Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic study unveils the gene regulatory mechanisms of sugarcane growth promotion during interaction with an endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

BACKGROUND: Sugarcane growth and yield are complex biological processes influenced by endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria, for which the molecular mechanisms involved are largely unknown. In this study, integrated metabolomic and RNA-seq were conducted to investigate the interaction between an endophytic bacterial strain, Burkholderia GXS16, and sugarcane tissue culture seedlings. RESULTS: During treatment, the colonization of GXS16 in sugarcane roots were determined, along with the enhanced activities of various antioxidant enzymes. Accordingly, 161, 113, and 37 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were found in the pairwise comparisons of adjacent stages. In addition, transcriptomic analyses obtained 1,371 (IN-vs-CN), 1,457 (KN-vs-IN), and 365 (LN-vs-KN) differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were mainly involved in the pathways of glutathione metabolism and carbon metabolism. We then assessed the pattern of metabolite accumulation and gene expression in sugarcane during GXS16 colonization. The results showed that both DAMs and DGEs in the upregulated expression profiles were involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. Overall, p-coumaroyl-CoA in sugarcane roots transferred into homoeriodictyol chalcone and 5-deoxyleucopelargonidin due to the upregulation of the expression of genes shikimate O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT), chalcone synthase (CHS), and phlorizin synthase (PGT1). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the gene regulatory mechanisms involved in the interaction between GXS16 and sugarcane roots, which will facilitate future applications of endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria to promote crop growth.

Regulation of an endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria GXS16 promoting drought tolerance in sugarcane.

BACKGROUND: Drought limits crop growth and is an important issue in commercial sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) production. Drought tolerance in sugarcane induced by endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria is a complex biological process that ranges from altered gene expression and cellular metabolism to changes in growth and productivity. RESULTS: In this study, changes in physiological features and transcriptome related to drought tolerance in sugarcane conferred by the Burkholderia endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacterial strain GXS16 were investigated. Sugarcane samples inoculated with GXS16 exhibited significantly higher leaf relative water content than those without GXS16 inoculation during the drought stages. Sugarcane treated with GXS16 had lower levels of H2O2 and higher levels of abscisic acid than sugarcane not treated with GXS16 in the non-watering groups. Transcriptomic analysis of sugarcane roots identified multiple differentially expressed genes between adjacent stages under different treatments. Moreover, both trend and weighted correlation network analyses revealed that carotenoid biosynthesis, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, and plant hormone signal transduction strongly contributed to the drought-tolerant phenotype of sugarcane induced by GXS16 treatment. Accordingly, a gene regulatory network including four differentially regulated genes from carotenoid biosynthesis (crtB, crtZ, ZEP and CYP707A) and three genes from terpenoid backbone biosynthesis (dxs, dxr, and PCME) was constructed. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the application of GXS16 treatment to enhance drought tolerance in sugarcane, which will lay the foundation for crop development and improve productivity.

Streptomyces can be an excellent plant growth manager.

Streptomyces, the most abundant and arguably the most important genus of actinomycetes, is an important source of biologically active compounds such as antibiotics, and extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. Since Streptomyces can have a beneficial symbiotic relationship with plants they can contribute to nutrition, health and fitness of the latter. This review article summarizes recent research contributions on the ability of Streptomyces to promote plant growth and improve plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress responses, as well as on the consequences, on plant health, of the enrichment of rhizospheric soils in Streptomyces species. This review summarizes the most recent reports of the contribution of Streptomyces to plant growth, health and fitness and suggests future research directions to promote the use of these bacteria for the development of a cleaner agriculture.

Co-inoculation of different antagonists can enhance the biocontrol activity against Rhizoctonia solani in tomato.

Biological control by using microbial inoculants is adopted as the best alternative to chemical pesticides to manage plant diseases. In the present study, a microbial consortia based management strategy involving the microbes Bacillus velezensis MB101 (BV), Streptomyces atrovirens N23 (SA) and Trichoderma lixii NAIMCC-F-01760 (TL), was evaluated for the management of Rhizoctonia solani (RS), the causal agent of tomato root rot. The efficacy of these microbial inoculants was evaluated in glasshouse and field experiments. Plant defense-related enzymes were assayed in the glasshouse, and biocontrol effect was evaluated in the field with RS infected soil. In the glasshouse experiment, co-inoculated SA + TL treated plants showed maximum disease resistance in comparison to control. Also, the plant defense-related enzymes such as chitinase, ß-1,3-glucanase, peroxidases, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase were increased in this treatment. Furthermore, three application methods were assessed in the field, and SA + TL showed maximum disease reduction (76%) by the dual application. Based on glasshouse and field study results, it was concluded that co-inoculation of SA + TL activated plant defense against RS as compared to the individual microbes, and co-inoculation could be a new effective strategy to manage the root rot pathogen in an eco-compatible manner.

Proteomic Analysis of the Resistance Mechanisms in Sugarcane during Sporisorium scitamineum Infection.

Smut disease is caused by Sporisorium scitamineum, an important sugarcane fungal pathogen causing an extensive loss in yield and sugar quality. The available literature suggests that there are two types of smut resistance mechanisms: external resistance by physical or chemical barriers and intrinsic internal resistance mechanisms operating at host⁻pathogen interaction at cellular and molecular levels. The nature of smut resistance mechanisms, however, remains largely unknown. The present study investigated the changes in proteome occurring in two sugarcane varieties with contrasting susceptibility to smut-F134 and NCo310-at whip development stage after S. scitamineum infection. Total proteins from pathogen inoculated and uninoculated (control) leaves were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE). Protein identification was performed using BLASTp and tBLASTn against NCBI nonredundant protein databases and EST databases, respectively. A total of thirty proteins spots representing differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), 16 from F134 and 14 from NCo310, were identified and analyzed by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. In F134, 4 DEPs were upregulated and nine were downregulated, while, nine were upregulated and three were downregulated in NCo310. The DEPs were associated with DNA binding, metabolic processes, defense, stress response, photorespiration, protein refolding, chloroplast, nucleus and plasma membrane. Finally, the expression of CAT, SOD, and PAL with recognized roles in S. scitamineum infection in both sugarcane verities were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) technique. Identification of genes critical for smut resistance in sugarcane will increase our knowledge of S. scitamineum-sugarcane interaction and help to develop molecular and conventional breeding strategies for variety improvement.

Characterization of antagonistic-potential of two Bacillus strains and their biocontrol activity against Rhizoctonia solani in tomato.

To investigate the biocontrol mechanism of two antagonistic Bacillus strains (Bacillus subtilis MB14 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MB101), three in vitro antagonism assays were screened and the results were concluded that both strains inhibited Rhizoctonia solani growth in a similar manner by dual culture assay, but the maximum percent of inhibition only resulted with MB101 by volatile and diffusible metabolite assays. Moreover, cell free supernatant (CFS) of MB101 also showed significant (p > 0.05) growth inhibition as compared to MB14, when 10 and 20% CFS mix with the growth medium of R. solani. After in vitro-validation, both strains were evaluated under greenhouse and the results concluded that strain MB101 had significant biocontrol potential as compared to MB14. Strain MB101 was enhanced the plant height, biomass and chlorophyll content of tomato plant through a higher degree of root colonization. In field trials, strain MB101 showed higher lessening in root rot symptoms with significant fruit yield as compare to strain MB14 and infected control. Next to the field study, the presence of four antibiotic genes (srfAA, fenD, ituC, and bmyB) also concluded the antifungal nature of both Bacillus strains. Phylogenetic analysis of protein sequences revealed a close relatedness of three genes (srfAA, fenD, and ituC) with earlier reported sequences of B. subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens. However, bmyB showed heterogeneity in among both strains (MB14 and MB101) and it may be concluded that higher degree of antagonism, root colonization and different antibiotic producing genes may play an important role in biocontrol mechanism of strain MB101.

Chitinolytic Streptomyces vinaceusdrappus S5MW2 isolated from Chilika lake, India enhances plant growth and biocontrol efficacy through chitin supplementation against Rhizoctonia solani.

A chitinolytic actinomycete Streptomyces vinaceusdrappus S5MW2 was isolated from water sample of Chilika lake, India and identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. It showed in vitro antifungal activity against the sclerotia producing pathogen Rhizoctonia solani in a dual culture assay and by chitinase enzyme production in a chitin supplemented minimal broth. Moreover, isolate S5MW2 was further characterized for biocontrol (BC) and plant growth promoting features in a greenhouse experiment with or without colloidal chitin (CC). Results of greenhouse experiment showed that CC supplementation with S5MW2 showed a significant growth of tomato plants and superior disease reduction as compared to untreated control and without CC treated plants. Moreover, higher accumulation of chitinase also recovered in the CC supplemented plants. Significant effect of CC also concurred with the Analysis of Variance of greenhouse parameters. These results show that the a marine antagonist S5MW2 has BC efficiency against R. solani and chitinase enzyme played important role in plant resistance.

Isolation and characterization of siderophore producing antagonistic rhizobacteria against Rhizoctonia solani.

Plant protection through siderophore producing rhizobacteria (SPR) has emerged as a sustainable approach for crop health management. In present study, 220 bacteria isolated from tomato rhizosphere were screened for in vitro antagonistic activity against Rhizoctonia solani AG-4. Nine potent antagonistic strains viz., Alcaligenes sp. (MUN1, MB21, and MPF37), Enterobacter sp. (MPM1), Pseudomonas sp. (M10A and MB65), P. aeruginosa (MPF14 and MB123) and P. fluorescens (MPF47) were identified on the basis of physiological characters and 16S rDNA sequencing. These strains were able to produce hydrolytic enzymes, hydrogen cyanide, indole acetic acid, although, only few strains were able to solubilize phosphate. Two strains (MB123 and MPF47) showed significant disease reduction in glasshouse conditions were further evaluated under field conditions using three different application methods. Application of P. fluorescens (MPF47) in nursery as soil mix + seedling root treatments prior to transplantation resulted in significant disease reduction compared to control. Total chlorophyll and available iron were significantly higher in the MPF47 treated plants in contrast to infected control. In conclusion, siderophore producing bacteria MPF47 have strong biocontrol abilities and its application as soil mix + seedling root treatments provided strong shield to plant roots against R. solani and could be used for effective bio-management of pathogen.

Revealing the seed microbiome: Navigating sequencing tools, microbial assembly, and functions to amplify plant fitness.

Microbial communities within seeds play a vital role in transmitting themselves to the next generation of plants. These microorganisms significantly impact seed vigor and early seedling growth, for successful crop establishment. Previous studies reported on seed-associated microbial communities and their influence on processes like dormancy release, germination, and disease protection. Modern sequencing and conventional methods reveal microbial community structures and environmental impacts, these information helps in microbial selection and manipulation. These studies form the foundation for using seed microbiomes to enhance crop resilience and productivity. While existing research has primarily focused on characterizing microbiota in dried mature seeds, a significant gap exists in understanding how these microbial communities assemble during seed development. The review also discusses applying seed-associated microorganisms to improve crops in the context of climate change. However, limited knowledge is available about the microbial assembly pattern on seeds, and their impact on plant growth. The review provides insight into microbial composition, functions, and significance for plant health, particularly regarding growth promotion and pest control.

Soil phosphorus transformation and plant uptake driven by phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms.

Phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient for plants, and a lack of available P greatly limits plant growth and development. Phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms (PSMs) significantly enhance the ability of plants to absorb and utilize P, which is important for improving plant nutrient turnover and yield. This article summarizes and analyzes how PSMs promote the absorption and utilization of P nutrients by plants from four perspectives: the types and functions of PSMs, phosphate-solubilizing mechanisms, main functional genes, and the impact of complex inoculation of PSMs on plant P acquisition. This article reviews the physiological and molecular mechanisms of phosphorus solubilization and growth promotion by PSMs, with a focus on analyzing the impact of PSMs on soil microbial communities and its interaction with root exudates. In order to better understand the ability of PSMs and their role in soil P transformation and to provide prospects for research on PSMs promoting plant P absorption. PSMs mainly activate insoluble P through the secretion of organic acids, phosphatase production, and mycorrhizal symbiosis, mycorrhizal symbiosis indirectly activates P via carbon exchange. PSMs can secrete organic acids and produce phosphatase, which plays a crucial role in soil P cycling, and related genes are involved in regulating the P-solubilization ability. This article reviews the mechanisms by which microorganisms promote plant uptake of soil P, which is of great significance for a deeper understanding of PSM-mediated soil P cycling, plant P uptake and utilization, and for improving the efficiency of P utilization in agriculture.

From concept to reality: Transforming agriculture through innovative rhizosphere engineering for plant health and productivity.

The plant rhizosphere is regarded as a microbial hotspot due to a wide array of root exudates. These root exudates comprise diverse organic compounds such as phenolic, polysaccharides, flavonoids, fatty acids, and amino acids that showed chemotactic responses towards microbial communities and mediate significant roles in root colonization. The rhizospheric microbiome is a crucial driver of plant growth and productivity, contributing directly or indirectly by facilitating nutrient acquisition, phytohormone modulation, and phosphate solubilization under normal and stressful conditions. Moreover, these microbial candidates protect plants from pathogen invasion by secreting antimicrobial and volatile organic compounds. To enhance plant fitness and yield, rhizospheric microbes are frequently employed as microbial inoculants. However, recent developments have shifted towards targeted rhizosphere engineering or microbial recruitments as a practical approach to constructing desired plant rhizospheres for specific outcomes. The rhizosphere, composed of plants, microbes, and soil, can be modified in several ways to improve inoculant efficiency. Rhizosphere engineering is achieved through three essential mechanisms: a) plant-mediated modifications involving genetic engineering, transgenics, and gene editing of plants; b) microbe-mediated modifications involving genetic alterations of microbes through upstream or downstream methodologies; and c) soil amendments. These mechanisms shape the rhizospheric microbiome, making plants more productive and resilient under different stress conditions. This review paper comprehensively summarizes the various aspects of rhizosphere engineering and their potential applications in maintaining plant health and achieving optimum agricultural productivity.

Decoding seasonal changes: soil parameters and microbial communities in tropical dry deciduous forests.

In dry deciduous tropical forests, both seasons (winter and summer) offer habitats that are essential ecologically. How these seasonal changes affect soil properties and microbial communities is not yet fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the influence of seasonal fluctuations on soil characteristics and microbial populations. The soil moisture content dramatically increases in the summer. However, the soil pH only gradually shifts from acidic to slightly neutral. During the summer, electrical conductivity (EC) values range from 0.62 to 1.03 ds m-1, in contrast to their decline in the winter. The levels of soil macronutrients and micronutrients increase during the summer, as does the quantity of soil organic carbon (SOC). A two-way ANOVA analysis reveals limited impacts of seasonal fluctuations and specific geographic locations on the amounts of accessible nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Moreover, dehydrogenase, nitrate reductase, and urease activities rise in the summer, while chitinase, protease, and acid phosphatase activities are more pronounced in the winter. The soil microbes were identified in both seasons through 16S rRNA and ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) gene sequencing. Results revealed Proteobacteria and Ascomycota as predominant bacterial and fungal phyla. However, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Burkholderia are dominant bacterial genera, and Aspergillus, Alternaria, and Trichoderma are dominant fungal genera in the forest soil samples. Dominant bacterial and fungal genera may play a role in essential ecosystem services such as soil health management and nutrient cycling. In both seasons, clear relationships exist between soil properties, including pH, moisture, iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and microbial diversity. Enzymatic activities and microbial shift relate positively with soil parameters. This study highlights robust soil-microbial interactions that persist mainly in the top layers of tropical dry deciduous forests in the summer and winter seasons. It provides insights into the responses of soil-microbial communities to seasonal changes, advancing our understanding of ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity preservation.

Rice false smut pathogen: implications for mycotoxin contamination, current status, and future perspectives.

Rice serves as a staple food across various continents worldwide. The rice plant faces significant threats from a range of fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens. Among these, rice false smut disease (RFS) caused by Villosiclava virens is one of the devastating diseases in rice fields. This disease is widespread in major rice-growing regions such as China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and others, leading to significant losses in rice plantations. Various toxins are produced during the infection of this disease in rice plants, impacting the fertilization process as well. This review paper lightens the disease cycle, plant immunity, and infection process during RFS. Mycotoxin production in RFS affects rice plants in multiple ways, although the exact phenomena are still unknown.

Role of calcium nutrition in plant Physiology: Advances in research and insights into acidic soil conditions - A comprehensive review.

Plant mineral nutrition has immense significance for crop productivity and human well-being. Soil acidity plays a major role in determining the nutrient availability that influences plant growth. The importance of calcium (Ca) in biological processes, such as signaling, metabolism, and cell growth, underlines its critical role in plant growth and development. This review focuses on soil acidification, a gradual process resulting from cation leaching, fertilizer utilization, and drainage issues. Soil acidification significantly hampers global crop production by modifying nutrient accessibility. In acidic soils, essential nutrients, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and Ca become less accessible, establishing a correlation between soil pH and plant nutrition. Cutting-edge Ca nutrition technologies, including nanotechnology, genetic engineering, and genome sequencing, offer the potential to deliver Ca and reduce the reliance on conventional soluble fertilizers. These fertilizers not only contribute to environmental contamination but also impose economic burdens on farmers. Nanotechnology can enhance nutrient uptake, and Ca nanoparticles improve nutrient absorption and release. Genetic engineering enables the cultivation of acid-tolerant crop varieties by manipulating Ca-related genes. High-throughput technologies such as next-generation sequencing and microarrays aid in identifying the microbial structures, functions, and biosynthetic pathways involved in managing plant nutritional stress. The ultimate goal is to shed light on the importance of Ca, problems associated with soil acidity, and potential of emerging technologies to enhance crop production while minimizing the environmental impact and economic burden on farmers.

Optimized submerged batch fermentation for metabolic switching in Streptomyces yanglinensis 3-10 providing platform for reveromycin A and B biosynthesis, engineering, and production.

The cultivation system requires that the approach providing biomass for all types of metabolic analysis is of excellent quality and reliability. This study was conducted to enhance the efficiency and yield of antifungal substance (AFS) production in Streptomyces yanglinensis 3-10 by optimizing operation conditions of aeration, agitation, carbon source, and incubation time in a fermenter. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH were found to play significant roles in AFS production. The optimum pH for the production of AFS in S. yanglinensis 3-10 was found to be 6.5. As the AFS synthesis is generally thought to be an aerobic process, DO plays a significant role. The synthesis of bioactive compounds can vary depending on how DO affects growth rate. This study validates that the high growth rate and antifungal activity required a minimum DO concentration of approximately 20% saturation. The DO supply in a fermenter can be raised once agitation and aeration have been adjusted. Consequently, DO can stimulate the development of bacteria and enzyme production. A large shearing effect could result from the extreme agitation, harming the cell and deactivating its products. The highest inhibition zone diameter (IZD) was obtained with 3% starch, making starch a more efficient carbon source than glucose. Temperature is another important factor affecting AFS production. The needed fermentation time would increase and AFS production would be reduced by the too-low operating temperature. Furthermore, large-scale fermenters are challenging to manage at temperatures that are far below from room temperature. According to this research, 28°C is the ideal temperature for the fermentation of S. yanglinensis 3-10. The current study deals with the optimization of submerged batch fermentation involving the modification of operation conditions to effectively enhance the efficiency and yield of AFS production in S. yanglinensis 3-10.

Synergistic interactions of nanoparticles and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria enhancing soil-plant systems: a multigenerational perspective.

Sustainable food security and safety are major concerns on a global scale, especially in developed nations. Adverse agroclimatic conditions affect the largest agricultural-producing areas, which reduces the production of crops. Achieving sustainable food safety is challenging because of several factors, such as soil flooding/waterlogging, ultraviolet (UV) rays, acidic/sodic soil, hazardous ions, low and high temperatures, and nutritional imbalances. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are widely employed in in-vitro conditions because they are widely recognized as a more environmentally and sustainably friendly approach to increasing crop yield in contaminated and fertile soil. Conversely, the use of nanoparticles (NPs) as an amendment in the soil has recently been proposed as an economical way to enhance the texture of the soil and improving agricultural yields. Nowadays, various research experiments have combined or individually applied with the PGPR and NPs for balancing soil elements and crop yield in response to control and adverse situations, with the expectation that both additives might perform well together. According to several research findings, interactive applications significantly increase sustainable crop yields more than PGPR or NPs alone. The present review summarized the functional and mechanistic basis of the interactive role of PGPR and NPs. However, this article focused on the potential of the research direction to realize the possible interaction of PGPR and NPs at a large scale in the upcoming years.

Optimization of media components for chitinase production by chickpea rhizosphere associated Lysinibacillus fusiformis B-CM18.

Chitinase producing strain B-CM18 was isolated from chickpea rhizosphere and identified as Lysinibacillus fusiformis B-CM18. It showed in vitro antifungal activity against a wide range of fungal plant pathogens and was found to produce several PGPR activities. Further, a multivariate response surface methodology was used to evaluate the effects of different factors on chitinolytic activity and optimizing enzyme production. A central composite design was employed to achieve the highest chitinase production at optimum values of the process variables, viz., temperature (20-45 °C), sodium chloride (2-7%), starch (0.1-1%) and yeast extract (0.1-1%), added in the minimal medium supplemented with colloidal chitin (1-10%; w:w). The fit of the model (R(2) = 0.5692) was found to be significant. The production medium to achieve the highest chitinase production (101 U ml(-1) ) was composed of the minimal medium composed of chitin (6.09%), NaCl (4.5%), starch (0.55%) and yeast extract (0.55%) with temperature (32.5 °C). The results show that the optimization strategy led to an increase in chitinase production by 56.1-fold. The molecular mass of the chitinase was estimated to be 20 kDa by anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. Further, purified chitinase showed strong antifungal activity against test pathogens. Overall, these results may serve as a base line data for enhancing the chitinolytic potential of bacterial antagonists for bio-management of chickpea pathogens.

A Synthetic Microbial Community of Plant Core Microbiome Can Be a Potential Biocontrol Tool.

Microbes are accepted as the foremost drivers of the rhizosphere ecology that influences plant health in direct or indirect ways. In recent years, the rapid development of gene sequencing technology has greatly facilitated the study of plant microbiome structure and function, and various plant-associated microbiomes have been categorized. Additionally, there is growing research interest in plant-disease-related microbes, and some specific microflora beneficial to plant health have been identified. This Review discusses the plant-associated microbiome's biological control pathways and functions to modulate plant defense against pathogens. How do plant microbiomes enhance plant resistance? How does the plant core microbiome-associated synthetic microbial community (SynCom) improve plant health? This Review further points out the primary need to develop smart agriculture practices using SynComs against plant diseases. Finally, this Review provides ideas for future opportunities in plant disease control and mining new microbial resources.

Smart Nanomaterials in Cancer Theranostics: Challenges and Opportunities.

Cancer is ranked as the second leading cause of death globally. Traditional cancer therapies including chemotherapy are flawed, with off-target and on-target toxicities on the normal cells, requiring newer strategies to improve cell selective targeting. The application of nanomaterial has been extensively studied and explored as chemical biology tools in cancer theranostics. It shows greater applications toward stability, biocompatibility, and increased cell permeability, resulting in precise targeting, and mitigating the shortcomings of traditional cancer therapies. The nanoplatform offers an exciting opportunity to gain targeting strategies and multifunctionality. The advent of nanotechnology, in particular the development of smart nanomaterials, has transformed cancer diagnosis and treatment. The large surface area of nanoparticles is enough to encapsulate many molecules and the ability to functionalize with various biosubstrates such as DNA, RNA, aptamers, and antibodies, which helps in theranostic action. Comparatively, biologically derived nanomaterials perceive advantages over the nanomaterials produced by conventional methods in terms of economy, ease of production, and reduced toxicity. The present review summarizes various techniques in cancer theranostics and emphasizes the applications of smart nanomaterials (such as organic nanoparticles (NPs), inorganic NPs, and carbon-based NPs). We also critically discussed the advantages and challenges impeding their translation in cancer treatment and diagnostic applications. This review concludes that the use of smart nanomaterials could significantly improve cancer theranostics and will facilitate new dimensions for tumor detection and therapy.

Promoting plant resilience against stress by engineering root microenvironment with Streptomyces inoculants.

Plant growth is directly influenced by biotic and abiotic stress factors resulting from environmental changes. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have become a crucial area of research aimed at addressing these challenges. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding how PGPR impacts the microenvironments surrounding plant roots. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the effects of two distinct PGPR strains, Streptomyces griseorubiginosus BTU6 (known for its resistance to smut disease) and S. chartreusis WZS021, on sugarcane roots. Additionally, we compare the resultant modifications in the physicochemical characteristics of the rhizospheric soil and root architecture. The results reveal that following the inoculation of S. chartreusis WZS021, there was a significant increase in the active chemicals associated with nitrogen metabolism in sugarcane roots. This enhancement led to a substantial enrichment of nitrogen-cycling microbes like Pseudomonas and Gemmatimona. This finding supports earlier research indicating that S. chartreusis WZS021 enhances sugarcane's capacity to utilize nitrogen effectively. Furthermore, after treatment with S. chartreusis, Aspergillus became the predominant strain among endophytic fungi, resulting in alterations to their community structure that conferred drought resistance. In contrast, the relative abundance of Xanthomonas in the root environment decreased following inoculation with S. griseorubiginosus. Instead, Gemmatimona became more prevalent, creating a favorable environment for plants to bolster their resistance against disease. Notably, inoculations with S. chartreusis WZS021 and S. griseorubiginosus BTU6 led to substantial changes in the chemical composition, enzymatic activity, and microbial community composition in the soil surrounding sugarcane roots. However, there were distinct differences in the specific alterations induced by each strain. These findings enhance plant resilience to stress by shedding light on PGPR-mediated modifications in root microenvironments.