Developing a High-Throughput Functional Bioimaging Capability for Rhizosphere Interactions Utilizing Sensor Cells, Microfluidics, Automation, and AI-guided Analyses
Authors:
Gyorgy Babnigg1* ([email protected], PI), Jessica Johnson1, Chase Akins1, Si Chen1, Tomoya Honda2, Shanshan Qi4, Neil Getty1, Sora Yu2, Rosemarie Wilton1, Fangfang Xia1, Kenneth Kemner1, Jean T. Greenberg3, Yasuo Yoshikuni2
Institutions:
1Argonne National Laboratory; 2DOE Joint Genome Institute; 3University of Chicago
URLs:
Goals
The complex dynamics of root-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere drives recognizable spatial structures. However, knowledge of the specific factors that lead to their development and sustain them for plant health and productivity is sparse.This project aims to develop a unique functional imaging technique that exploits native sense-and respond circuits of plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to monitor chemical exchange between the plant root and microbe during the different phases of colonization.
Abstract
Several native PGPRs are turned into biosensor cells, and root colonization is evaluated with Arabidopsis, camelina, and poplar. Genetic variants of Arabidopsis with gain or loss of function provide drastically altered local environments, resulting in colonization patterns that differ from those observed previously. An orthogonal X-ray imaging approach provides high resolution elemental analysis of the local environment, and imaging throughput in general is accelerated by automation and analysis driven by artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, the team aims to advance the throughput of current bioimaging capabilities that leverage imaging chips developed with BER funding with automation, and an AI-guided image analysis strategy.
Updates from this project will be presented with specific focus on promoter library development, biosensor design and testing with Arabidopsis, phenotyping and genotyping of new PGPRs, AI-based image analysis, and automation.
Funding Information
Argonne National Laboratory is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for DOE under contract number DE-AC02-06CH11357. This program is supported by the U. S. DOE Office of Science, through the Biomolecular Characterization and Imaging Sciences program, BER program, under FWP 39156.