RESUMEN
The use of plant growth-promoting bacteria as agricultural inoculants of plants should be encouraged because of their prominent role in biological nitrogen fixation, the increase of nutrient uptake by roots, abiotic stress mitigation, and disease control. The complex mechanisms underlying the association between plant and beneficial bacteria have been increasingly studied, and proteomic tools can expand our perception regarding the fundamental molecular processes modulated by the interaction. In this study, we investigated the changes in protein expression in maize roots in response to treatment with the endophytic diazotrophic Herbaspirillum seropedicae and the activities of enzymes related to nitrogen metabolism. To identify maize proteins whose expression levels were altered in the presence of bacteria, a label-free quantitative proteomic approach was employed. Using this approach, we identified 123 differentially expressed proteins, of which 34 were upregulated enzymes, in maize roots cultivated with H. seropedicae. The maize root colonization of H. seropedicae modulated the differential expression of enzymes involved in the stress response, such as peroxidases, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, and glutathione transferase. The differential protein profile obtained in the inoculated roots reflects the effect of colonization on plant growth and development compared with control plants.
Asunto(s)
Herbaspirillum/fisiología , Proteínas de Plantas/metabolismo , Zea mays/enzimología , Zea mays/microbiología , Raíces de Plantas/enzimología , Raíces de Plantas/crecimiento & desarrollo , Raíces de Plantas/microbiología , Proteómica , Zea mays/crecimiento & desarrollo , Zea mays/metabolismoRESUMEN
Chemical reactions (hydrolysis, oxidation, reduction, methylation, alkyl compounds detachment) were applied to modify the structure of humic substances (HS) isolated from vermicompost. Structural and conformational changes of these humic derivatives were assessed by elemental analyses, size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance ((13)C CPMAS-NMR), and diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY-NMR), whereas their bioactivity was evaluated by changes in root architecture and proton pump activation of tomato and maize. All humic derivatives exhibited a large bioactivity compared to original HS, both KMnO(4)-oxidized and methylated materials being the most effective. Whereas no general relationship was found between bioactivity and humic molecular sizes, the hydrophobicity index was significantly related with proton pump stimulation. It is suggested that the hydrophobic domain can preserve bioactive molecules such as auxins in the humic matter. In contact with root-exuded organic acids the hydrophobic weak forces could be disrupted, releasing bioactive compounds from humic aggregates. These findings were further supported by the fact that HS and all derivatives used in this study activated the auxin synthetic reporter DR5::GUS.