(22g) [Keynote] Engineering Bacteria from the Plant Root Microbiome to Explore and Manipulate Plant-Microbe Interactions

Chemical signaling in the plant microbiome can have drastic effects on microbial community structure, and on plant host growth and development. Relatively few plant-microbe interactions are mechanistically understood and filling this knowledge gap is necessary to manipulate and engineer these interactions for the development of new technologies for the bio-agriculture, bio-fuel, and bio-chemical industries. Through genetic engineering of non-model bacteria from the plant root microbiome and utilization of engineered plants, we can probe these interactions, define them mechanistically, and manipulate these bacteria, plants, and their interactions for application. Here, I will present past and ongoing work to probe plant-microbe interactions involving 1) microbial evasion and suppression of the plant immune system and 2) chemical communication in the root microbiome involving auxin plant hormones. Through genetic engineering of plant-associated bacteria, we have identified bacterial genes that play essential roles in suppression of the flg22-mediated plant immune response and auxin hormone degradation. This fundamental genetic understanding will enable us to engineer microbes with improved plant colonization and the ability to improve plant host growth and health.