title: Pantoea alhagi, a novel endophytic bacterium with ability to improve growth and drought tolerance in wheat.
abstract: A novel strain LTYR-11ZTthat exhibited multiple plant growth promoting (PGP) traits was isolated from the surface-sterilized leaves of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. (Leguminosae), which reprsents one of the top drought tolerant plants in north-west China. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences and multilocus sequence analysis based on partial sequences of atpD, gyrB, infB and rpoB genes revealed that strain LTYR-11ZTwas a member of the genus Pantoea, with Pantoea theicola NBRC 110557Tand Pantoea intestinalis DSM 28113Tas the closest phylogenetic relatives. The results of DNA-DNA hybridization, phenotypic tests and fatty acid analysis confirmed that strain LTYR-11ZTrepresents a novel species of the genus Pantoea, for which we propose the name Pantoea alhagi sp. nov. Confocal microscopy observation revealed that strain LTYR-11ZTeffectively colonizes the rhizoplane of both Arabidopsis and wheat. Strain LTYR-11ZTwas able to promote the growth of wheat enhancing its resistance to drought stress. Strain LTYR-11ZTled to increased accumulation of soluble sugars, decreased accumulation of proline and malondialdehyde (MDA), and decreased degradation of chlorophyll in leaves of drought-stressed wheat. Our findings will contribute to the development of a novel biotechnological agent to improve the adaptation of crop plants to drought in arid ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.
authors.forename: Chaoqiong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.
authors.forename: Kaiyun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.|Life Sciences Department, Yuncheng University, Yuncheng 044000, PR China.
authors.forename: Juanli
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.
authors.forename: Xihui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, PR China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D001482:Base Composition; D055864:Droughts; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D020636:Pantoea / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013559:Symbiosis; D014908:Triticum / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids