Tao Fang, Chen Feng, Liu Haida, Chen Cheng, Cheng Beijiu, Han Guomin
School of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
School of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China; National Engineering Laboratory of Crop Stress Resistance Breeding, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
J Adv Res. 2025 May;71:5-16. doi: 10.1016/j.jare.2024.05.018. Epub 2024 May 19.
Kernels are important reproductive organs in maize, yet there is a lack of systematic investigation on the differences in the composition of endophytic microorganisms in plants from a population perspective.
We aimed to elucidate the composition of endophytic microorganisms in developing maize kernels, emphasizing differences among various inbred lines.
The transcriptomic data of 368 maize inbred lines were used to explore the composition and diversity of endophytic microorganisms.
The findings revealed a higher abundance of fungi than bacteria in developing maize kernels, followed by protozoa, while viruses were less abundant. There were significant differences in the composition and relative abundance of endophytic microorganisms among different maize lines. Diversity analysis revealed overall similarity in the community composition structure between tropical/subtropical (TST) and temperate (NSS) maize germplasm with apparent variations in community richness and abundance. The endophytic microorganisms network in the kernels from TST genotypes exhibited higher connectivity and stability compared to NSS kernels. Bacteria dominated the highly connected species in the networks, and different core species showed microbial phylum specificity. Some low-abundance species acted as core species, contributing to network stability. Beneficial bacteria were predominant in the core species of networks in TST kernels, while pathogenic bacteria were more abundant in the core species of networks in NSS kernels.
Tropical maize germplasm may have advantages in resisting the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms, providing excellent genetic resources for disease-resistant breeding.
籽粒是玉米重要的繁殖器官，但从群体角度对植物内生微生物组成差异缺乏系统研究。
旨在阐明发育中的玉米籽粒内生微生物的组成，重点关注不同自交系间的差异。
利用368个玉米自交系的转录组数据探究内生微生物的组成和多样性。
研究结果表明，发育中的玉米籽粒中真菌丰度高于细菌，其次是原生动物，而病毒丰度较低。不同玉米品系的内生微生物组成和相对丰度存在显著差异。多样性分析显示，热带/亚热带（TST）和温带（NSS）玉米种质的群落组成结构总体相似，但群落丰富度和丰度存在明显差异。与NSS籽粒相比，TST基因型籽粒中的内生微生物网络表现出更高的连通性和稳定性。细菌在网络中高度连通的物种中占主导地位，不同的核心物种表现出微生物门类特异性。一些低丰度物种作为核心物种，对网络稳定性有贡献。有益细菌在TST籽粒网络的核心物种中占主导地位，而病原菌在NSS籽粒网络的核心物种中更为丰富。
热带玉米种质在抵抗病原微生物入侵方面可能具有优势，为抗病育种提供了优良的遗传资源。
