Abstract
The benefits of using transgenic switchgrass with decreased levels of caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT) as biomass feedstock have been clearly demonstrated. However, its effect on the soil microbial community has not been assessed. Here we report metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses of root-associated soil from COMT switchgrass compared with nontransgenic counterparts.
Highlights
The use of transgenic crops in agriculture continues to increase worldwide, with uses in energy and environmental applications
We performed metagenomics and metatranscriptomics investigations of soil microbial communities associated with transgenic switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), in which the endogenous caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene was downregulated [6]
Soil samples were collected from 12 plots (6 each planted with transgenic and nontransgenic plants) on 20 November 2012 from year 2 of the aforementioned field study [6]
Summary
The use of transgenic crops in agriculture continues to increase worldwide, with uses in energy and environmental applications. One potential largely unexplored effect of growing transgenic plants is the alteration of indigenous soil microbial communities [1, 2]. The results of previous studies of soil microbes associated with transgenic plants used non-sequencing-based methods and were of limited scope [4, 5]. We performed metagenomics and metatranscriptomics investigations of soil microbial communities associated with transgenic switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), in which the endogenous caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene was downregulated [6].
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