Exploring the RHIZOsphere TO decipher plaNt-microbiome dialoGUE in contaminated soil: RHIZO_TONGUE

Today, unravelling the relationships of plants with multiple organisms from a new holobiont perspective can be crucial for gaining new insights into the field of interaction biology at the rhizospheric level. Although plant-microbe relationships have been studied for more than a century, appreciation of the functional consequences of these interactions is relatively recent and reveals new opportunities to design biotechnologies in response to environmental challenges. Indeed, a better understanding of the rhizosphere dynamics could provide new insights on its possible manipulation in the perspective of biotechnological applications in soil remediation. However, research advancements in this field requires an integrated view of the functions and interactions that exist between a host macroorganism and its associated belowground (root endosphere and rhizosphere) microbial communities. With this in mind, the project mainly aims to observe the rhizospheric environment as a single dynamic entity, analyzing to what extent the interactions between different organisms (in a three-way model) diverge under soil contamination with organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). In addition, a related objective is to evaluate the degradation action of OCPs by different biotechnological combinations (ranging from bioremediation to assisted phytoremediation). The project will explore the association of nutritional and signalling events between plant and microorganisms to add new information with potential implications in the environmental biotechnology field. Multiple sets of experiments in mesocosm will be conducted, under controlled conditions of contamination with OCP mixture. The rhizospheric effect will be evaluated by analyzing the functionality of two different plant species in synergy with an enhanced soil microbiome. Specifically, through a tripartite meta-transcriptome we will gain an understanding of both plant and microbial (both fungi and bacteria) molecular biology, providing extensive data on the composition and function of meta-organisms. We will also evaluate how the plant specific exudation spectrum can influence the rhizosphere metaphenomenon from a phytoremediation perspective. All the above may represent a clear opportunity to guide next-generation biotechnologies for soil ecosystem resilience.