An Approach to Constructing Multispecies Biofilm Communities from Rhizosphere Soil

Summary

A rapid and standardized procedure for establishing synergistic multispecies biofilm communities from various rhizosphere soils is presented here. It is a unique protocol designed to probe and simulate the complex rhizosphere soil microbiota.

Abstract

The multispecies biofilm is a naturally occurring and dominant lifestyle of bacteria in nature, including in rhizosphere soil, although the current understanding of it is limited. Here, we provide an approach to rapidly establish synergistic multispecies biofilm communities. The first step is to extract cells from rhizosphere soil using the differential centrifugation method. Afterward, these soil cells are inoculated into the culture medium to form pellicle biofilm. After 36 h of incubation, the bacterial composition of the biofilm and the solution underneath are determined using the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing method. Meanwhile, high-throughput bacterial isolation from pellicle biofilm is conducted using the limiting dilution method. Then, the top 5 bacterial taxa are selected with the highest abundance in the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data (pellicle biofilm samples) for further use in constructing multispecies biofilm communities. All combinations of the 5 bacterial taxa were quickly established using a 24-well plate, selected for the strongest biofilm formation ability by the crystal violet staining assay, and quantified by qPCR. Finally, the most robust synthetic bacterial multispecies biofilm communities were obtained through the methods above. This methodology provides informative guidance for conducting research on rhizosphere multispecies biofilm and identifying representative communities for studying the principles governing interactions among these species.

Introduction

Biofilms represent intricate microbial communities either affixed to surfaces or linked with interfaces. There is broad acknowledgment that the majority of bacteria encountered in various environments, such as natural habitats, clinical settings, and industrial contexts, endure within biofilm communities¹. In soil, the rhizosphere—encompassing the root surface and its adjacent 2 mm thick region—forms an ecological niche with heightened nutrient availability. Specific bacteria have evolved strategies to exploit this niche, fostering microbial proliferation and fostering the formation of biofilm communities in the rhizosphere

Protocol

This protocol is generally applicable to rhizosphere soil microbiota from various plants. Here, cucumber is used as an example. Details of the reagents and equipment used for the study are listed in the Table of Materials.

1. Bacterial isolation

1. Rhizosphere soil isolation
   1. Cucumber culture
      1. Disinfect cucumber seeds with 75% ethanol and 2% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) solution, then rinse them in sterile water

Discussion

Following the protocol, a series of robust synthetic multispecies biofilm communities are constructed based on the microbiota in rhizosphere soil from different plants. Using quantitative PCR techniques, the composition of each community is deciphered clearly. The biomass of the biofilm indicates the strength of their potential metabolic interactions, although various properties and mechanisms behind the cooperation could not be revealed here¹⁹. Given the size and complexity of natural microbial c.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
0.2 % Na4P2O7 solution	Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co.,Ltd.	20041418	Used to dilute the soil suspension.
100 μm Nylon Cell Filter	Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.	F613463-0001	Used to filter culture solution and separate pellicle biofilm.
2% NaClO solution	Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co.,Ltd.	L03336903	Used to sterilize the seeds.
24-well Plate	Merck & Co., Inc.	PSRP010	Used for micobial cultivation and pellicle biofilm separation.
3-(N-morpholino) propane sulfonic acid (MOPS)	Bioolook Scientific Research Special	2360010	Used to prepare MSgg media.
50 mL Centrifuge Tube	Beijing Su-bio Biotech Co., Ltd.	62.547.254	Properly-sized centrifuge tubes for our protocol.
75% C2H5OH solution	Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co.,Ltd.	801769680	Used to sterilize the seeds.
Acinetobacter baumannii XL-1	Nanjing Agricultural University	N/A	Strains isolated from rhizosphere soil.
Bacillus velezensis SQR9	Nanjing Agricultural University	N/A	Strains isolated from rhizosphere soil.
Bacteria DNA Kit	Nanjing Dinsi Biotechnology Co.,Ltd.	D3350020000K04U021	Used to extract bacterial DNA.
Black Soil I	Nanjing Agricultural University	N/A	Black soil from Jilin Province.
Black Soil II	Nanjing Agricultural University	N/A	Black soil from Heilongjiang Province.
Burkholderia cenocepacia XL-2	Nanjing Agricultural University	N/A	Strains isolated from rhizosphere soil.
CaCl2	Xilong Scientific Co.,Ltd.	10035048	Used to prepare MSgg media.
Centrifuge	Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.	G508009-0001	High-speed centrifuge.
ChamQ SYBR qPCR Master Mix	Vazyme Biotech Co.,Ltd.	Q311-02	Used for DNA amplification in qPCR.
Clean Bench	Suzhou Antai Airtech Co., Ltd.	NB026143	Used for aseptic operation.
Constant Temperature Incubator	ShangHai CIMO Medical Instrument Co.,Ltd	GNP-9080BS-	Used for microbial cultivation.
Cristal Violet Dye	Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.	A600331	Used for pellicle biofilm staining and quantifivation.
Cucumber Seed	Nanjing Agricultural University	N/A	"Jinchun I" cucumber seed.
Culturome v 1.0	The Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences	N/A	Used for high-throughput rhizosphere soil bacterial cultivation and identification
FeCl3	Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co.,Ltd	10011918	Used to prepare MSgg media.
Fridge	Hefei Midea Refrigerator Co.,Ltd.	BCD-556WKPM(Q)	Used for strain preservation.
Glutamate	Bioolook Scientific Research Special	2180020	Used to prepare MSgg media.
Glycerol	Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co.,Ltd	10010618	Used to prepare MSgg media.
Hydroponic Planting Basket	Yulv Furniture Store	6526262626	Used for cucumber hydroponics.
KH2PO4	Xilong Scientific Co.,Ltd.	10017618	Used to prepare MSgg media.
MgCl2	Xilong Scientific Co.,Ltd.	7791186	Used to prepare MSgg media.
MnCl2	Xilong Scientific Co.,Ltd.	10400101	Used to prepare MSgg media.
Msgg Medium	Shanghai Bioesn Biotechnology Co.,Ltd.	BES20791KB	Pellicle biofilm culture medium.
Na2HPO4·7H2O	Merck & Co., Inc.	S9390-100G	Used to prepare TSB media.
NaCI	Chinasun Specialty Products co., Ltd.	HS0416	Used to prepare TSB media.
NaH2PO4·H2O	Merck & Co., Inc.	S9638-25G	Used to prepare TSB media.
PBS-S Buffer	Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.	E607008-0001	Basic buffer for living tissues.
Phenylalanine	RYON	RT3486L005	Used to prepare MSgg media.
Pipette	Beijing Labgic Technology Co.,Ltd.	BS-1000-T	Used for strain inoculation.
PMD19T Plasmid	Takara Biomedical Technology (Beijing) Co.,Ltd.	D102A	Used to generate qPCR standard curves.
Pot	Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co.,Ltd.	YHHWS2401	Used for cucumber soil culture.
Primer for qPCR	Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.	N/A	Used for DNA amplification in qPCR.
Real-Time PCR Instrument	Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Co.,Ltd.	4484073	Used to perform qPCR on selected pellicle biofilm.
Roary	The Wellcome Trust SangerInstitute	N/A	Used to design primers of qPCR
Shaker	Shanghai Zhichu Instrument Co.,Ltd	ZQTY-50S	Used for solution mixing and microbial cultivation.
Silwet L-77	Cytiva Bio-technology(Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.	SL77080596	Used to prepare TSB media.
Soy peptone	Qingdao Hi-tech Industrial Park Hope Bio-technology Co., Ltd	HB8275	Used to prepare TSB media.
Spectrophotometer	Shanghai Yidian Analysis Instrument Co.,Ltd.	76713100010	Used for pellicle biofilm cristal violet quantifivation.
Sterile Water	Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co.,Ltd.	SW150302	Used to wash the pellicle biofilm.
Sterilized Nitrile Gloves	Beijing Labgic Technology Co.,Ltd.	223016852LLZA	Used for basic experimental operations.
Template DNA	Sangon Biotech (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.	N/A	Used for DNA amplification in qPCR.
Thiamine	Bioolook Scientific Research Special	2180020	Used to prepare MSgg media.
Tryptone	Thermo Fisher Scientific	LP0042B	Used to prepare TSB media.
Tryptophan	Bioolook Scientific Research Special	2190020	Used to prepare MSgg media.
TSB Medium	Guangdong Huankai Microbial Sci. & Tech. Co.,Ltd.	024048	Broad-spectrum bacterial medium.
TSB-Msgg Meidium	Nanjing Agricultural University	N/A	Mixed medium for pellicle biofilm culture with wider applicability.
ZnCl2	Nanjing Chemical Reagent Co.,Ltd	C0310520123	Used to prepare MSgg media.