stutzeri A1501 were performed at positive and negative (control) conditions. After 1 h, it was found that pilK, metE and rpoN transcription were increased 5.7, 6.4 and 3.4-fold, respectively, whereas in the fdhE gene has no expression. Consequently, after 4 h pilk, fdhE, metE and rpoN were decreased −1.9, −4.4, −0.2 and −0.8-fold, respectively. The gene pilK, expression was up-regulation after 1 h and down-regulation after 4 h that has twitching motility to convey the bacterial cell to point of attachment in to host plant. The gene expressions of the bacteria, pilK, metE, rpoN and fdhE were upand down-regulated during the influence of root exudates which regulated the colonization of bacteria during plant-microbe interaction.