Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), GREEN Cluster, University of Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), GREEN Cluster, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Trends Microbiol. 2020 Sep;28(9):709-718. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.04.005. Epub 2020 May 13.
Microbiomes and their hosts influence each other; for instance, the microbiome improves host fitness, whereas the host supports microbiome nutrition. Most studies on this topic have focused on the role of bacteria and fungi, although research on viruses that infect bacteria, known as 'bacteriophages' (phages), has gained importance due to the potential role bacteriophages play in the resilience and functionality of the gut microbiome. Like the gut microbiome, the rhizosphere harbors a complex microbiome, but little is known about the role of phages in this ecosystem. In this opinion, we extend the knowledge gained in human gut virus metagenomics (viromics) to disentangle the potential role of phages in driving the resilience and functionality of the rhizosphere microbiome. We propose that future comparative studies across environments are necessary to unravel the underlying mechanisms through which phages drive the composition and functionality of the rhizosphere microbiome and its interaction with the plant host. Importantly, such understanding might generate strategies to improve plant resistance and resilience in the context of climate change.
微生物组及其宿主相互影响；例如，微生物组可以提高宿主的适应性，而宿主则为微生物组的营养提供支持。尽管研究感染细菌的病毒（称为噬菌体）的重要性日益增加，但大多数关于这一主题的研究都集中在细菌和真菌的作用上，因为噬菌体在肠道微生物组的弹性和功能方面可能发挥着重要作用。与肠道微生物组一样，根际也存在着复杂的微生物组，但人们对噬菌体在这一生态系统中的作用知之甚少。在这篇观点文章中，我们将人类肠道病毒宏基因组学（病毒组学）中的知识扩展到根际微生物组，以阐明噬菌体在驱动根际微生物组的弹性和功能方面的潜在作用。我们认为，未来有必要在不同环境中进行比较研究，以揭示噬菌体驱动根际微生物组组成和功能及其与植物宿主相互作用的潜在机制。重要的是，这种理解可能会产生提高植物在气候变化背景下的抗性和弹性的策略。
