Unveiling the Role of Soil Microbes in Vitamin B6 Homeostasis: Insights from the RUS1 Mutant in Arabidopsis
Abigail Mora Lemus, Vivian Ho, Sydney Kenber, Jasmeeran Sidhu
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Zheng-Hui He
Vitamin B6 is essential for all living organisms, playing critical roles in metabolism, development, and stress responses. Despite its importance, the regulation of cellular vitamin B6 homeostasis remains poorly understood. Our laboratory has identified a gene, RUS1 (Root UV-B Sensitive 1), which is crucial for the regulation of vitamin B6 homeostasis. The rus1 mutant exhibits developmental arrest when grown in standard growth media, a condition that can be alleviated by the addition of exogenous vitamin B6. Interestingly, the rus1 mutant can also be rescued under normal soil conditions. We hypothesize that soil microbes contribute to plant vitamin B6 homeostasis by providing vitamin B6. To test this hypothesis, we compared the growth of rus1 and wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis plants in both sterilized and non-sterilized soil. Experiments were conducted in the SF State Greenhouse, with duplicated trays of randomly placed WT and rus1 plants exposed to different light conditions. Our results showed no significant growth differences for WT plants between sterilized and non-sterilized soil. However, rus1 plants exhibited significantly better growth in non-sterilized soil compared to sterilized soil. These findings suggest a beneficial interaction between soil microbes and the rus1 mutant, highlighting a potential mechanism for plant-microbe interactions in vitamin B6 homeostasis. Our study provides new insights into the complex relationships between plants and soil microbes, with implications for agricultural practices and plant biology research.