Facing the communication between soybean plants and microorganisms (Bradyrhizobium and Delftia) by quantitative shotgun proteomics

Abstract

The effect of plant-produced flavonoids in rhizobial cells is well-known, and flavonoids are considered the first signals in the rhizobia-plant communication. We previously reported that Delftia strains increase the performance (nodulation and nitrogen fixation) of leguminous plants in co-inoculation experiments, as compared with the single rhizobial inoculation. By using an approach based on quantitative shotgun proteomics, we explored the response of Delftia sp. JD2 cells to the presence of the flavonoid genistein (nod gene-inducer of Bradyrhizobium cells). We found that genistein up-regulates the production of regulatory proteins associated with the epiphytic habit (TetR and diguanylate cyclase), proteins involved in the formation of flagella, iron acquisition, resistance to several drugs, the rhizoplane colonization (biofilm establishment), and the rearrangement of the peptidoglycan structure and membrane proteins. These results indicate that genistein induces chemotaxis, mobility and prepares JD2 strain for an epiphytic lifestyle. We also analyzed the effect of the co-inoculation on the proteome of symbiosome-enriched fractions from soybean nodules. The fractions from co-inoculated plants showed an up-regulation of proteins involved in stress endurance (“stem 31 kDa glycoprotein”, “Kunitz trypsin protease inhibitor”, proteasome subunits) and ferritin (involved in iron storage and homeostasis), suggesting that co-inoculation with JD2 prepares the soybean plants to deal with unfriendly environmental conditions. In summary, the plant-secreted genistein functions as a chemical signal in the communications between soybean plants and Delftia sp. JD2, while the presence of JD2 would prepare the plant to cope with abiotic stresses in co-inoculation experiments.