A Novel Membrane-Associated Protein Aids Bacterial Colonization of Maize

The soil environment affected by plant roots and their exudates, termed the rhizosphere, significantly impacts crop health and is an attractive target for engineering desirable agricultural traits. Engineering microbes in the rhizosphere is one approach to improving crop yields that directly minimizes the number of genetic modifications made to plants. Soil microbes have the potential to assist with nutrient acquisition, heat tolerance, and drought response if they can persist in the rhizosphere in the correct numbers. Unfortunately, the mechanisms by which microbes adhere and persist on plant roots are poorly understood, limiting their application. This study examined the membrane proteome shift upon adherence to roots in two bacteria of interest, <i>Klebsiella variicola</i> and <i>Pseudomonas putida.</i> From this surface proteome data, we identified a novel membrane protein from a nonlaboratory isolate of <i>P. putida</i> that increases binding to maize roots using unlabeled proteomics. When this protein was moved from the environmental isolate to a common lab strain (<i>P. putida</i> KT2440), we observed increased binding capabilities of <i>P. putida</i> KT2440 to both abiotic mimic surfaces and maize roots. We observed a similar increased binding capability to maize roots when the protein was heterologously expressed in <i>K. variicola</i> and <i>Stutzerimonas stutzeri</i>. With the discovery of this novel binding protein, we outline a strategy for harnessing natural selection and wild isolates to build more persistent strains of bacteria for field applications and plant growth promotion.