OsPHR2-mediated recruitment of Pseudomondaceae enhances rice phosphorus uptake.

Plant can shape their root microbiome for growth and nutrients uptake. PHOSPHATE STARVATION RESPONSE 2 (OsPHR2) is a central regulator of phosphate signaling in rice, but whether OsPHR2 can shape the root microbiome for phosphorus uptake is unclear. Here, we investigate the roles of OsPHR2 in recruiting microbiota for phosphorus uptake using high-throughput sequencing and metabolites analysis. OsPHR2-overexpressing (OsPHR2 OE) rice exhibited 69.8% greater shoot P uptake in natural soil compared to sterilized soil under high phosphorus (HP) conditions; while there was only a 54.8% increase in wildtype (WT). Next, the abundance of the family Pseudomondaceae was significantly enriched in the OsPHR2 OE root, relative to WT rice. Compared to the WT, OsPHR2 OE had different root exudates (succinic acid and methylmalonic acid), which were associated with distinct changes in the root microbiome. After inoculation with Pseudomonas sp (P6), rice phosphorus uptake in WT and OsPHR2 OE rice was higher than that of uninoculated rice plants under low phosphorus (LP) conditions. Together, our results suggest that OsPHR2 can increase rice phosphorus use through root exudate-mediated recruitment of Pseudomonas. This finding reveals a cooperative contribution of OsPHR2-modulated root microbiome, which is important for improving phosphorus use in agriculture.