July 2021: Published in Trends in Plant Science, Vittorio Venturi and Cristina Bez in Trieste call for accelerated research on the cell-cell interactions between bacteria in plant microbiomes.
Next-generation sequencing and computational biology have unravelled the different bacterial groups populating plant microbiomes. In addition, microbiologists have discovered many different mechanisms of cell-cell interactions that take place between bacteria.
Bacteria use four main mechanisms for intercellular interactions; however, the relevance of their respective roles in the formation and maintenance of plant microbiomes is currently unknown. In this publication, the authors argue the importance of speeding up research on the biotic cell-cell interactions that take place between bacteria in plant microbiomes.
“This research will have a major impact on both fundamental sciences and translational agriculture, via the development of bacterial probiotic compounds, as well as probiotic competence, resulting in more sustainable agriculture of economically important crops”.
Further reading
Venturi, V. and Bez, C. A call to arms for cell-cell interactions between bacteria in the plant microbiome. Trends Plant Sci (2021). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34334316/
