Paenibacillus yonginensis DCY84(T) induces changes in Arabidopsis thaliana gene expression against aluminum, drought, and salt stress.

Current agricultural production methods, for example the improper use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, create many health and environmental problems. Use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) for agricultural benefits is increasing worldwide and also appears to be a trend for the future. There is possibility to develop microbial inoculants for use in agricultural biotechnology, based on these beneficial plant-microbe interactions. For this study, ten bacterial strains were isolated from Yongin forest soil for which in vitro plant-growth promoting trait screenings, such as indole acetic acid (IAA) production, a phosphate solubilization test, and a siderophore production test were used to select two PGPB candidates. Arabidopsis thaliana plants were inoculated with Paenibacillus yonginensis DCY84(T) and Micrococcus yunnanensis PGPB7. Salt stress, drought stress and heavy metal (aluminum) stress challenges indicated that P. yonginensis DCY84(T)-inoculated plants were more resistant than control plants. AtRSA1, AtVQ9 and AtWRKY8 were used as the salinity responsive genes. The AtERD15, AtRAB18, and AtLT178 were selected to check A. thaliana responses to drought stress. Aluminum stress response was checked using AtAIP, AtALS3 and AtALMT1. The qRT-PCR results indicated that P. yonginensis DCY84(T) can promote plant tolerance against salt, drought, and aluminum stress. P. yonginensis DCY84(T) also showed positive results during in vitro compatibility testing and virulence assay against X. oryzae pv. oryzae Philippine race 6 (PXO99). Better germination rates and growth parameters were also recorded for the P. yonginensis DCY84(T) Chuchung cultivar rice seed which was grown on coastal soil collected from Suncheon. Based on these results, P. yonginensis DCY84(T) can be used as a promising PGPB isolate for crop improvement.