Molecular mechanism of methanol chemotaxis in methylotrophic bacteria living on the plant leaves

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K19133
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 38:Agricultural chemistry and related fields
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Yurimoto Hiroya 京都大学, 農学研究科, 准教授 (00283648)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-06-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 生物間相互作用 / 微生物生理 / 葉面微生物 / 作物増収 / MCPタンパク質 / Cheタンパク質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Among the C1-microbes which can utilize one-carbon compounds as the sole source of carbon and energy, methanol-utilizing bacteria such as Methylobacterium spp. are dominant colonizers at the plant leaf surface (phyllosphere). These bacteria are known to have the ability to promote plant growth. In this project, we asked the question, "Is methanol chemotaxis involved in the dominance of C1 bacteria on leaves? To answer this question, we investigated the molecular mechanism of methanol-chemotaxis of Methylobacterium sp. strain OR01 as a model system. We identified several proteins involved in methanol chemotaxis and revealed their importance to phyllosphere colonization.

Free Research Field

応用微生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

C1細菌のメタノール走化性に関与するタンパク質として、MCPタンパク質に加えて、Cheタンパク質群および、べん毛を構成するフラジェリンをコードする遺伝子を同定し、それぞれの葉面定着能への重要性を明らかにすることができた。得られた研究成果は、自然界における植物-微生物間相互作用機構のさらなる理解につながるだけでなく、葉面定着能を高めたC1細菌による作物増収のための微生物製剤や新規栽培技術開発が期待できる。