Root and bacterial secretions regulate the interaction between plants and PGPR leading to distinct plant growth promotion effects

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have garnered interest in agriculture due to their ability to influence the growth and production of host plants. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters play important roles in plant-microbe interactions by modulating plant root exudation. The present study aimed to provide a more precise understanding of the mechanism and specificity of the interaction between PGPR and host plants. In the present study, the effects of interactions between a PGPR strain, Bacillus cereus AR156, and Arabidopsis thaliana wild type (Col-0) or its ABC transporter mutants on plant growth have been studied. B. cereus AR156 promoted the shoot growth of Col-0 and Atabcg30 but repressed the growth of Atabcc5. Bacterial volatiles and secretion promoted the shoot growth of Col-0 and Atabcg30 but had no effect on Atabcc5. We also found that root exudates of Col-0 induced the expression of B. cereus AR156 genes related to siderophore and chitinase production; while root exudates of Atabcc5 inhibited the expression level of those genes. Further analysis of root exudates revealed that amino acids, organic acids, and sugars were significantly less abundant in Atabcc5 when compared to Col-0. Our findings highlight that both host plant and PGPR play active roles in the outcome of the plant-microbe interaction.