AUTHOR=Liang Jinpeng , Chen Yulan , Li Sisi , Liu Dongyang , Tian Hong , Xiang Quanju , Zhao Ke , Yu Xiumei , Chen Qiang , Fan Hongzhu , Zhang Lingzi , Penttinen Petri , Gu Yunfu 

TITLE=Transcriptomic analysis and carbohydrate metabolism-related enzyme expression across different pH values in Rhizopus delemar

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1359830

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2024.1359830

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Introduction</title><p>pH is one of the important factors affecting the growth and performance of microorganisms.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>We studied the pH response and plant growth-promoting (PGP) ability of <italic>Rhizopus delemar</italic> using cultivation experiments and transcriptomics, and verified the expression profiles using quantitative real-time PCR.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>pH affected the growth and PGP properties of <italic>R. delemar</italic>. At pH 7, the growth rate of <italic>R. delemar</italic> was rapid, whereas pH 4 and 8 inhibited mycelial growth and PGP ability, respectively. In the pot experiment, the plant height was the highest at pH 7, 56 cm, and the lowest at pH 4 and pH 5, 46.6 cm and 47 cm, respectively. Enzyme activities were highest at pH 6 to pH 7. Enzyme activities were highest at pH 6 to pH 7. Among the 1,629 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 1,033 genes were up-regulated and 596 were down-regulated. A total of 1,623 DEGs were annotated to carbohydrate-active enzyme coding genes.</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Discussion</title><p>The PGP characteristics, e.g., Phosphorus solubilization ability, of <italic>R. delemar</italic> were strongest at pH 7. The results provide useful information regarding the molecular mechanism of <italic>R. delemar</italic> pH response.</p></sec>