Department of Microbial Ecology - Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2019 May 1;95(5). doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiz053.
Microbial activity in soil, including horizontal gene transfer (HGT), occurs in soil hot spots and at "hot moments". Given their capacities to explore soil for nutrients, soil fungi (associated or not with plant roots) can act as (1) selectors of myco(rrhizo)sphere-adapted organisms and (2) accelerators of HGT processes across the cell populations that are locally present. This minireview critically examines our current understanding of the drivers of gene mobility in the myco(rrhizo)sphere. We place a special focus on the role of two major groups of gene mobility agents, i.e. plasmids and bacteriophages. With respect to plasmids, there is mounting evidence that broad-host-range (IncP-1β and PromA group) plasmids are prominent drivers of gene mobility across mycosphere inhabitants. A role of IncP-1β plasmids in Fe uptake processes has been revealed. Moreover, a screening of typical mycosphere-inhabiting Paraburkholderia spp. revealed carriage of integrated plasmids, next to prophages, that presumably confer fitness enhancements. In particular, functions involved in biofilm formation and nutrient uptake were thus identified. The potential of the respective gene mobility agents to promote the movement of such genes is critically examined.
土壤中的微生物活性，包括水平基因转移（HGT），发生在土壤热点和“热点时刻”。由于其在土壤中寻找养分的能力，土壤真菌（与植物根系相关或不相关）可以充当（1）选择适应菌根区的生物体的选择者，以及（2）加速局部存在的细胞群体中的 HGT 过程。这篇迷你评论批判性地考察了我们目前对菌根区基因流动性驱动因素的理解。我们特别关注两种主要的基因移动剂群体的作用，即质粒和噬菌体。关于质粒，越来越多的证据表明，广泛宿主范围（IncP-1β 和 PromA 组）质粒是菌根区居民中基因流动性的主要驱动因素。已经揭示了 IncP-1β 质粒在铁摄取过程中的作用。此外，对典型菌根区栖息的 Paraburkholderia spp. 的筛选显示，除了噬菌体之外，还携带了整合质粒，推测这些质粒赋予了适应性增强。特别是，确定了与生物膜形成和养分吸收相关的功能。还批判性地检查了各自的基因移动剂促进这些基因移动的潜力。
